As you are educating yourself on adoption you may run across terms that you are unfamiliar to you. Below is a list of some of those terms along with their definitions. - Adoption decree – Legal order that finalizes the adoption to the adoptive parents
- Birthparents, Birthmother, and Birthfather – Refers to the people who biologically created the child. NOTE: There are also other terms that can be used to refer to a birthmother such as first mom or life mom. Birthmom just happens to be the one most commonly used. Also, you are not a birthmother until you sign relinquishment papers. Until that moment, you are simply an expectant mother considering adoption.
- Closed adoption – Birth parents do not meet the adoptive parents and no contact is maintained after the birth and placement of the child.
- Confidential Adoption - A more up-to-date term for closed adoption.
- Familial adoption – Adoptions in which the adoptive parents and birthparents are related in some way (Also known as kinship adoption, relative adoption, or interfamily adoption.)
- Home study – Assessment of the adoptive parents’ ability to provide a healthy and happy home. All adoptive parents must complete a home study before adopting. The home study includes background checks, doctors’ reports, financial information, etc.. and is conducted by a licensed social worker.
- Open adoption – Refers to adoptions where the birth parents and adoptive parents have met and have some level of ongoing contact with each other. Contact can include letters, pictures, visits, etc. NOTE: In most states, open adoptions are NOT legally enforceable.
- Openness Agreement – Document that states the intended amount of contact in an open adoption between the adoptive parents and the birthparents. NOTE: These are not legally enforceable.
- Relinquishment papers – A legal document that birth parents must sign terminating their parental rights. NOTE: The laws regarding when a parent can sign relinquishment papers vary in each state.
- Semi open adoption – Birthparents and adoptive parents may meet prior to the birth of the child, but typically do not know identifying information about each other. Contact can be maintained through a 3rd party.
- Triad – Term used to describe the 3 parties represented in adoptions: the birthparents, the adoptive parents, and the adopted child.
Suggested items include:
* Birth plan or hospital action plan
* Pajamas/Night Shirt, robe, and slippers
* A few pairs of socks to keep your feet warm
* Telephone numbers of family and friends (may want to bring a calling card as well)
* Camera and/or video camera (Check with the hospital staff on their policy regarding videotaping in the delivery room)
* Barrette, rubber bands, or scrunchies if you have long hair
* Stop watch to time contractions
* Insurance card and other needed medical information (If you pre-register through the hospital they will probably already have this on file, but it’s a good idea to bring it just in case.)
* Toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush, tooth paste, hairbrush, etc.)
* Snacks as hospital food can be yucky!
* Hard candy or lollipops (Your moth will get dry during labor, but check with the hospital staff on their policy of food and candy during labor.)
* CD Player and soothing music to help you relax
* Chapstick for dry lips
* Outfit to leave the hospital in
Once your bag is placed, stick it in an out of the way place such as a front closet so it will out of the way until its d-day!
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As you are educating yourself on adoption you may run across terms that you are unfamiliar to you. Below is a list of some of those terms along with their definitions. 
