Our world is wide, and we meet many people in the course of our daily lives. Sometimes it happens that an expectant mother will meet a couple who is looking to adopt. These meetings often happen at church or work or in the community.  More often in today’s world expectant mother’s locate adoptive parents through social media and the internet, as well.

An established relationship may be a good fit and both parties will need to work with an adoption attorney to formalize and finalize the process. An adoption that does not utilize an agency is known as an independent or private adoption.

Often a pregnant woman will not personally know a couple or family to adopt the child. An experienced adoption lawyer has the resources and networks in place to work with this mother to find a good match for her wishes for the child. At Herrin & Leach, we have the resources to assist expectant mothers.

Perhaps the best part of independent adoptions is the lasting relationships that are formed. Private adoptions may also provide the adoptive parents and the expectant mother greater control and afford the direct communication they desire.

Another advantage to this route is that the adoption process may move quickly sometimes as fast as two or three months. If the adoptive parents locate the child through their own efforts, they may also benefit from lower overall costs.

Indiana permits adoptive parents to pay some costs during the pregnancy. These include the birth mother’s pregnancy-related medical expenses, living expenses, including food, phone, housing and transportation, counseling costs and fees for legal work related to the adoption.

Regardless of whether or not a mother desires to receive allowed assistance, it is important to ensure that any assistance complies with Indiana law. An expectant mother can receive living expenses so long as the assistance is for an authorized expense during an allowable time period. In this regard, Indiana Code 35-46-1-9 permits living expenses to be paid during the second and third trimester and up to six weeks after birth. The mother may receive up to $1,000 in necessary, miscellaneous living expenses during this same time period.

In Indiana, there are restrictions on expenses paid in independent adoptions. Generally, an expectant mother may not receive more than $4,000 unless the court approves an additional amount after finding that the health of the mother or child is in jeopardy.