Deciding to put one’s baby up for adoption is a tough decision, so individuals want to make sure they go about it the right way. Fortunately, social media can help such individuals throughout the adoption process.
Here are just a handful of ways one can use social media for their adoption needs:
Seeking Advice
One of the first steps you’ll want to take when putting your baby up for adoption is to seek advice from couples and individuals who have been through the same process. Advice and support are immeasurable, especially if you’re going through the adoption process on your own.
Social media is the perfect place to gather adoption advice. Whether you create a Facebook post that focuses on the adoption process or you visit the social pages of adoption agencies, social media can help.
In addition, reaching out to friends and family on social media is another good way to gather advice and moral support. Chances are someone in your social circles has been through an adoption or knows someone who has.
Following Adoptive Families
If you’re trying to figure out how to find the right family to adopt your baby, using social media as research tool may be helpful.
When you get to the decision-making stage of the adoption process, you’ll want to learn more about the adoptive family who will be adopting your child. By friending and following the adoptive family on sites like Facebook and Instagram, you can get a better picture of their family life through photos and posts.
Although sharing personal information like this comes pretty late in the process, it’s still beneficial to connect and share socially.
Finding Adoption Support Groups
Social media isn’t only about photo sharing and posting updates. In fact, there are a number of social support groups and forums ranging in all kinds of topics, including adoption.
By joining online adoption support groups, you can share your feelings about putting your baby up for adoption with individuals who have been through the same process.
From the pre-adoption and pregnancy stages to the post adoption stages, support groups are a great way to socially share your feelings.
Visiting Adoption Blogs
More and more social media advocates are creating their own personal blogs, including mothers and fathers who have put their babies up for adoption.
By seeking out and visiting these adoption blogs, you can get a first-hand perspective on the entire process. Blogs tend to be a bit more in-depth than traditional social media posts.
Likewise, reaching out about specific topics through an adoption blog is usually a more private and personal process, which is important when discussing something as sensitive as adoption.
Guidelines to Remember
Before you go the social media route when putting your baby up for adoption, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
For starters, you’ll want to reach out to local adoption agencies or child and family services before letting your attentions be known on social media.
These agencies will help you acquire an adoption facilitator or counselor. Likewise, you’ll also want to complete some sort of home study to ensure adoption really is what you want.
Finally, before reaching out to the adoptive family on social media, you’ll need to check with your adoption agency to make sure the family wants to open a line of communication on their end.
When you’re ready to put your baby up for adoption, keep in mind the social pointers above.
About the Author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including adoption and social media.
