Adoption vs. Surrogacy in Arkansas
It’s not unusual for hopeful parents to experience obstacles to natural pregnancy. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t fulfill your dreams of building a family. You have options, and they include surrogacy or adoption in Arkansas.
Choosing between the two can be a tough decision, and it’s a good idea to fully consider your options when selecting the right path for your family. At American Adoptions, we strive to provide the support and resources you need to fully process your choice between adoption and surrogacy in Arkansas. When you choose adoption, we’ll be there throughout your journey.
If you’d like to learn more about the adoption process or start your own adoption journey, simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our free online form. For now, please keep reading to learn what you should know about adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas.
What You Need to Know About Surrogacy vs. Adoption in Arkansas
Deciding to start a family is a life-changing moment. Choosing to take this big step comes only after considering a long list of personal questions, such as:
- Am I really ready to become a parent?
- What are the available ways for me to start (or grow) my family?
- What do I need to know about surrogacy?
- What’s best for me: adoption or surrogacy in Arkansas?
It’s wise to fully process your decision after gaining an understanding of the differences between adoption and surrogacy in Arkansas.
What You Should Know About Surrogacy
When selecting between surrogacy and adoption in Arkansas, it’s important to note surrogacy lets you have a child with your genetic makeup while participating in every aspect of the pregnancy. For some hopeful parents, that’s a compelling benefit to consider.
If you choose gestational surrogacy, your first step is finding a match with a surrogate who is open to carrying your child. You can also work with a surrogate agency to help you find a willing surrogate mother and build a relationship with them.
Surrogacy is an appealing option for some prospective parents, but if you’re considering it, it’s important you know the process of surrogacy vs. adoption in Arkansas can be lengthy and is often quite personal.
Once you make a match, you and your surrogate can get to know one another more intimately throughout the duration of the pregnancy. You can stay in contact on a regular basis, and that contact can include things like:
· A chance to view pregnancy pictures
· A chance to attend doctor's appointments
· An invitation to attend your child’s birth
What You Should Know About Adoption
For families who aren’t drawn to surrogacy, selecting adoption gives you a satisfying path to building your family. Choosing adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas has its own set of benefits, such as:
- Shorter wait times
- Increased control over the process
- A chance to assist a birth mother at a difficult time
You should know it’s not uncommon for hopeful parents to be matched with a birth parent close to the time of the child’s birth. As a result, you may not get the opportunity to be engaged in the pregnancy experience as much as when you choose surrogacy. It’s important to consider that when choosing to go through a surrogate vs. adoption in Arkansas.
On the other hand, most adoptive families appreciate the increased control they have with adopting a child.
Choosing adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas means you’ll probably partner with a licensed adoption agency (like American Adoptions) that will help you find your way through the adoption process from beginning to end. Your agency will handle things like:
- Assisting in completing your Adoption Planning Questionnaire (APQ)
- Completing the required adoption home study in Arkansas
- Constructing a compelling adoptive family profile
- Identifying the right expectant birth mother and adoption opportunity
- And more
Choosing adoption vs surrogacy in Arkansas brings a long list of benefits for hopeful adoptive families. Adoption allows you control over things like:
· Your child’s age
· Your child’s gender
· Your child’s race
· Your child’s religious or cultural background
· And much more
You can enjoy other benefits when selecting adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas, such as a shorter wait time to become a parent. If you opt for surrogacy vs. adoption in Arkansas, you’ll need to find a gestational surrogate and ensure you’re a match before starting the surrogacy process. With adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas, your wait time is usually 9 to 12 months when you partner with American Adoptions.
A few of the other advantages you’ll get when partnering with our agency include:
- An industry-leading financial protection program for adoptive parents who provide birth mother financial assistance
- 24/7 support from our team of committed adoption specialists
- 12x more marketing and promotion than the average competing adoption agency
- Expert counseling and guidance throughout the duration of the adoption process
- Help with creating your adoption profile
- Establishing birth mother financial assistance when necessary
- Facilitating contact between birth mothers and prospective adoptive families
- And much, much more
Surrogacy vs. Adoption: Pros and Cons in Arkansas
If you are still considering adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas, it could help to hear about the experiences of other parents regarding surrogacy and adoption in Arkansas. Hearing these stories can help you realize you aren’t alone.
One surrogate mother, Megan, says that after considering the significance of her surrogacy for a hopeful couple, she was all-in on the process.
“Once you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes, there’s really no turning back; once you see the struggle and the pain, and you wish you could just help everybody,” Megan said. “I said to [my husband], ‘If we couldn’t have children, what would you want? What would you want somebody else to do for us?’”
Another mother appreciates that surrogacy gave her an ongoing relationship with her surrogate, even though she recognizes that their relationship changed once her children were born.
“It wasn’t necessarily saying goodbye to her, but it was just a different chapter and a different part of the relationship,” she remembers. “I knew it was going to take a little more work for us to stay together because there wasn’t going to be doctor’s appointments, and that tying us together. It was just a new chapter, and we both knew that.”
Regarding adoption, one adoptive family offered this helpful advice.
“I just wish I had known it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be,” Lindsey says. “I’m glad everything happened the way it did because we were matched with our son, and I feel like it was meant to be.”
Beginning Your Journey to Adoption or Surrogacy in Arkansas
Prepared to choose between adoption vs. surrogacy in Arkansas? If so, that’s great! You have a few options for starting the process. If you think adoption is the right way to go, you can call our team anytime at 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our free online form. If surrogacy is appealing to you, you can complete this form to get more information.
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