Birth Mother Resources

Scroll down this page to quickly find information and resources to assist pregnant women, birth mothers and their children.  In just minutes you can get a general understanding of the issues and resources available for pregnant women, birth mothers and their children. Then if you need additional information, simply follow the links or contact us at the number listed on the top section of each page.

Support groups are available for pregnant teens as well as young adult pregnant women and birth mothers. Each site offers something a little different but all try to offer non-judgmental support, encouragement, information and alternatives to ensure that every woman knows the resources she needs regarding her pregnancy.  Information provided ranges from free pregnancy tests to fetal development to medical assistance, legal assistance, financial assistance, educational assistance, maternity and baby clothes, housing assistance, and referrals to social agencies.

Financial assistance is available to help with the many extra expenses related to a pregnant woman's care, her prenatal care, preparing for a new baby, and then the care of the baby. State and local health departments, community free clinics, and other organizations offer medical care. There is also the special government program (WIC) for women, infants, and children that provides nutritious foods, nutrition counseling, and referrals to health and other social services to participants at no charge.

Medical issues for a pregnant woman or birth mother range from general health concerns to more specific concerns like health and diet, delivery, depression, access to health services and health insurance.

Selecting a hospital or a birthing center is something too many pregnant women and birth mothers do not give enough thought too.  The closest hospital is not always the best. This site explains the different types of hospital and birth center options a birth mother may want to consider.

Prenatal care is very important and should be started as soon as possible. It can assure a pregnant woman or birth mother that you and your baby are as healthy as possible. Prenatal tests can serve several useful functions.  It is important to take the time to educate yourself about these tests and how they can help you and your baby. These websites gives some great information about prenatal care and prenatal tests. 

Pregnancy calendar is an illustrated detailed guide to the changes taking place in a pregnant woman and in her baby. Each week of pregnancy includes a description of your baby's development, as well as an explanation of the changes taking place in your body.

Morning sickness and nausea are typically the most common complaints of pregnancy, affecting around 70% of pregnant women. It is estimated that approximately 50-90% of pregnant women experience discomfort from the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.  Since morning sickness can begin as early as a few days after you have missed your period, and can persist throughout pregnancy, it is important to learn all you can about it.

Labor and delivery information is critical for every pregnant woman and birth mother. Many women do not really know the signs of labor and do not understand the labor and delivery process.  It can be a very emotional and frightening experience unless you are prepared for it.  It is important to know the signs of labor and learn about the different options available for giving birth so you feel confident and comfortable with your experience. This site covers a wide range of information including all about midwives, alternative birthing information, birth centers, epidurals, C-sections, information on child birth procedures, pain in labor, sex during pregnancy, and much more.

Nutrition and diet and weight gain are concerns of almost every pregnant woman and birth mother.  The food you eat every day, even before you are pregnant, is important for your health.  Once you become pregnant it is even more important to eat right since you are eating for both you and your baby.  This is a good website to help get you started on nutrition, diet, and weight gain.

Crises centers are available throughout the U.S. and Canada.  These crises pregnancy centers are staffed by caring individuals who want to help pregnant women and birth mothers through this difficult time in their lives. Many centers are medical clinics with a full range of free services. The staff is trained to be non-judgmental.

Depression can occur during or after a pregnancy.  Depression that occurs during pregnancy or within a year after delivery is called perinatal depression while depression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression. Depression is one of the most common complications during and after pregnancy. This site will help birth mothers and birth fathers with information and guidance about depression.

Drugs and alcohol consumption should be a critical area of concern for every pregnant woman and birth mother since any amount of alcohol and drug, legal or illegal, that the pregnant woman consumes impacts on both her and her unborn child.  Even over the counter medicines and drugs prescribed to you by your health care provider before you became pregnant might be harmful to both you and the growing fetus during pregnancy.   Also, keep in mind that other things like caffeine, vitamins, and herbal teas and remedies can affect the growing fetus.  Drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy can slow down the baby's growth and affect the baby's brain and the baby's general development. This site will help educated you about all these critical areas.

Agencies A-Z gives you a comprehensive list, with links to each, of the hundreds of federal agencies and departments many of which can be a valuable resource for pregnant women, birth mothers, and birth fathers. 

Benefits and Services lists the multitude of U.S. federal government benefit programs and services available to pregnant women, birth mothers, and birth fathers.  This site helps access government benefit eligibility information through a free, confidential, and easy-to-use online screening tool.

Child Welfare agency If you want help with your pregnancy, with your child, or understanding the adoption laws, regulations, and procedures of your state or of any state, you may want to contact the local child welfare agency.  This site lists the State Child Welfare Agency website for every state and will help you locate the appropriate state office.

Support groups specifically for birth mothers and birth fathers who plan on raising their child are available.  These sites support, inform, and connect teen and other birth mothers so they can better face the challenge of parenting. They can help every birth mother (urban, suburban, and rural birth mothers, stay-at-home and working mothers, teen, single, and married mothers, and birth mothers with different lifestyles) be the very best birth mother they can be.

Biological fathers encounter many new issues presented by their baby. Not only do they need to be concerned with the baby but also with the new birth mother, with finances, jobs, in-laws, and their own personal feelings.  Becoming a father presents each man with a unique opportunity.  To help you learn more about the changes you will face and how to get help, this site is a good place to look.

Child development information from ages 0-21 is provided by experts to provide a birth mother and birth father with detailed developmental information.  Included is a weekly calendar that shows your baby's development from conception to three years, and a wide range of other topics from car seats, injury prevention, breastfeeding, and immunizations to obesity.

Child/infant health provides baby care advice from experts for a birth mothers and birth father.  Included is health related information from a variety of sources. It has extensive information from trusted sources on over 700 diseases and conditions. There are also lists of hospitals and physicians, a medical encyclopedia and a medical dictionary, health information in Spanish, extensive information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, health information from the media, and may be able to help a birth mother or birth father who is raising their child.

Breast feeding has been shown to help protect the baby against many illnesses, including painful ear infections, upper and lower respiratory ailments, allergies, intestinal disorders, colds, and many others.  One way breast feeding protects a birth mother's newborn from illnesses is the immune molecules, called antibodies, which are present in breast milk. This site will help a birth mother who is thinking about breastfeeding her child.

Where to start gives a birth mother and birth father an overview of the adoption process and practical information about adoption.

Types of adoption describes the major types of adoption, open/closed and agency/private.

Emotional issues, problems, and concerns frequently increase during and after a pregnancy.  This site discusses some of the emotional issues that a birth mother and birth father face after making the decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering, terminating, and relinquishing their rights to the child, and in handling the feelings that often persist afterwards. This site can be a helpful resource for a birth mother, a birth father, as well as family members, friends, and others who want to support the birth parents. It may also provide some insight to adopted persons and adoptive parents who want to understand these struggles that a birth mother and birth father face.

Effects on child describes many of the emotional issues the adopted child may face as they grow.

Adoption Laws for each of the 50 states is listed as well as interstate laws including the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children and the Indian Child Welfare Act.  Also included are international laws.  By checking on your state of residence laws a birth mother and birth father can understand all of the birth mother's and birth father's parental rights, the procure for the ending of their parental rights, access to records, and much more.

Support groups are available for pregnant teens as well as adult birth mothers and birth fathers who are thinking about placing their child for adoption or have already completed a placement.   These support groups are difficult to find on a national scale and most are on the local level.  Each support site offers something a little different but all try to offer non-judgmental support, encouragement, information and alternatives to ensure that every birth mother knows the information and resources she needs in order to develop a healthy adoption plan. 

Infant safe haven laws have been added to many state statutes to address infant abandonment and infanticide.  These infant safe haven laws have been enacted as an incentive for a birth mother in crisis to safely relinquish her child to a safe haven where the baby will be protected and provided with medical care until a permanent home can be found. Safe haven laws generally allow the birth mother to remain anonymous and to be shielded from prosecution for abandonment or neglect.

Child abuse help is available from a wide variety of places. Child abuse, whether physical, emotional, or sexual is a horrible thing.  A child can be abused at any point in his/her life and spend a lifetime trying to overcome the effects.  This resource provides several places for a birth mother or birth father to call if you know of a child who has been abused or is in danger of being abused.  You will also find information about the subject of child abuse and child abuse prevention.

Domestic violence is all too common and should never be accepted as "just part of life". If something about your relationship with your partner scares you and you need to talk, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline or several other resources for immediate help.  Additionally, both public and private shelters are available.

Shelters for a pregnant woman, birth mother, and her children are available throughout the U.S. and Canada, but they are often hard to locate.  Your local women's shelter can put you in a safe place. Even if you're not certain you're in danger, you can call them and talk to an understanding woman who will do everything she can to help you.

Open vs closed adoptions are frequently misunderstood not only by birth mothers and birth fathers but also by adopting families.  This site will allow you to fully understand open adoption and a closed adoption and give a birth mother and birth father some valuable help in custom-designing the arrangements so that they meet with your wishes and desires. Since an open adoption is illegal in some states and a closed adoption is illegal in others, the type of adoption plan you develop will depend on what you want, what your state allows, and what agency you select.

Agency vs private adoption is an important issue since the services available under each type of adoption can differ greatly.  In some states private adoptions are illegal because of the added risk to the birth mother and child.  There are several reasons for the greater risks of a private adoption, and this and other information is provided in the site.

Agency vs adoption facilitator has become such an important concern that the U.S. government has warned birth mothers, birth fathers and adopting families to work with an agency and avoid adoption facilitators.  This site will explain the differences between using an adoption agency and an adoption facilitator and offer guidance to a birth mother and birth father.

Types of adoption explains that major kinds of adoption are agency and private, open and closed, and intrastate, interstate, and international adoption.  Understanding these can help a birth mother and birth father develop a meaningful adoption plan for their child.

Selecting an agency that meets the needs and desires of a birth mother and birth father is a very important early step. Agencies come in a variety of forms. They can be for-profit or non-profit. They can be public or private. But the most important fact for you to remember is that agencies are licensed to make sure you and your baby have options and protections that are not available when you deal directly with an adopting family.  This site will give a birth mother and birth father specific tips on how to select the agency that is best for you and your baby.

Selecting an attorney is a right of every birth mother and birth father in adoption proceedings. If you have decided to work with a licensed adoption agency, you do not need to worry about obtaining an attorney since the agency will help you make sure all the legal issues are taken care of.  If you are proceeding with a private adoption, then you should always obtain your own attorney and to make sure your attorney is not the same attorney that is working for the adopting family.  This is a valuable site to help a birth mother and birth father if they have decided to retain and attorney.

Selecting a family, and just the right family, for the birth mother's or birth father's child is a major concern of most birth mothers and birth fathers. In order to make sure the family is indeed the type you want, and to help assure a safe environment for your baby, every family needs to be carefully screened and evaluated.  The screening of the family can be done by you, the adopting family's attorney, a referral service, a person hired by the adopting family to approve them, or by a licensed adoption agency. Please carefully review the information on this site.

Placing with relatives is one of the options a birth mother and birth father may consider.  Each state defines "relative" differently, including relatives through blood, marriage, or adoption ranging from the first to the fifth degree. Generally, preference is given to the child's grandparents, followed by aunts, uncles, adult siblings, and cousins. 

Birth mother's parental rights, just like a birth father's rights, are protected in every U.S. state.  One of the most important legal rights has to do with the ending of parental rights. The ending of parental rights, called a termination, surrender, or relinquishment of parental rights, ends the legal parent-child relationship. Once the relationship has been terminated, the child is legally free to be adopted.   This site will allow you to find the requirements of any or all states.

Birth father's parental rights, just like a birth mother's rights, are protected in every U.S. state and territory.  Due to the seriousness and long-term impact of this decision, courts have stringent requirements that must be met prior to making this decision. This site will allow you to find the requirements of any or all states as well as other rights of a birth father and birth mother.

Grandparents in many states have legal rights related to their grandchild, even if the child is being placed for adoption. It is important for a birth mother, birth father, and the child's grandparents to be aware of these rights and other issues related to being a biological grandparent.

Birth records and many other types of vital records are kept by each state.  Some of these are public records and access to others is restricted by law.  The site will give a birth mother or birth father a place you can contact to obtain birth records and other vital records.

Access to records may be limited by the laws of the state of the birth mother and birth father.  In many states, adoption records are sealed and withheld from public inspection after the adoption is finalized. Many states, therefore, have procedures by which parties to an adoption may obtain non-identifying as well as some identifying information about an adopted person and the adopted person's birth relatives from an adoption record.  Information on this site will help a birth mother or birth father in achieving access to vital records.

Registry is a source that can help unite a birth mother or birth father with the child they placed for adoption.  Many states have a registry and, if your state has one, it may be found at this site.  This site will also give you other interesting ideas regarding adoption registries.

Search and reunion involves a birth mother or birth father searching for a child they placed for adoption and for the adopted child searching for their birth mother or birth father. The percentage of adult adopted persons who take action to initiate a search is on the rise.  The expanding number of organizations that advocate searching for birth relatives and providing advice and resources for doing so indicate both increased interest in and acceptance of this process. This site will help a birth mother or birth father with this whole area.

Privacy emphasizes that the creator of this website, Dr. Berger. does not use cookies or any other means to gather information about a birth mother, birth father, or any other visitor to any of the resources on this site.  This site was created to help those who visit and not for any commercial purpose.

Disclaimer includes the statement that the information contained in this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or other advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed and qualified professional (medical, mental health, legal or other professional) for any problem prior to starting any treatment or plan of correction. Please consult your physician on any and all issues regarding your pregnancy.