It all starts with a call Professional LSS counselors are available to talk with you today and will meet with you at a place of your choosing. We offer pregnancy services throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Talk to someone soon who truly cares and will be your advocate.

Appleton920-730-1326

Eau Claire715-833-0992

La Crosse608-788-5090

Madison608-277-0610

Milwaukee414-281-4400

Wausau715-849-3344

Upper Michigan906-226-7410

Call a counselor near you

Open adoption shares the loveWe know that you’re facing tough decisions right now. At Lutheran Social Services (LSS), we completely understand the place you find yourself now. Your pregnancy presents you with endless questions. Should I try to parent the baby? Should I find a family who’s ready and able to love and provide for my child?

While you’re making this big decision, it’s important to understand that LSS of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan supports and encourages open adoption, which provides many benefits for you and your child. All LSS-approved families have received substantial training regarding the benefits of open adoption.

Photos, updates and visits keep you connectedAccording to the adoption plan you create, you may enjoy updates via email, letters, photos and visits in the years ahead to build a healthy relationship with your child and the selected family. This communication will assure you that your child is thriving in the adoptive family’s home, so you won’t experience the anguish of not knowing.

LSSLutheran Social Servicesof Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.

LSSLutheran Social Servicesof Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.

LSSLutheran Social Servicesof Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.

LSSLutheran Social Servicesof Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.

“I feel that I didn’t give up anything. Instead, I gained more family.”

—Expectant parent

“It’s amazing how this little boy brought together two families. He inspired a lot of people. He brought a lot of love and happiness into many hearts. I have

lost nothing and gained everything.”—Open adoption birthparent

OPEN ADOPTION

Where you remain a part of your child’s life

To learn more, visit our website to find helpful resources and a selection of waiting family profiles: www.LSSAdopt.org/PregnancyServices

LSS serves Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

Why choose Lutheran Social Services as your adoption partner? Lutheran Social Services has assisted expectant parents like you in domestic adoptions for nearly 100 years. That means we thoroughly understand the adoption process. Each year, our adoption counselors help hundreds of women work through the adoption decision. Our services are free and confidential.

Our well-trained and experienced full-time staff assures you continued support and easy access. In addition, our LSS staff members have both formal education and experience in adoption and working with children and families. That matters because you deserve professional services and advice from counselors who have helped many others facing this decision. Each year we support approximately 350 expectant parents like you, assisting in the process without judging you or pressuring you. Plus, we can connect you to financial assistance to cover medical costs, and possibly living expenses, related to the birth of your child.

Once your child is placed with a loving family, we will continue to assist you with counseling and support. You may also choose additional counseling or join a support group to share experiences with other birthparents.

LSS is a licensed Child Placing Agency (CPA) by the State of Wisconsin and the State of Michigan, and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation – serving as the largest private, not-for-profit agency in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

Creating a life-long relationship with a new familyPlease don’t think of adoption as losing your child. Through an open adoption agreement, you may choose to remain in contact with the adoptive family. Together, you can create an agreement that outlines the level of contact that works for each of you and also makes you feel most comfortable.

This ongoing contact lets your child know that you care. Open adoption also helps your child build a strong sense of identity and self-esteem by understanding where he or she came from, knowing what you look like and understanding what led you to choose adoption. Plus, having access to both birthparents’ medical histories can assist in future healthcare decisions and treatments.

You choose and meet the adoptive familyYou will have the opportunity to make choices throughout the adoption process, beginning with the decision to select the adoptive parents and create your personalized adoption plan. At LSS, our compassionate staff will help you with all aspects of the process.

Be assured that LSS has conducted extensive home studies of all of its adoptive families, including educating the waiting families about open adoption. We require that our domestic adoptive families be married and committed to one another and committed to raising your child in a two-parent household. We also assure that families are financially stable to provide secure environments to raise children.

View online profiles and portfoliosBy visiting our website, you may view profiles of adoptive families who have chosen to put their profiles online. You may read about many more families by making an appointment with one of our birthparent counselors at a location near your home (see contact information on the back panel of this brochure).

After selecting a group of families that you would like to learn more about, you’ll receive a portfolio containing profiles created by the waiting families that are filled with photos and descriptions. Next, we will arrange an in-person meeting with the selected couple to assure you that the family is the right fit. With the family chosen, the process would proceed in developing an adoption plan that pleases both you and the adoptive family.