In most cases, you will receive no written information except for the confirmation of pregnancy. Medical records can take weeks or months to obtain, and some birth mothers have not had prenatal care prior to the match. We will share the information we have obtained from the birth mother, and we will seek records if available, but those records are typically not available before committing to a match. 

Yes. Birth mothers choose the parent(s) for their child, and birth mothers may or may not be open to same-sex couples. However, we have seen an increased openness to same-sex couples and some mothers that specifically request same sex couples. 

Yes. Birth mothers choose the parent(s) for their child, and while many birth mothers make an adoption plan so their child will have two parents, others are open to a single parent adopting their child. We accept single parents on our waiting list, but it is possible that the wait will last longer. 

We work to match all families seeking to build their family. Birth mothers may request a family with no children, while others want their child to have siblings. 

MPOWB does not advertise to reach birth parents. Therefore, we work with birth mothers from a variety of sources, such as advertisers, agencies, other attorneys, medical professionals, social workers, past clients or birth mothers, etc. These sources may have costs associated with their services. 

If you are chosen by a birth mother, in most situations, you will be given available information to review, including the budget and apparent risk factors (if any). You will also be able to speak to the birth mother by phone or in person, depending on locations you should not commit to a conference call. A conference call is emotional for both parties and a family should only speak with the birth mother if they are serious about the situation. After the conference call with the mother, you will be asked to financially commit to the situation, usually within 24 hours of being chosen.

If you agree to speak to the birth mother and then choose to say no to the situation, it should be for a reason that comes to light during your conversation with the birth mother, not for a reason that exists prior to speaking to the birth mother. It is not fair to speak with a birth mother and then turn down the situation for a reason that existed prior, such as budget. For example, you are presented with a situation, and you are given the birth mother’s information and an estimated budget. You then speak to the birth mother and subsequently turn down the situation because the budget is too high. That is not ideal, as the birth mother will likely feel you did not like her or that she did something wrong. The referral source will likely not want to show your profile in the future as well. 

We have had families chosen the first week they were on our list and families who have waited several months, and some that never matched through our office. Again, the more open you are, the more likely you are to be chosen. Those on our list who have waited for several months have also turned down opportunities to be shown or turned down situations where they have been chosen. 

We generally have between 12 and 20 families on list, but they are not all waiting on the same situation. Different requests and budgets mean showing different waiting parents. And while we have waiting families, we are also often recruiting for situations that we do not have families willing to accept. Again, the more open you are, the more likely you are to be chosen. 

Please be very honest when checking “yes” or “would consider” to full/mixed races on your questionnaire. In many situations, the birth father is unknown or in question. For example, if there are two possible fathers of different races, there is no way to know for certain the race of the baby. By being open only to a full-Caucasian baby, you would not be shown in a situation where the birth father is unknown. Conversely, if there is a full-Caucasian baby, prospective adoptive parent(s) open only to Caucasian babies, as well as those open to any race, will both be shown. If you need assistance in this area of your questionnaire, feel free to contact us. The more open you are, the more your profile can be shown, which increases your chances of being chosen. 

The use of cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol are common among birth mothers. By checking “no” to all of the above, you will significantly increase your waiting time. While you should answer the questionnaire honestly, and while we want all babies to be healthy, we do have situations where some use of the above has occurred. If you are open to at least knowing about those situations, you should check “would consider” on your questionnaire. 

No. However, if you do not have a home study in process, you cannot be shown for situations with a close due date. We encourage you to have at least chosen a home study worker/agency and know when you are beginning the home study process in order for us to show your profile in appropriate situations. 

No. Many situations occur where we are requested to submit profiles. Sometimes an attorney, agency or advertiser is requesting profiles from multiple sources. Telling each family when they will be shown is not practical for our office. Sometimes birth mothers do not choose for several days, weeks, or even months. Other times, birth mothers never show up for their appointment. Just because a profile is shown and not chosen, does not necessarily mean the birth mother chose someone else. 

Yes. However, be aware that more than 90% of our matches occur before gender is known. If you specify gender, you will not be shown in situations where the gender is unknown, thereby decreasing your opportunities to be shown and your chances of being chosen. Specifying gender significantly increases your waiting time. 

Your profile is shown primarily based on race of the baby and budget, according to the information you have submitted. We tend to “over show” so that you and the birth mother can eliminate certain situations. In the past, we have seen birth mothers choose families that they would not have seen, had we shown profiles strictly according to the birth mother’s requests. 

Each situation is unique and the cost is based on the individual situation. The total cost of an adoption varies largely due to the referral source of the birth mother and needs of the birth mother. Attorney fees often cost between $4,500.00 and $7,000.00. Most of the adoptions, in total, cost between $25,000.00 and $35,000.00. A few cost less, while others cost more. You will submit an adoption budget with your preliminary questionnaire, and your profile will be shown for situations which match your budget and other criteria. If the budget for a situation is significantly higher than your budget, prior to showing your profile, we will contact you for your permission.

It must be stressed that the estimate for our fees is an estimate. It is not a flat fee. We will bill hourly for our work. The details of your adoption will dictate what your attorney fees total at the end of the process.