After years of infertility, for most hopeful adoptive couples, and days (if not months) of deliberating what steps to take next, there is no “quick” way; adoption takes time! Once your decision to adopt a child has finally been made, it is easy to get anxious about holding a precious, newborn baby in your arms, but many steps have to be made before you reach that point: one being, your online parent profile.

Your parent profile is one of the first items birth parents see that connects you to their placement story. As a couple, you have spent months deciding what your next step should be, and as a birth parent, they are making difficult choices with a ticking clock inside of them. It’s not easy; and the more helpful and truthful information that you can share, the better. The bow the ties you all together can be an original and well thought out profile.

As I have worked with adoptive couples over the years, I have noticed frustration and stress in creating the “perfect” profile. I have also witnessed couples missing a vital and valuable opportunity to connect with birth parents by not caring enough about their profile. Each step that is necessary for your adoption process is there for a reason. Each action should be taken with care, consideration, and certainty—this includes your profile.

Take each new corner with an amount of awareness that allows you to make the “right” decisions for you, as a couple. Don’t try to rush the process by not giving it your full attention, because you want a baby in your arms now. It is easy to get overwhelmed and anxious, but it is a process; trust the process. Don’t get overwhelmed. Do your best. Be you! And create a heartfelt parent profile that birth parents can connect with.