Alongside the baby boom, the period after the Second World War also witnessed another and less studied demographic change across Europe and the West – “baby scoop era” – an increase in unmarried pregnancies accompanied by that of children given up for adoption. In this study, we explore the Dutch experience of these social and demographic changes where the legal introduction of adoption in 1956 was among the latest in Western Europe; however, abortion was not legalised until 1984. The study revolves around two research questions: what was the legal and institutional context for relinquishment and adoption? And what were the experiences of women who relinquished a child for adoption in this period and to what extent was their decision affected by (perceived) enforcement? Our results, based on archival records and oral history interviews, show no direct signs of formal or legal coercion. However, given the nature of the data we should be cautious in making such a claim. Even so, our results did find signs of informal coercion, persuasion and pressure in the decision-making process towards relinquishment. Given the fragmented nature of assistance to women with unwanted pregnancy, the available routes towards relinquishment were numerous. These routes involved many actors who could all influence a birth mother’s decision to some extent; even those actors operating within official guidelines.