Pregnant and Considering Adoption?
If you’re pregnant and considering placing your child for adoption, we are here to help. Though Hausmann & Hickman, P.A.’s private adoption placement program, you can find adoptive parents for your child and create your own personalized adoption plan. Through this plan you will be able to be matched with an adoptive family and we will help coordinate you meeting them. You may choose to exchange contact information and continue to communicate with them throughout your pregnancy and beyond. An adoption plan is personalized to fit your own unique desires for your child. Whether you are looking for pictures, letters, or even annual visits, we’re confident we can help you find the perfect family. Frequently adoptive parents and birth parents choose to have a “semi-open” adoption which allows a birth parent to learn personal information including the state in which the adoptive family lives, their ages, length of the marriage, employment, physical description, hobbies and interests, and religion. You may choose to meet the adoptive family, have them attend prenatal visits, or even have them present for delivery. In some cases, families select an open adoption, exchanging identifying information, and having annual visits.
Florida law allows the adoptive family to assist with your living expenses when needed. This may include rent, food, utilities, phone, maternity clothing, and transportation. Together we will develop a budget to help alleviate financial pressures during pregnancy and while you recover following delivery. The law also allows adoptive parents to pay for any pregnancy-related medical expenses which are not covered by health insurance or Medicaid. Once the child is born, the adoptive parents are responsible for the baby’s expenses.
Deciding to place a baby for adoption can be difficult. We work with many experienced, caring independent counselors and can help you access mental health counseling to support you through your adoption journey. An important part of the adoption process is being fully informed about your legal rights and agreements. We will refer you to professional and supportive attorneys to represent you in the adoption process at no cost to you.
Under Florida law, you may only sign a consent to adoption after the child’s birth. If you wish to place your child with the adoptive family directly from the hospital, the law imposes a waiting period of 48 hours following delivery, or the day of your discharge from the hospital, whichever occurs earlier. With your consent, the baby may be placed directly from the hospital with the adoptive family. The discharge of a healthy newborn is usually 48 hours following birth. You may choose to waive notice of the court proceedings, or you may choose to receive a notice and appear at the hearing for termination of parental rights, but your attendance at the hearing is not mandatory. If you place your child, under 6 months of age, for adoption with an adoptive family, and you properly signed an adoption consent, your consent cannot be revoked. If your child is over 6 months of age when you sign your consent, you have 3 days to revoke your consent. A court may set aside an adoption consent upon a finding that fraud or duress existed in the adoption.
If you are ready to move forward with an adoption plan or have additional questions, please contact our office.
Florida Adoption – Baby Adoption in Florida
The attorneys at Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. have been helping adoptive parents grow their families for over 25 years through baby adoption in Florida. We strive to make the process of adopting a child as smooth as possible.
Each adoption begins with an application and personal consultation with one of the attorneys to discuss your individual adoption goals and the specifics of Florida adoption law. Once accepted, you will participate in our extensive birth mother outreach program, designed to help each birth parent and adoptive family find their ideal adoption match. Our Florida adoption attorneys work with all types of families, including single and married individuals, LGBTQ+ families, and out-of-state families. We do not accept adoptive applicants over the age of 50 due to difficulties with matching, and we do not accept gender-specific requests regarding the adopted child.
Adoptive parents must complete a home study to verify their suitability as adoptive parents. A home study, which includes criminal and child abuse clearances, physical evaluations, and confirmation of financial stability, is valid for one year. Once you have applied with our office, completed a virtual consultation, and paid the required fees to proceed, your family will have a page created on our website
For those considering adoption, one of the most common questions we are asked is how long does an average adoption match take. There is a wide variety of waiting periods dependent upon a host of controllable and non-controllable factors. Waits may be dramatically shorter or longer depending on individual situations and a client’s specified parameters for adoption such as the preferred background of the baby, age of adoptive parent, number of children in the family, financial limitations, and state of residence of adoptive parents. A birth parent usually makes a “prospective family list” that identifies the qualities important in an adoptive family. She is then presented with families who have applied to our office and completed personal profiles that meet her requests. When all else is equal, preference is given to families who have waited a longer period of time.
Pursuant to Florida law, the consent will be signed by the biological mother no sooner than 48 hours after delivery unless the birth mother is being discharged earlier by her doctor. In an adoption concerning a child under the age of six months, the consent for adoption is permanent and irrevocable from the moment it is signed, and can only be overturned based upon fraud or duress. Florida law permits finalization of adoptions once the 90 days post-placement supervision period has expired and 30 days have elapsed after entry of the Final Judgment Terminating Parental Rights. Finalization generally occurs 120 days after placement.
If you are ready to move forward with an adoption plan or have additional questions, please contact our office.
Florida Surrogacy Law – Florida Surrogacy Attorneys
If you wish to have a biological connection to your child, reproductive technology, such as surrogacy or egg donation, may be a suitable option. It is now one of the fastest-growing methods of creating a family. Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. specializes in drafting contracts, representing carriers and egg donors, and finalizing third-party reproductive arrangements under all aspects of Florida’s reproductive law. We have represented intended parents who reside in the United States and internationally, including traditional families, single intended parents, and same-sex couples. We will work with you to create an agreement that meets the specific needs of your reproductive arrangement. Our attorneys have extensive knowledge and experience in reproductive law in Florida, and are able to create an agreement that will address the legal rights and responsibilities of both the intended parents and the surrogate mother to ensure that all legal requirements are met for a Florida surrogacy arrangement. Intended parents and surrogates must have separate legal representation. Although surrogacy arrangements are typically friendly and amicable, discussing expenses and “what ifs” are best left to the professionals not personally involved.
Florida law has specific legal requirements that authorize a surrogate, often referred to as a gestational carrier or volunteer mother, to carry (gestate) a baby on behalf of the child’s intended parent(s), also known as intended parents or commissioning parents. A Florida surrogacy agreement that outlines the legal rights and responsibilities of the surrogate and intended parents must be entered into prior to commencing a pregnancy. Florida’s only legal requirement is that a surrogate must be at least 18 years of age. Most fertility doctors, however, are more particular when determining if a woman is an acceptable candidate for a surrogate pregnancy. Generally, a surrogate should be under the age of 40, have experienced 1-3 uncomplicated pregnancies, had a proportionate height/weight ratio, and maintained a safe lifestyle free from smoking, drugs, or alcohol abuse. A good support system, reliable transportation, and health insurance that covers a surrogate pregnancy are also important attributes.
Hausmann & Hickman. P.A. does not match intended parents and gestational surrogates, but handles the legal process for clients who are independently matched or matched through an agency. Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. frequently receives referrals from various fertility clinics, surrogacy matching agencies, and attorneys who practice in the area of reproductive law but are unable to finalize a surrogacy arrangement, for a variety of reasons. Following a “match”, a contract between the intended parent(s), surrogate, and her spouse (if married) must be drafted. Supporting affidavits, medical record releases, and healthcare advance directives should also be prepared to authorize the intended parents to receive ongoing medical information through the surrogate’s pregnancy. Once retained, Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. is available to conference with the intended parents and/or surrogate, by telephone, Skype, or in-person, to discuss the agreement details. Between 24-30 weeks gestation, Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. will commence legal proceedings in Florida and request a Pre-Birth Order authorizing the intended parents’ immediate access to the child upon birth and require all medical providers to seek payment for the child’s medical expenses from the intended parents. Upon the birth of the child, Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. will return to court to request a final order amending the child’s birth certificate to reflect the intended parents’ parentage.
We are thinking of you, as the birth mother, making this difficult decision. We are so thankful you are considering our family for your child. We hope our book gives you some insight into who we are, our daily lives, and helps you envision a safe and happy home for your child. We look forward to hearing from you once you read our story and who we are as good, kind, and a fun-loving couple.
If you choose us, your child will always know their story, where they came from, and how much they are loved by you. We also commit to you that we will raise your child in a loving home, full of adventures, activities, stories, and hugs.
We’d like to provide the child with the best opportunities, love and respect. We are open to the possibility of the child having an open adoption with you depending on your wishes and what you are comfortable with.
This choice you are making will never be taken lightly. It will be honored and cherished. You and your child are true blessings. I know you are brave and beautiful, and I will make sure your child knows how really special you are.
I look forward to providing a warm, loving, fun-filled home and a solid foundation for a bright, promising future. I have a large community and family—related and unrelated—who cannot wait to extend a warm welcome and shower a little one with love.
Thank you for taking a moment to review my profile. Wishing you kindness and peace as you weigh your decisions.
We were college sweethearts, and boast 26 years of friendship and 19 years of marriage. We count our blessings, laugh often, and try not to take ourselves too seriously. A stable home, with a loving couple that has an excellent track record of making sacrifices for the sake of their marriage and the good of the family, is what we have to offer a child.
May whatever you decide, bring you peace and comfort. If you choose to make an adoption plan with us, we promise to do all we can to support you.
He relishes playing endless games and reading books over and over again to a child’s content. Our immediate family is made up of Ron and Sandra and our two-year-old son who also joined our family through the beauty of adoption, and our sweet long haired lab. Our extended families live no more than 10 minutes away and that includes three darling cousins who are always ready to play. Our family members all have a playful spirit and a sense of adventure which makes travel, outdoor activities, and beach life a natural part of our lives. Our quiet seaside area remains charming and safe and very much home to both of us. Our home is close to great schools and nearby parks and Orlando parks are near.
We hope to share this quality of life if we have the opportunity. Thanks to the support that we have from our family and our community, we’ve been able to build a loving, welcoming, and lasting home. We offer your child the stability of our strong marriage and that we will be loving parents and providers.
