This does happen, but it is rare. In about three percent of newborn placements birthparents reclaim the baby during the period they are legally allowed to do so. It is important to note that each state has different laws regarding how long birthparents have to reclaim a child, but it is never longer than 30 days, and in most states it is a considerably shorter time period. There are some unusual situations, however where this time can extend to six months or longer, but these are very unusual cases.