We work with the adoptive parents to develop a budget; the cost of your attorney is included in that budget. You are not responsible for your attorney’s fee.

It will depend on the nature of your relationship with the birth mother. She may or may not allow you access to the baby at the hospital. If you are not on good terms with the mother at the time of the child’s birth and would like to see the baby, then let us know, we can try work out a plan where you can visit the baby. After discharge, any future or long term contact is an item of discussion, which will be thoroughly covered and the options can be explained when you sit down with us.

Unlike the birth mother, you may sign your Voluntary Act of Surrender before the child is born and you are not required to participate in pre-surrender counseling. If you wait until after the birth to sign your surrender, we will let you know where you need to be and when. We can provide transportation if that will help you. We want you to feel supported, not pressured; welcomed not exploited. In exchange, we want you to always be honest with us and to cooperate when action is necessary.

It depends on whether you are married to the birth mother or not. If you are not married to the birth mother, you can’t find out for sure if you are the child’s father until after the child is born. But your legal obligations to the mother and the child begin at the moment you learn the mother is pregnant. It is important to know that you are expected to provide significant and consistent support to the mother and, by extension, the child while the child is growing in the mother’s womb. If you are married to the birth mother, [...]

You should immediately complete an application for a “Putative Father Certificate.” This application can be found online and is managed by the La. Department of Health and Hospitals. Follow the instructions and pay the small fee and send it in. You should receive a confirmation that they received your application. More information can be found here. You should make a strong effort to communicate with her, preferably in writing, and/or to her family, that you are interested in being a parent to the child; Send the birth mother money to support her and the child. If she doesn’t accept it, [...]

Any potential father should be informed that he may be the child’s father. Whether you are the person to tell him or not is debatable. If telling him does not create a risk of harm, then yes – we encourage you to tell him. If you are afraid, then there are other ways we can notify him and protect you at the same time.

Not telling him or misleading him can jeopardize the adoption. Under some circumstances, it is acceptable to delay telling him, for example, if you fear for your life.The adoption cannot be finalized unless all potential fathers are notified.

Financial help is allowed under Louisiana law; it is, however, regulated. The law allows for assistance to pay for things like pregnancy related expenses, medical needs and counseling. The amount and which expenses will vary from one situation to another. We will work with you to create a budget that meets your needs and satisfies any legal requirements.

We are in contact with several approved families just waiting to work with a birth mom just like you. You may also hear of friends or family members wanting to adopt, we can work with them, too.

No, this is optional. We give you the opportunity to be involved and to assert your choice, but if you really do not want to pick the adoptive family, we can do it for you.