[ToothFairy]

Thanks all - for your quick responses. Appreciate it!

Where I live, women are entitled to 4 weeks (paid) Adoption Leave if the child is less than 6 months of age. If the adopted child is any older than that, the adoptive mother is not eligible for any Adoption Leave. I'm trying to write in to relevant authorities to ask them to review these guidelines in the case of China adoptions - since almost all the children matched to us will be older than 6 months old! I agree with andrea that some period of adjustment and time spent with the child is necessary - and most of us will take no-pay leave for a certain duration anyway. Now it's just a matter of whether we continue to receive our pay for that time-off.

Sean&Shan, thanks for your thoughts - yes it would seem that the authorities over here also view maternity leave differently from adoption leave. I can understand that a woman who has just given birth would need time for her body to recuperate - and those who adopt newborns may need some extra time, with bottle-feeding and all - but I cannot see why we are not eligible for ANY Adoption Leave at all, even if the child we are eventually matched with is 7 or 8 months old! Sorry if I sound grumpy and thanks for listening to me vent my frustrations - but it's been a trying attempt just finding out the names of the people I should approach in the relevant authorities.

Will have to work on a good, sound argument - for the benefit of all couples in my country who adopt children from China.