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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

More information on babies in need

Here is all the additional information that I know that is not on our previous blog:

Babies who are in need are: babies surviving abortion, drug or alcohol addicted babies, born to prisoners, drop babies, abandoned, severe medical needs, babies of prostitutes, etc.
Providing a family:
1. First, you will need to get a home study done by a christian adoption agency.
2. Contact a christian attorney in your state to be your attorney for a private adoption. Tell them that you want to be notified of any "drop babies"*, babies that are being left to die in hospitals, babies born to prisoners or any other babies that are in need of adoption. When you get a call, you call this attorney and tell him that you need an attorney in the baby's state. If there is a social worker involved, you don't need an attorney in the baby's state. You always need one in your own state. *A drop baby is a baby who's mother unexpectedly leaves her baby in the hospital.
3. Call hospitals in big cities and leave your contact information with the social worker.

When someone calls you, they will be able to tell you the mothers insurance status (usually state insurance), her medical condition and any obvious medical conditions in the baby. Usually no testing has been done on the baby. If the mother is on state insurance, it pays for the baby's medical bills.
you must decide very quickly if you are willing to take over legal and medical responsibility for the baby. If an abortion has begun, the mothers parental rights are already relinquished. Taking over legal and medical responsibility for the baby means that you will be making the decisions regarding the child's care. Some decisions that you may have to make are: surgeries, drugs , immunizations etc.

If only one parent can go to pick up the baby, the hospital and social worker usually want the mom to come.
The mom that I've been getting most of my information from has been able to be at 5 of the births. Two of these births were with the same birth mom, once when she was twelve and then three years later when she was fifteen.

Once you arrive at the hospital, you must stay with the baby, only leaving when required to in order to follow visiting hours policies. When you are allowed to take the baby out of the hospital, you must stay in the state until the ICPC officer contacts your attorney and your attorney calls to tell you that you may go. It usually takes 3-7 days from the time you reach the baby until you can take him/her home.

These are the known costs;
Home-study: approximately $1,000
Airline: ($600 or so depending on the destination)
Hotel: (My friend has only had to buy her own plane tickets once and rarely does she have to pay for a hotel. Some hospitals let her stay in a Ronald Mcdonald or other family housing, there may be someone who will let you stay with them)
Food
Attorney fees are around $600 for each state (some pro-life attorneys will donate this work, you don't need an attorney in the baby's state if a social worker is involved.)
If an adoption agency is involved there may be agency fees of a few thousand dollars.

Another option to be available is "Alternatives In Motion" They are located in Houston, TX
They charge $8,000. You do not pay attorney fees in the baby's state. You are not on your own, they will pick you up from the airport and help you get around while there.
They need families for "drop babies", drug or alcohol babies, babies of prostitutes, mixed race babies etc.
The director of this ministry is very supportive of large families. He himself has a very large family.

My friend has adopted 11 babies. One of them was an aborted girl who was found near a dumpster and weighed only two pounds. She lived and is a happy young lady who loves Jesus. She gets notified occasionally about babies she cannot take. She is willing to take your number and call you as soon as she is notified. However, she feels convicted to only contact christian families so she wants some kind of evidence of this before she agrees to call you. If she is familiar with the christian agency that you use for your home study than that's enough. Otherwise she may take a letter from your pastor. I'm not sure what else would be satisfactory. I could ask her if a letter of your testimony would be sufficient.

There is no formula. It's different every time. There are many unknowns. My friend never knows where she will stay or how she will get from place to place.
If the Lord gives you a heart and a desire to be open to whatever baby He wants for your home, He will provide.
God will provide the baby if you trust in the Lord and are willing to provide a home and love to the baby.


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