We at Love Basket have had the privilege of working with women in unplanned pregnancies for many years. This page discusses Love Basket's Birth Parent Services Program and explains the services Love Basket will be offering you. Your counselor will be happy to answer any questions you might have and provide additional details about the program. There is no charge for our services to birthparents and their families.

How the Program Works:
Our goal is to leave the birthmother and birthfather (if he is involved) in control of the process. You select the adoptive parents you want for your baby. You decide whether or not you would like to meet them. You decide which of the three levels of openness explained below you are comfortable with:

1. Open Adoption -is when you and the adoptive parents get to know each other before the baby is born and decide your own level of contact after the adoption.

2. Semi-open Adoption -is an option for you if you would like to meet the adoptive parents, but only give them your first name. All your correspondence will go through the Love Basket office.

3. Closed Adoption -is for birthmothers that wish to select adoptive parents, but do not want any identifying information given to them. You may still correspond through the Love Basket office.

Our goal is to help you make the decision that is best for you and your baby, be it adoption or parenting. We're here to help you either way. We encourage you to have as much contact with your counselor as you feel you might need.

If you decide to parent your baby, we will help you contact other community resources you will need to make the transition to parenthood as easy as possible. These services may include Medicaid and other government help, putting you in touch with medical care providers, support groups and vocational/job training programs.

If your decision is to make an adoption plan for your baby, your first task will be selecting parents for your child. You will be given several profiles, completed by adoptive parents, to review. From these you can select the family that best "fits" you and your baby. Each Adoptive Parent Profile is about 15 pages of questions with answers by the adoptive parents. Questions include various aspects of their lives such as: source of income, reasons for adopting, hobbies, interests, etc. While this should give you a good idea of their lives, you can ask other questions of them as well.

You may have particular thoughts on the educational background, income, religious background, location (urban or rural), or other factors regarding the adoptive family that may be important to you. Please share these with your counselor and you will be given profiles of families that most closely fit your desires.

If you choose to meet the adoptive parents, your counselor will be with you to help carry the conversation and get your questions answered. Your comfort in placing your baby with the family you select is our utmost concern.

Your child will know that you love him (or her) because you selected a loving home for him and the adoptive parents will know of your love for your child and will tell him all about you, if you want them to.

In many cases your medical expenses are covered by Medicaid or other insurance. If not, they will be paid by the adoptive parents after the adoption is completed. In some cases help is also available for other living expenses, such as rent, clothing, etc. in connection with placing your child for adoption. Ask your counselor for more information.

At Love Basket our adoptive parents are thoroughly screened. We make sure they are ready to adopt, have a stable marriage and home life, good employment and the ability to love, educate, and care for your child.

We also ask them questions about their religious beliefs to make sure they have an active Christian faith they can share with your child. They also go through evaluations which include:

•Complete thorough medical exams
•References completed by 5 different people, answering numerous questions about the couple's marriage, Christian faith, integrity, honesty and their fitness to adopt.
•Police/criminal record checks
•Child abuse and neglect screenings
•Pastoral reference from their pastor or priest
•Employer references verifying income and good employment

If they successfully complete this review, they are then interviewed by a trained social worker, discussing their reasons for adopting, their commitment to their marriage, how they handle money, etc.

After the parents successfully complete all of these steps, they complete a profile for you and other birthparents to review.

Adoption is not an easy decision. We know that you will grieve after the placement of your baby and we will continue to offer our services to help you through this period.

Sometimes you need time after the child's birth to make sure adoption is right for you and your baby. If you need time to think about your decision after the baby is born, we can place the baby in one of our pre-adoptive homes while you make up your mind. He/she will be well cared for. Allowing us to care for your baby does not mean you must place him or her for adoption.

Your decision to place the baby for adoption must be made by you freely and with the understanding that your parental rights will be terminated, thus ending your legal relationship with the baby.

What you need to do: To start working with Love Basket, you simply need to contact one of our counselors at (toll free) 1-888-568-2758 and let them know that you want to consider or plan an adoptive placement. Regular counseling sessions in person and over the phone will be scheduled for you and your counselor. You will be asked to complete a Medical History and Social History now and to keep us informed of any significant medical happenings in your life in the future. This will help the adoptive parents know about you and your background so they can better care for your baby.

Birthmothers located in states other than Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin can still receive counseling services through one of Love Basket's partner organizations located near you, so please call if we can help you.

Love Basket is ready to help you place your child with the family you desire and we are ready to assist you with the actual placement and the legal process in completing the placement. That is our commitment to you: confidential, honest work on your behalf to place your child with the family that you think is best.

Please feel free to ask one of our counselors any questions you feel we did not sufficiently answer here. Remember you can call us toll-free at 1-888-LOV-BSKT.

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