Financial Help for Birth Mothers in Indiana: What You Can Receive When You Place Your Baby for Adoption

By: Grant Kirsh

Money is often one of the biggest worries for expectant mothers who are thinking about placing their baby for adoption. You might be dealing with housing costs, grocery bills, utilities, or just the everyday expense of being pregnant without enough support.

Here is something many people do not know: Indiana Code § 35-46-1-9 allows adoptive families to help with up to $4,000 in living expenses during your pregnancy. This help is legal, it is regulated, and it is designed to make sure you are not forced into a decision just because you are struggling financially.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we have been helping Indiana birth mothers understand their rights and their options for over 40 years. We are a family firm rooted right here in Indiana — and we believe every expectant mother deserves honest, clear information about the help that is available to her.

What Expenses Can Be Covered?

Under Indiana adoption law, adoptive families may help pay for a range of pregnancy-related expenses. Here is what is typically allowed:

Housing: Rent, utilities, or temporary housing if you need a safe place to live during your pregnancy.

Food: Groceries, food assistance, or a monthly stipend to help cover the cost of eating well during your pregnancy.

Medical costs: Prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postnatal care that are not covered by your insurance or Indiana Medicaid. Medical expenses are not included in the $4,000 living expense cap.

Counseling: Emotional support and therapy — before placement, and after. This is one of the most important forms of help available, and it is often overlooked.

Transportation: Gas, rides, or other travel costs related to pregnancy-related appointments or other adoption-related matters. Transportation is not included in the $4,000 living expense cap.

Maternity clothing: Basic clothing to help you through the pregnancy comfortably.

Other reasonable living expenses: Depending on your situation, other needs may be covered as well. Your attorney will help you understand what Indiana law allows.

What This Help Is NOT

It is very important to understand what this financial help is not. Indiana law is clear: adoptive families cannot pay you for your baby. The assistance is for your living and medical expenses — not a payment for your child.

Any arrangement that feels like you are being paid to place your baby is illegal. Reputable adoption professionals — including attorneys and agencies — will never allow it. If anyone ever makes you feel that way, that is a serious warning sign.

At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we will always be upfront with you about what is allowed and why. We have been doing this for over 40 years because we do it the right way.

Does Accepting Help Mean I Have to Go Through With the Adoption?

No. Receiving financial help during your pregnancy does not lock you in to placing your baby for adoption.

Under Indiana law, you have the right to change your mind at any point before you sign the legal consent to adoption. That consent cannot be signed until after your baby is born. Until that moment, you are still the parent — and accepting help along the way does not change that.

Do I Get My Own Attorney?

Yes — and this is important. At Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., we were the first in Indiana to offer expectant mothers their own independent legal counsel. While we represent the adoptive parents, we will refer you to a separate attorney who represents you and only you — if you want one — and require the adoptive parents to cover those legal fees. This attorney’s only job is to look out for you. We are very proud to be the first in Indiana to make this a regular part of how we serve expectant mothers.

We Are Here for Birth Mothers Across Indiana

Whether you are in Indianapolis, Carmel, Muncie, Lafayette, Anderson, Bloomington, New Albany, or a small town anywhere in Indiana — you deserve to know what help is available to you.

Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C. is a family-run Indiana adoption law firm that has been serving birth mothers across this state since 1981. We are not a national company. We live and work here, and we care about the women and families we serve.

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.