A: Adoption is the legal and permanent placement of a child with people who will raise the child as their own. The child becomes part of the family with full rights to inheritance and a lifetime family relationship.

A: No. We provide counseling to help you make your decision to parent your baby or to make an adoption plan.

A: No. Thinking about what is best for your child ahead of your own feelings is a true act of love. This is hard love -- hard to decide, hard to do, truly caring.

A: Sometimes birthparents are just not ready or able to parent their child. A child needs to be cared for day in and day out, year after year. Adoptive parents may be better able to provide a stable home for the child. Today there are many prospective adoptive parents who are unable to have children biologically and who are approved for adoption, just waiting to love and raise a child.

A: Yes, though feeling sad does not mean that you made a bad decision. Sadness is a natural part of grieving, and grieving is a natural response to a loss in one's life. The grieving must be worked through, and will not last forever. The hope for your child's happiness, and the knowledge that you helped give your child a sure start in life can be a source of strength to you. It takes courage, and you can be proud of yourself for giving the baby life, and then making a wonderful plan for his or her future.

A: Some may. There are different attitudes about adoption today. Counseling will help you deal with the issues and understand their thinking. It takes strength and courage to do what you believe to be the right thing for your child. Selecting adoption may be the most loving option you can choose. It is your decision.

A: Yes, you may decide whether or not you would like to see, visit with, hold and/or feed your baby in the hospital. Your adoption counselor will help you to develop a hospital plan stating your wishes. This plan will help you and the hospital staff to prepare for your time in the hospital, though you can change your mind about any of your wishes during your hospital stay.

A: Absolutely! If you wish you may take pictures at the hospital or at the agency, or we will take pictures for you if you do not have a camera. Our agency also requires the adoptive parents to send pictures of the baby at different times throughout the first year after placement. If you feel uncomfortable about receiving pictures, that is alright too. They will be kept in your file in case you want to see them at a later date.

A: Yes. In fact, we will encourage you to write a letter to the adoptive parents and a letter to your child which can be read when he or she reaches an appropriate age. The adoptive parents greatly appreciate letters from birthmothers and birthfathers because the letters help them to understand the love you have for your child, and will help guide them as they answer questions that your child may have about you as he or she is growing up.

A: Along with the letters, birthmothers are encouraged to send a gift for their child. This could be an outfit for the baby to wear when they leave the hospital, a toy, a blanket, a Bible, a special book, or whatever you wish. You may write a card or letter to your baby telling about yourself and why you chose the gift you sent. We educate each couple to help them understand the importance of such gifts, and these items are usually treasured by both the adoptive parents and by the child as a token of your love.

A: South Carolina law allows adoptive parents to pay "reasonable" living expenses and medical expenses not covered by insurance or Medicaid. Reasonable living expenses can include things such as groceries, maternity clothes, rent, utilities, or transportation costs for the birthmother only, and only if there are no other available resources. This help continues for one month, and sometimes two months, after your baby is born.

A: You can be completely involved in choosing the adoptive couple for your child. You may select a family from our adoptive parent profiles and scrapbooks. After they are selected, you may talk with them on the phone; meet them; write letters; exchange pictures; and be involved in any way you feel comfortable. These are all options for you to decide according to what best fits your needs. If you do not want to choose a family, we will choose one for you.

A: Each adoptive couple must have a home study completed and approved by a Certified Investigator or child-placing agency licensed by their state of residence. This assures us that the parents are emotionally, physically, and financially prepared to adopt. They must also be married for at least two years, be professing and practicing Christians, be members of the same church, and complete necessary paperwork. They must also have criminal record, child abuse, and sexual offender record clearances.

A: A closed adoption is one where the agency chooses the adoptive family and there is no contact or communication between the birthmother and the family at any time before, during, or after the birth of the baby. Not all adoptions are closed, as they were in the past. An open adoption usually refers to an adoption in which the birthmother selects and meets the adoptive parents, and has some amount of direct contact and exchange of information with the adoptive parents and the baby either before, during, or after the adoptive placement. 'Degree of openness' refers to how much and what kind of contact takes place between the birthparent(s) and the adoptive parents. Because there are varying degrees of openness, we will work with you and with the adoptive parents to help you agree upon a level of openness that you each feel comfortable with.

A: You may know basic non-identifying information that is shared in the adoptive parents' profile and scrapbook, and in the Dear Birthmother letters that the adoptive parents write to you. These letters explain who they are, what their lives are like, and why they would like children in their lives. Other information may be shared according to the degree of openness that you choose.

A: The Adoption Law requires that your medical history be shared. This is very important, and it will benefit your baby for the Pediatrician to know your medical history. Last names and addresses remain confidential. Also, the adoptive parents would like to know about your personality, schooling, hobbies, and interests (called a social history) which will help them get to know you and the baby better. You will have the option of providing any additional information that you feel is important, even after the placement of your child, with the adoptive family.

A: If possible, we would like to meet and counsel with the birthfather so that we can get the same background information from him, and to acknowledge his consent to the adoption. He can be as much a part of the adoption planning as the birthmother.

A: Most often the baby can be placed directly with the adoptive parents the day that he or she leaves the hospital. At times, the adoptive family may live further away and needs extra time to get here, or may need to complete some paperwork. In these cases, the baby is placed with one of our loving, Christian foster families until the adoptive parents arrive, or until their paperwork is complete.

A: You will probably sign before leaving the hospital if you give birth in a South Carolina hospital. If you do not feel that you are ready at that time, you may place your baby with one of our foster families for a few days until you are ready to sign, or until you have made your final decision about whether to parent your child or to place your child for adoption.

If you give birth in a hospital outside the state of South Carolina, you will need to come with your baby to South Carolina to sign, and to release the baby. The baby will be released to you at the hospital and we will help you get from the hospital to South Carolina and back home.

A: The South Carolina law states that once you sign the adoption papers, called the Post-Birth Consent or Relinquishment of Child for Adoption, it is final and you cannot change your mind.

A: We are available for counseling and support as long as you need us. We encourage you to keep in touch with us at least until you feel that your needs have been met, your grieving has ended, and your life is stable again.

A: You and your child will be able to search for each other when your child is an adult. This can be done by contacting our agency directly or by going through an independent search consultant, private investigator, or adoption registry. In order for you and your child to meet again at that time, the agency would first make sure that both of you agree to meeting and are comfortable with it.

If you have any other questions or if you would like to discuss any of these questions further, please call us toll free at 1-800-489-6030 (548-6030 if local) to talk to or to make an appointment with one of our counselors. We are here to help you in any way we can.