Birthmothers: Looking for a family on the web… a new approach

The internet has created so many different ways to connect. It has provided adoptive families going through the adoption process many different avenues to be connected with a birthmother. If you're a birthmother and you want to find the best family for your child, here are some tips on using the internet to find the right connection for you.

Using social media…

There are more and more people out there who would love to adopt a child. Rather than wait for an agency to find them a connection, they will secondarily use internet resources like social media, to look for a birthmother themselves. Many of them set up a page of their own specifically to engage with birthmothers. These pages often have the words Adopt or Adoption in their name, so they won't be hard to find. Some of the sites used currently by prospective adoptive families are Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. Search hashtags like #birthmother, #adoption, #adoptiveparents, #lookingtoadopt, #hopetoadopt, #openadoption, #adoptionplan, #waitingtoadopt, #adoptionislove, #infantadoption, #lookingtoadopt, #adoptionjourney, #adoptionprofile, #birthmom, #birthmother. Using hashtags in social media searches will simply act as a keyword search for families and will bring up recent posts about adoption. Be sure to set the date and time of the posts you're searching for to the current year to ensure that you're seeing future adoptive parents most recent posts.

Using other Internet options.

There are also other options on the internet. For example, there are many adoption groups and forums where prospective adoptive families present themselves. Adoption.com and Adoption Circle are great websites to gain knowledge and look for families and agencies that may be local to you. Many active members post and comment regularly, so you can easily find families who are currently interested in adopting a baby and start engaging with them about what agency they are represented by.

Websites.

Many people set up their own adoption websites where they upload their adoption profile, videos, photos and other details about themselves. Many people often also have a blog on their website, so you can use that to gauge whether they would be a good match for your child.

Using Google.

The benefit of finding an adoptive family through the internet is that you can easily modify your search according to your own criteria. Some birthmothers want their child to remain close to them, while others want to be far away to avoid the risk and emotional issues that could arise from seeing their birthchild living in close proximity with their adoptive family. So when searching for adoptive families and agencies on Google, try to think of your criteria and base your search around that. So, for example, if you would like to stay close to your child and you live in Ohio, and would like the adoptive family to be LGBT, you can try a search term such as “LGBT couple looking to adopt Ohio” to see what direction that takes you.

Getting Internet access.

All of these are great tips, but getting Internet access might in itself be a struggle for some. But there are usually always certain places in a community that offer free internet. Most libraries offer free internet access. If you own a laptop, tablet or smartphone, you can always conduct your search from a coffee shop or restaurant- most of them have internet access.