Questions to Ask Yourself

If you are struggling with the question of whether or not to place your child for adoption, the following are a few questions to ask yourself to determine whether or not you are ready to raise a child.

These questions are not intended to persuade you into adoption, but to make certain that you have the opportunity to think through all of the responsibilities and demands of parenting.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

• Am I able to give a child what he/she demands and needs?
• Would I have to count on my parents to help me out?
• Can I raise a child and meet my own needs? To finish school? To start a career?
• Am I ready to become a good parent on my own?
• What do I want to achieve in life and experience out of life? How does parenting a child affect that?
• Could I handle a child, a job, and/or school simultaneously?
• Am I ready to give up the freedom to do whatever I want, whenever I want?
• An example of something I might have to give up by having my child with me would be…
• Am I willing to cut back on having fun and staying home while my friends go out?
• How does being a parent affect my free time and privacy?
• Can I afford to support a child? How will I pay for rent, clothing, food, diapers, and other living expenses?
• Do I want to raise a child in the neighborhood that I live in now? Where do I plan to live?
• Do I want my child to be like me?
• Am I expecting my child to make my life happy and to love me?
• When I am around small children for a while, what do I think or feel about having a two-year-old around ALL the time?
• How would I treat a child if I lost my temper or became angry?
• How would I discipline a toddler?
• How would I take care of my child’s health and safety?
• Do I enjoy teaching others?
• How will I feel knowing my child is with someone else?
• Can I stand to see someone else raising my child?
• Can I handle seeing my child on someone else’s schedule in an open adoption?

You will want to talk with the adoptive family and see if they are planning on storing your baby’s cord blood.  They likely won’t because it is expensive, and most people do not need to store it.

This means you can choose whether to donate it or discard it as medical waste. Donating cord blood is free and easy, and it saves lives.  The stem cells that are taken from your baby’s cord blood now treat over 80 different diseases and conditions.  Please consider cord blood donation if your adoptive family is not planning on storing it.  It saves lives and is better than throwing it away.