Hello, we are Ryan and Chrissie, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to tell you a little bit about ourselves and to share our hopes of expanding our family through adoption.
We met in high school through mutual friends and started dating immediately after college.
In 2016 we were engaged and, a year later, got married on a beautiful fall day in New England with nearly 200 of our family and friends. We have been married for nearly six years, together for over 13 years, and friends for over 17 years. The following year we bought our house and turned it into a home. We have always enjoyed each other's company, and we each love watching our love story grow over time.
In 2019, at 27 weeks pregnant, after a routine prenatal appointment turned scary quickly, Chrissie spent nearly three weeks hospitalized. Although we hoped to stay pregnant longer, Olivia came at 29 weeks, spending nearly three months in the NICU. We were cleared for a future pregnancy, but in the fall of 2021, we devastatingly lost a baby at 22 weeks pregnant. After this experience, we decided to expand our family through adoption, as we knew Olivia will be a great big sister. We adore watching her grow into the amazing person she is and look forward to this same joy with the next child we parent. It is our dream to complete our family and welcome another child to our family through adoption. Thank you for taking the time to consider us.
Expectant mothers who choose to make an adoption plan may qualify for some level of financial assistance during their pregnancy. However, each person's situation and specific needs are different. Your adoption social worker can help you determine what level of assistance you qualify for and deserve. Many expectant mothers qualify for financial assistance to cover basic pregnancy and living expenses, including but not limited to - transportation reimbursement, utility assistance for phone, water, and electricity/gas, maternity clothing and supplements, etc.
It won't cost you anything. If you choose to place your baby for adoption, all of your medical and legal fees will be covered and you may be eligible for financial assistance with other pregnancy-related expenses.
Yes. Even if you don’t know the identity of the birth father, you can still choose to make an adoption plan. However, every adoption situation is different. The adoption social worker you’re assigned to will get to know you and your story first, and then guide you through the process accordingly.
You can make an adoption plan at any point in your pregnancy, even after the baby has been born. But, it's important to start the process as early in your pregnancy as possible. Connecting with those resources will allow you to gain access to important medical services, including prenatal care, to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.
One aspect of your adoption plan is the "Hospital Plan" an outline of how you'd like your hospital stay and delivery to go. You can craft this on your own or with the help of your adoption social worker. But everything is up to you. You’ll be able to choose who comes to the hospital with you, who is in the room with you during delivery, and how much time you’d like to spend with the baby before signing the final papers.
As part of your adoption plan, you'll determine whether or not you’d like to have an open or closed adoption or something in between. Open adoptions may include phone calls, messaging (via social media, email, or text), and/or periodic visits each year. Closed adoptions may include no contact at all or annual updates provided to the birth parent(s) by the adoptive family. Each post-adoption relationship is different and can vary based on what an expectant mother chooses in her adoption plan.