Open adoption involves an ongoing relationship between you, the birth mom, and the adoptive family. This openness allows you to be a part of your birth child’s life as he grows up. Many of our adoptive families and birth moms build such strong relationships that it seems they are like extended family. You, as the birth mom, can choose how open you would like the relationship to be. Openness can include visits, phone calls, letters, pictures, social media connections, and email. You can speak more with the counselor about what reasonable open adoption relationships are and how they can benefit both you and your birth child. 

Please Visit BraveLove.org to learn more about open adoption and hear from other moms who have placed or considered adoption for their children. 

Get Help | BraveLove | Information about adoption 

Your birth child’s adoptive parents will always assure him of your love. You can tell him everything about yourself that you want him to know and also have the opportunity to tell him how much you love him and that is WHY you have chosen to give him a two-parent, stable home. 

Yes, definitely! You will be able to spend as much time with your baby as you choose while you are in the hospital. 

We encourage you to stay involved with CPO for as long as you wish. We have a birth mother who is still coming after placing her son 25 years ago. She is now ableto be of help to new women who are going through the process. There will not be any other group of people who will totally understand what you are feeling. 

Potential adoptive couples must apply to CPO, be interviewed by CPO leadership, and complete a home study. A home study is a court-required document written by a licensed social worker. It describes the adoptive family, their activities, and how they are or how they plan to be good parents. It also includes a criminal background check and references from people who know the adoptive couple. They are also required to attend a 2 ½-day Waiting Families’ Workshop, provided by CPO. The home study and application information is reviewed by our staff before a family is accepted by our agency. 

The adoptive family will create a Family Profile called a “Life Book” that tells all about them. We usually have between 25-30 Life Books on hand. You will be able to look through the books we have available that meet your preferences, such as geographical location or already having children in the home. We encourage you to look at as many as you would like and narrow your selection. You will then have an opportunity to meet and talk with the family if you choose. 

You must reside in Oklahoma to place your baby through CPO. However, we are here to support all mothers and birthmothers and we’ve helped women from all across the U.S. 

No. CPO does not use foster care. Your baby will go home from the hospital with the parents you have chosen for him. 

Yes, at the very least through telephone calls and letters or e-mail. Often a couple will be able to travel to Tulsa to meet you during your pregnancy. Couples are asked to travel to Tulsa shortly before the baby is due and to be at the hospital when the baby is born. The adoptive family is required to stay in Oklahoma until some legal paperwork is complete, usually 2-3 weeks. In many cases, these families will stay with a local CPO adoptive family for these weeks. 

CPO will work with your specific circumstances and will help you with getting a place to live and a job or back in school if that’s what you need. You will be encouraged and ALWAYS welcome to attend CPO’s weekly support group meetings. Letters, photos, and visits will continue to let you know your baby is doing well. 

Yes, you certainly will be able and even encouraged to keep in contact with your birth child. This is important to his growth and development and sense of personal identity. We want him always to have the answers to his questions. 

Yes. We have many families who see their child’s birth mom on a very regular basis. We are committed to VERY open adoptions, and the potential adoptive parents are aware of our expectations from the time they apply with our agency. 

Yes. Almost 60 percent of the birth moms who place a child with CPO are already parenting older children. 

We will provide you with a form that includes many questions about your medical history. It is crucial that you fill this out as completely as possible. This information will be valuable to your child’s healthcare providers. 

You can see the counselor every week of your pregnancy and for as long as you want to after the baby is born. We have many birth moms who continue to see the counselor from time to time for several years. It is a service that we believe is very important and will always be available to you. If you move away, you can still connect with her by phone. 

CPO always has families waiting to adopt children of any ethnicity. 

Federal law requires that your baby be placed with an adoptive family that has documented blood of the same tribe. Fortunately, many of our “waiting families” have a Native American heritage and a tribal roll card. 

While this can be true at other agencies or with private adoptions, CPO is a totally non-profit agency and no one associated with CPO benefits monetarily from the fees. Our families pay an agency fee which covers counseling, keeping our boutique supplies stocked, support group expenses, and other program expenses. They also cover all legal expenses charged by their attorney and the expectant mother's attorney as well as medical bills related to the pregnancy and delivery, not coveredby insurance.  

Yes. If you have not gone to court and relinquished your parental rights, you can change your mind at any time. 

We have been a licensed adoption agency since 2001, but with the help of local attorneys have supported and worked with women making adoption plans since 1983. We have always encouraged openness in adoptions, even before “open adoption” became popular. 

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services licenses adoption agencies in the state. If you have questions about the agency, you can contact them at 405-521-2779.