Adoption is a loving and life-giving decision.

Call or Text Our 24 hour Hotline at 314-724-8417

Pregnant or Parenting and Considering adoption?

Note: Good Shepherd is continuing to serve the mission of adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are here to provide help to expectant parents, birth parents, adoptive parents and all clients past and present. Contact us at 314-724-8417 or email at jwade@ccstl.org or mfrederick@ccstl.org. We are here for you!

Our adoption worker will meet with you in your home, in the community, or wherever you are most comfortable to discuss:

Exploring your options, including education about adoption and parenting. We provide all adoption counseling free of charge.
Support through the process of making choices, both during the pregnancy and post delivery
If you choose adoption, education about the emotional and legal process, including selection of the adoptive family, preparing for the hospital and going to court. We will help through topics like reading and signing adoption papers and learning about adoption laws, and be with you every step of the process.
For everyone: preparation for a variety of emotions, including love, loss, sadness, grief, and joy.

Your social worker will discuss all the stages in the private adoption process with you, as you go through them. Remember that there is no right or wrong decision. The most important thing is that you make the best decision for you and your baby.

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“A mother’s love for her child is like no other love. To be able to put that feeling aside because you want the best for your child is the most unselfish thing I know.” —Mary, birth mom

Adoption FAQs

What is a birth mother?

A birth mother is a mother who chooses to give birth to her child and then place him or her with a family for adoption.

What does it mean to “make an adoption plan”?

It’s another way of saying to place a child for adoption. This typically happens with the help of a caseworker from an adoption agency. Often, he/she can help someone navigate through decisions like living arrangements, choosing a family, the birth father’s role, legal terminology and paperwork, delivery planning and hospital stay, openness agreement with adoptive family, and post-placement support.

Can a birth mother pick the family to parent her child?

Yes, birth parents can make a list of what they’re looking for in a family, from things like religion, race, and hometown to even things like personality traits.. Ultimately, the birth parent has the opportunity to choose the parents for their child. See our waiting families here.

Is there a cost involved with making an adoption plan?

No, making an adoption plan is free for birth parents.

Is choosing adoption giving up?

No, placing for adoption is one of the bravest things a mother will ever do. Sometimes the best decision a mother can make for her child is to choose a family to provide for her baby in a way that she is not able. She temporarily sets aside her needs for what she believes are in the best interests of the child. That’s not abandoning your child – that’s called being a mother (strong, brave, loving, selfless, responsible). You are not “giving up a baby for adoption” – you are giving life to him or her.

(FAQs adapted from BraveLove)

Bravelove

We are a trusted partner through Bravelove, an organization whose mission it is to change the perception of adoption through honest, informative, and hopeful communication that conveys the heroism and bravery a birth mother displays when she places her child with a loving family for adoption. To learn about Bravelove, visit www.bravelove.org.

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