COLUMBUS, Oh. (WJW)– A baby boom has ignited on social media sites, and that’s not referring to any Hollywood baby bumps, baby drama, or even the royal baby.
Rather, for many people wanting to be parents, social media sites have become the preferred method of locating a baby for adoption.
Our Ohio affiliate investigated this new trend, and found that sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are no longer just for making new friends, and finding old buddies, but they can actually help would-be parents locate their child.
A Ohio attorney said that online adoptions make up about 30% of his cases and those numbers are similar across the country.
He said people prefer the method because it’s significantly faster and puts the birth mom and prospective parents in total control.
They can monitor, investigate and follow each other long before deciding to ever meet.
He said it’s also significantly cheaper than going through an agency or overseas.
But there are certain procedures to follow because many things can go wrong without “fair and separate” representation, including having the adoption reversed or nullified.
Here are some of his tips:
Do: Be open and honest; and update frequently
Don’t: Post last names, home and work information, addresses or personal and financial records
Do: Feel free to connect or communicate with possible birth moms
Don’t: Give them money, pay their bills or do anything with them without your attorney’s knowledge
Do: Be kind and always remember and consider the birth mom
Don’t: Cross pre-established boundaries or do anything that makes either party uncomfortable after the adoption is final
Do: Be patient, trust your gut instincts, exercise common sense and ignore dissenters
Don’t: Give up
