After Delivery and Consent but Before the Birth Mother Is Discharged from the Hospital

• Author: Jeffrey Kasky; Robert Andrew Kasky
• Pages: 75-77

75

CHAPTER

14

After Delivery and Consent

but Before the Birth

Mother Is Discharged

from the Hospital

After the birth of the child and after the required consent papers are signed but prior to her discharge

from the hospital, the birth mother of the baby can spend time with the baby if permitted to do so by the

legal guardian. This assumes that there is no legal prohibition against the birth mother having such con-

tact with the baby. It would be highly unusual for visitations to be denied to the birth mother absent some

compelling reason, such as a history of violence against children or that she and/or the baby are currently

suffering from drug withdrawal. This is usually about the birth mother saying good-bye to the baby, and

it is often, as you can imagine, highly emotional.

It is also typical for birth parent(s) to decide that since they are not going to parent the child, they

choose not to spend any significant time with the baby. However, if the birth parents do want to spend

time with the baby, the agency or attorney should arrange for them to have that opportunity while the

baby remains in the nursery.

There are several variables of the “after birth but before birth mother discharge” scenario. The birth

parent(s) can elect to have the baby in the room with them for some alone time enabling them to have

some private moments to say good-bye to the child alone or perhaps with only certain family or friends

present. The birth parent(s) may decide to share their predischarge time with the adoptive family so they

can observe and enjoy the initial contact and interaction between the baby and the adoptive parents. The

birth parent(s) may not want to see the baby at all deciding that it might be too emotional and too diffi-

cult for them given the fact that they have chosen to place the baby for adoption. It could also be that the

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