Hopeful adoptive parents have much to learn when they initially begin researching adoption. As you start the adoption process, knowing how to find a birth mother to adopt from is one of the essential steps.

Before signing on with any adoption professional, it's important to know what type of birth parents they typically work with and if it matches what you are looking for. Browsing Lifetime Adoption's Birth Parents Seeking Families page will help you determine if our program is a good fit for your adoption dreams.

Since many hopeful adoptive parents are accustomed to adoption professionals who only work in one state, they're often surprised to see so many birth mothers listed on this page. Ever wondered how Lifetime Adoption has so many birth mothers? Join us as we delve into the services that Lifetime provides potential birth mothers and how, because of that, we help couples adopt healthy babies faster than other adoption programs!

Some parents expect an instantaneous bond with their new baby immediately after infant adoption. Secretly, these same parents may worry and experience some uncertainty…what if they don’t feel a connection with their adopted infant?

Lifetime has seen the special bonds that develop between adoptive parents and their baby. Like many other aspects of parenting, bonding with your newborn takes work and dedication. We'd love to share some tips so that you can begin to bond with your newly-adopted infant! 

If you're reading this, chances are you already know that your adoption profile is a crucial part of how you present yourself to potential birth mothers. Your profile is the first impression she gets of you, your lives, and what you have to offer as adoptive parents of her child.

By avoiding the biggest profile mistakes, you can offset a lot of hard work and even make your adoption wait shorter.

So that you don't compromise your chances of moving forward with an adoption match, we're sharing 10 things NOT to include in your profile.

DNA testing can provide a lot of information to an adoptive family about their child. DNA testing is done for two reasons in the adoption community. The first reason is for people who are placing a child for adoption. Sometimes a paternity test is required so a biological father can rescind his parental rights for the adoption to proceed.

The second most common reason for DNA testing in adoption is for verifying birth relatives later in life. This helps with taking away an adoptee's uncertainty of connecting with their potential birth parent. However, with open adoption becoming more common, there's often no need for a DNA test. That's because the adopted child grows up knowing his or her adoption story, origins, and birth parents. By remaining in contact with their birth parents, they don't have to conduct a search for them, and then undergo a DNA test. 

Today, DNA testing is incredibly easy. A simple saliva test with Ancestry.com or 23andMe can reveal a TON of information about a child’s biological history.

Adopting twins is a joyous experience. A family who has been praying for a baby gets to take home not one, but two bundles of joy.

However, as you’ve probably already heard, one child is a lot of work and two is double! Pamela Fierro is an expert when it comes to raising twins. She wrote a book, Everything Twins, Triplets, and More. It’s an excellent resource for adoptive and biological parents alike.

Twins are more common in adoption than you might realize. Sometimes mothers who are already struggling with parenting two or three children learn they have twins on the way, and decide it’s best to place them with an adoptive family.

Have you been dreaming of starting your family through newborn adoption? Or maybe you already have children, but want to make your family complete through the blessing of adoption.

If you're thinking about adopting a newborn in the U.S., you'll want to attend Lifetime's upcoming webinar, "Newborn Adoption Q&A for Hopeful Parents." Bring your questions to our panel of adoption experts and get the clarity and direction you need to move your adoption dream to the next step.

Last year, adoptive couple Casey and Johanna were blessed to adopt a baby boy through Lifetime Adoption.

In this family’s story, we hear from Johanna about receiving "the call," the bond they've established with their son Isaiah's birth mother, and their experience with becoming parents together through an open adoption. Now a forever family, adoptive mom Johanna shares their beautiful story in this special guest blog. 

We love it when adoptive couples share the happy ending to their adoption story after the wait.  It’s a beautiful reminder for Lifetime of why we do what we do and the impact it has on creating families!

Question: My sister just announced her second pregnancy, and my whole family is excited. I’m so happy for her, but it’s also been hard because I had really hoped that I’d have become a mom by now, and it feels a little like I’m getting left behind.

The happy news has even caused some relatives to ask why we’re still waiting to adopt, or when it will happen for us. I’m trying to stay positive, for my sister’s family, and also for our own adoption plans, but if I’m honest, I’m just struggling. Any tips for this adoptive mom in-waiting?

One of the most common reasons we see families turning to a Lifetime Adoption is because of a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Women with PCOS experience plenty of uncertainty about fertility; every month can feel like a roller coaster. They might wonder things like,
"Will this treatment work?"
"How will it affect my PCOS?"
"What will it do to my body?"  
"Am I pregnant, or is this PCOS?"

A new report sheds more light on the causes of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Recent research shows that it may be "triggered before birth, in the womb" according to New Scientist.  Polycystic ovaries are currently the most common cause of fertility issues in women; worldwide, PCOS affects up to one in five women.

Currently, the treatment for PCOS achieves pregnancy in less than 30% of women. However, a polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis doesn't have to mean you can never become a mother. Thousands of women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome turn to adoption every year.

We often see fathers (and men who long to be dads) as the unemotional, strong members of the family who represent a different perspective than their counterparts. But it's important to celebrate these men as fathers and to encourage those who are becoming fathers through adoption. 

If we take the time to see adoption from a hopeful adoptive dad's point of view, we can understand that they'll need just as much support on their journey as a hopeful mom.