Open adoption is a process where the adoptive parents and the birthparents maintain a relationship that includes sharing identifying information and maintaining ongoing communication throughout the child’s life. At Abrazo, we support full-disclosure open adoptions, which means that adopting parents and prospective birthfamilies exchange details like last names and addresses, engage in direct communication (such as phone calls and letters), and continue to have visits over the years. This transparency ensures that the child grows up with honest, age-appropriate information about their biological family.

While some expectant parents worry that open adoption might be challenging, those who have placed through Abrazo often express that knowing where their child is and how they are doing brings them peace and comfort with their decision. This continued connection can make the adoption process feel more supportive and less isolating, allowing birthparents to stay informed and involved in their child’s life journey.

The timeline for putting a baby up for adoption can vary based on individual circumstances. At Abrazo, we welcome placing parents to reach out whenever they feel ready to begin the adoption planning process. If you’re pregnant, we typically suggest waiting until at least the fourth or fifth month before matching with an adoptive couple and receiving maternity support. This gives you time to explore all your options and ensure that adoption is the best choice for you and your baby.

Abrazo offers options counseling at any stage of your pregnancy, and the final adoption paperwork can be signed anytime after your baby is 48 hours old. This approach ensures that you have ample time to make an informed and confident decision.

Yes, you can choose a family of your own race for your child. At Abrazo, we honor and respect your preferences and decisions regarding your child’s future. If it’s important to you that your child grows up in a same-race home, simply let us know, and we will work to help you find an adoptive family that meets your wishes. Your comfort and the well-being of your child are our top priorities.

In Texas, there is no specific age requirement to place a baby for adoption, meaning a parent of any age can make an adoption plan for their baby without needing their own parents’ knowledge or approval. However, at Abrazo, we understand the value of family support and encourage expectant parents to involve their families in the adoption process (if it would be a positive and supportive choice). Ultimately, the decision is yours, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

Abrazo can provide financial assistance for “maternity-related expenses” during your pregnancy and up to eight weeks after the birth, as allowed by Texas law. This assistance can cover medical care, housing, basic utilities, transportation to and from appointments, clothing, food, and childcare during labor and delivery, depending on your specific needs.

These costs are paid by the agency and covered by the adopting family. It’s important to be certain of your intentions before requesting financial help. While you are not required to repay any assistance if you ultimately decide not to place your baby for adoption, seeking maternity support if you know you won’t place, or accepting financial assistance from more than one agency at a time, can be considered fraud, which is a felony offense punishable by law.

Yes, Abrazo can work with birthparents from most states. However, state laws vary, so it’s important to contact us to determine whether your state will allow us to come to you, or if you’ll need to travel to Texas to have your child adopted through our agency. We’ll guide you through the process and ensure that everything is done in accordance with your state’s regulations. (Void where prohibited.)

Expectant parents have the right to change their minds and make other plans at any point up until the adoption consents, also known as “relinquishment documents,” are signed. In Texas, these consents cannot legally be signed until the newborn is at least 48 hours old. Once the consents are signed, they are irrevocable, meaning you cannot reclaim your child or reverse the decision. This is why it’s crucial for anyone considering adoption to be absolutely certain of their choice before relinquishing parental rights, ensuring they won’t have any regrets later on.

Putting your baby’s future first by making a loving adoption plan is anything but wrong or selfish. In fact, it’s one of the most selfless decisions a parent can make when it’s done with the right intentions. The parents who place their children for adoption at Abrazo are motivated by a deep desire to give their little ones the best possible life. They want to ensure their children have the opportunities and support they might not be able to provide themselves. That kind of love and foresight is far from selfish—it’s a sign of great maturity and courage.

These parents don’t make adoption plans to make their own lives easier; they do it to give their child a better chance at a stable, secure, and loving future. While adoptive parents can never replace a child’s birthparents, they can offer additional support and care, creating a new chapter in the child’s life filled with love from both sides. Adoption may not guarantee a better life, but it does offer the promise of a different future, one shaped by the love and decisions of both birth and adoptive parents.

Absolutely! Just complete the Information Request that’s here on our website and we’ll promptly send you a packet of info (in an envelope that says nothing about adoption on the outside–just in case you’re very private or your mailman is nosy.)

The agency’s full-service program is reserved for adoptive families with documented infertility, who can’t get pregnancy and have no other means of building a family except by adoption. Most are eagerly waiting to become parents for the first time, while some have adopted before or previously had a biological pregnancy but can never again conceive another child. All are carefully investigated, right down to the FBI criminal and child abuse checks, to be sure that they are good people who are ready to provide a safe and nurturing home and to embrace you and your child with open arms.

Placing parents at Abrazo get the emotional support they need before and after adoption through individual counseling, our Birthparent Support Group that meets weekly, our online Forum, toll-free calls to/from their caseworker, Abrazo’s private First Moms Facebook group, and the agency’s annual Camp Abrazo reunion weekend, if they choose to participate.

This is entirely up to you, and Abrazo will respect your choice. While it can be beneficial to keep siblings together, we recognize that some birthparents have their own reasons to want to make different plans and we’ll gladly work with you to make whatever decisions you feel are best for the child/ren you are placing.

Abrazo’s staff is compassionate and easy to talk to, and we will always respect your wishes regarding contact. However, we’d like to help you understand why it can be important for any child you place to know about you. Together, we can create an adoption plan that you’ll be comfortable with and that will also meet the future needs of your child and their adoptive family. Your comfort and your child’s well-being are our top priorities.

Under the laws of Texas at the current time, an attorney would probably tell you that the only time a father’s signed consent is needed is if you are married at the time of placement or if the baby’s father has already gone to court to prove paternity of the child being placed. Call us and let’s get Abrazo’s attorney to explain, if you’re worried about the father’s rights, but the short answer is that mothers who feel adoption is best can usually make this choice without the father’s involvement (except in very specific circumstances.)

It’s never too late to consider adoption, even if your baby is no longer a newborn. We understand that some moms need time to take their baby home and try to make it work before deciding to place. It’s a tough decision, especially when there’s pressure from relatives or friends to parent, and the support that’s promised at birth doesn’t always last.

At Abrazo, we work with parents who are considering adoption at any stage, whether your child is an older baby, toddler, or even a preschooler. We have families who are ready and eager to adopt older children. If you feel that an adoptive home could better meet your child’s needs, we’re here to talk with you about your options and help you find the best path forward.

Abrazo is private, nonprofit 501c3 organization so the agency is privately-funded, solely through tax-deductible contributions and fees paid for services by adopting parents who cannot have children any other way and are carefully approved for open adoptions of children of all backgrounds.

Abrazo works with adoptive families from all across the United States, with the majority located in Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Georgia, Louisiana, Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri. However, we are unable to place children with families outside the U.S. due to recent changes in American homeland security regulations. This limitation aligns with our belief that maintaining openness in adoption is crucial, and it can be challenging to keep that connection strong when adoptive families and birthfamilies are separated by an ocean. Openness matters to us, and we are committed to ensuring that it’s a realistic and meaningful part of your adoption plan.

Abrazo’s staff all hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees (in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work or Counseling.) They have experience in working in adoptions, foster care, child welfare and nonprofit social services because they genuinely care about helping others.

Not to worry; just call our office and let us know, and we’ll make sure we send a staff member who’s a notary out to see you so it’s not a hassle for you.

Abrazo has loving adoptive families awaiting all types of children, so please don’t be afraid, because we’ll work with you to find a wonderful home for your child– no matter what complications your child may have.

In Texas, placing parents whose adoption plans are handled through licensed Texas agencies can receive needed financial support for such needs as housing, groceries, clothing, etc., while placing parents whose adoptions are being handled privately through an attorney can only receive financial assistance with medical bills and legal bills. Agency adoptions are generally considered safer, because the agency looks out for the needs of everyone in the adoption plan, while attorneys can only legally advise the client who is paying them. If you do opt for a private adoption, be sure the adoptive family is paying for you to have a separate attorney all your own, since their adoption lawyer cannot ethically represent both you and them due to potential “conflict of interest” standards.

If Child Protective Services is threatening to take your child/ren and you want to make an open adoption plan instead, Abrazo can absolutely help you with this, as long as CPS has not yet been to court to terminate your parental rights. Open adoption at Abrazo means that you can choose your child/ren’s new family, get to know them, and keep in touch, unlike what will happen if CPS takes your child/ren, terminates your rights and places your child/ren in a closed adoption where you never know where your child/ren ended up or with whom. If your child has been the victim of abuse or neglect, Abrazo just needs to know what happened, to get your child into a loving adoptive home that will welcome both your child and you into their lives– before CPS can intervene in your choice.

Abrazo educates it adoptive families to understand that a birthparent’s needs may change over time and we urge our adoptive families to work to balance the birthparent’s needs with those of the adoptee.

While Texas law does not currently allow for legally enforceable post-placement contact agreements, Abrazo takes every possible precaution to ensure that the adoptive families we work with are genuinely committed to openness in adoption. We strongly advise birthparents to entrust their children only to families they feel they can fully trust.

We encourage adoptive families to share identifying information, such as last names, permanent addresses, and phone numbers, and to maintain direct contact throughout the child’s life. Openness is a gift that both birthparents and adoptive parents give to their children, ensuring that those adopted through Abrazo grow up with full knowledge of and access to both families throughout their lifetime. This ongoing connection helps create a strong, supportive environment for the child, rooted in trust and transparency.

This is a very special scholarship program that was initially made possible through the generosity of bestselling novelist Jacquelyn Mitchard, who adopted twice with Abrazo’s help. Birthmoms who have already placed a child through Abrazo (who have an already-finalized adoption), who have been accepted to a college or trade school and who need help with tuition can apply through the San Antonio Foundation, the independent organization that administers the program on Abrazo’s behalf.