What Happens at the Hospital When You Give Up Your Baby for Adoption in Indiana?

By: Grant Kirsh

For many expectant mothers thinking about how to give up a baby for adoption In Indiana, the hospital stay is the part that feels most uncertain. It is also the part that is hardest to find honest information about.

What will it feel like? Will you be alone? Will someone rush you? Will you get time with your baby?

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we have been walking with Indiana birth mothers through this process for over 40 years. We are a family-run law firm based right here in Indiana — not a national adoption agency pretending to be local. We know the hospitals, social workers, and doctors across this state — not just the courts. We have sat with many women through hospital stays in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, Bloomington, Muncie, Lafayette, Terre Haute, Kokomo, Anderson, and communities across Indiana. Here is what we want you to know.

You Are Still the Parent at the Hospital

This is the most important thing to understand: until you sign the consent to adoption and the adoption is finalized, you are your baby’s parent. Full stop.

That means every decision at the hospital is yours. Who is in the room. Whether the adoptive family is there. How much time you spend with your baby. Whether you hold your baby. Whether you give your baby a name. All of it is up to you.

No one can rush you. No one can pressure you. And you can change your mind — about the adoption plan, about the family, about anything — right up until the moment you sign the legal paperwork. In Indiana, you cannot sign the consent to adoption until after your baby is born. There is no specific waiting period, but there is also no deadline forcing you to sign quickly. You sign when you are ready. The Indiana Hospital Association policy, which we helped initially draft and update as recently as 2025, states that the hospital prefer you wait to sign a consent until no sooner than 24 hours after delivery.

Will the Adoptive Family Be at the Hospital?

That depends entirely on what you want. Some birth mothers want the adoptive family nearby — in the waiting room, or even in the delivery room, maybe even in their own room. Others want privacy and space and prefer that the family not come to the hospital at all. Some birth mothers want a brief meeting; others prefer to wait until after they have had time alone with their baby.

There is no right or wrong answer. This is your birth experience, and it should reflect what feels right to you.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we help you think through these preferences ahead of time so there is a clear plan in place — one that everyone understands and respects.

How Much Time Can You Spend With Your Baby?

As much as you want.

Some birth mothers spend every possible moment with their baby during the hospital stay. Others find it too painful and prefer less time. Some hold their baby for hours. Some choose not to, because that is what feels right to them.

All of it is valid. There is no correct way to do this.

The women who tend to feel most at peace afterward are the ones who made the choices that were truly right for them — not what they thought they were supposed to do, and not what someone else pushed them toward. We want that for you.

What About the Nursing Staff and Hospital Social Workers?

Most hospital staff are experienced with adoption placements and handle them with care and respect. Because we know hospitals, social workers, and doctors across Indiana — from Carmel and Fishers to Gary, Hammond, Greenwood, and everywhere in between — we can help prepare you for what to expect at your specific hospital and make sure the staff understands your wishes before you arrive.

If you have concerns about how the staff will handle things, talk to us before your due date. We will help you feel ready.

What Happens When It Is Time to Leave?

When you are ready to be discharged — and only when you are ready — the adoptive family will take your baby home. This moment is different for every birth mother. Some describe it as a quiet, peaceful handoff. Others describe it as the hardest thing they have ever done.

Both are true. And both are okay.

Once you sign the consent to adoption, it is legally effective. There is a 15-day window during which you may attempt to withdraw your consent, but this is very difficult to do and is not a true revocation period. That is why everything before this moment — the time you spend with your baby, the conversations you have, the support you receive — matters so much.

You Will Probably Never Have to Step Foot in a Courtroom

One thing many women worry about is having to appear in court. In Indiana, birth mothers almost certainly will never have to attend a court hearing. The finalization happens several months later and does not require you to be there. You have given your baby a family. That is enough.

You Do Not Have to Figure This Out Alone

Part of our job at Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C. is making sure you know exactly what to expect, what your rights are, and what support will be in place — before, during, and after your hospital stay. Our services are 100% free to you. You will never pay us anything.

Whether you are searching for how to give up a baby for adoption in Indianapolis, put up a baby for adoption in Fort Wayne, or you are in Muncie, Terre Haute, Anderson, Kokomo, Lafayette, or anywhere else in Indiana — we are here for you.

Call or text us at 800-333-5736. Visit us at IndianaAdoption.com. Everything is free and confidential.

About the Author
Grant Kirsh is a second-generation adoption attorney and owner of Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., a family law firm in Indianapolis, Indiana that has been serving Indiana families since 1981. Grant graduated from Indiana University McKinney School of Law in 2013 and has personally handled nearly 3,000 foster care adoptions and his law firm has handled over 5,000 private newborn adoptions. He practices all forms of domestic adoption, with a deep personal commitment to expectant mothers considering adoption in Indiana and Indiana’s foster care system and the families and children it serves.