[amyfk]

Hi to the List,

My name is Amy and currently my husband and I are in process to adopt from Russia.

We have been disappointed because we have had three referrals for babies from Russia, and the health of these babies has concerned us. They have ranged in conditions from Venereal Disease to Hepatitis C antibodies and so on and so forth.

We dont have children yet and on our dossier papers we have posted "minor correctable conditions."

I spoke to my social worker earlier this week and told her what kinds of referrals we would accept and which ones we felt would be too much of a burden for us personally to accept. I think at least now she has an idea of what kinds of referrals to send us. We have been very disappointed so far.

We are going to give Russia a few more months but we're starting to think along the lines of China. I have spoken to some agencies and it seems what kinds of referrals Russia normally gives out seem to be on the special needs list for China.

We are not looking for perfection in a baby, however we are looking for a child without any major diseases or diseases which can later on have long-lasting deleterious effects on a child.

Can someone tell me about the avg. medicals received from China? I will not be able to thank you all personally from work tomorrow as my job filters newsgroups, so I want to thank you now for your responses.

Thanks in advance,
Amy K, New Jersey

[Lissa]

In adoption as in childbirth their are no guarentees, however, in Chinese adoption the odds are pretty good. The majority of the children are left to be foundnot because of poor health but due to the one child policy. While the number of HIV infected is increasing in China it is still not overwhelming. Also access to drugs and alcohol are very limited. The Chinese are very image conscious people and therefore very selective about the children they place into the international adoption program.

However, sometimes things slip by. My daughter had a common parasite called Giardia that we had to have treated when we returned. (No major deal--but it was undiagnosed.) Also we hadno idea she had drug allergies until after we arrived in China. (Not that it made any difference...just would have beennice to know as we brought many unneccessary drugs and packing room is valuable! )

[amyfk]

Dear Lissa

Thanks very much for your feedback. I really appreciate it. In general, I have heard good things about children adopted from China on average, healthwise. I will give Russia a little while longer to see if things work out. If they don't, most likely we'll make the switch.

Amy K, NJ

[jlync1]

Hi Amy K in NJ,

This is Joanna in NJ. I brought my daughter home in September and she has been very healthy for the most part. She did have horrible boils that developed a few days after I got her--they were all over her head, but with a strong antibiotic they clearned up and have not been back. The only other thing--and this is with any baby--is lots of ear infections. She just got tubes put in today and was back to her normal healthy, happy self within hours.

Good luck!
Joanna

[TaraL]

I read recently that as of this date no baby has been diagnosed with HIV that has been adopted from China. In addition I don't think I have ever heard of a child having a sexually transimitted disease that was adopted from China. I have been on a bunch of China adoption groups for over 3 years. There have been a few cases of children coming home and testing positive for Hep B but usually these children are already diagnosed and placed on the waiting children program. China appears pretty good at placing children with any medical problems on the waiting child program so suprises are minimal.

Like Lissa said there are no guarentees in life whether it be through adoption or childbirth. Children who are adopted as NSN (non-special needs) are usually relatively very healthy or may have a few little minor things that are corrected right after they get home (ie. parasites). Developmentally some of the children adopted from China who are NSN may still lag behind but usually catch up quickly once they are home and many times excel beyond the norm.

[amyfk]

Hi Joanna and Tara,

I want to thank you very much for your feedback. I really appreciate it.

We are with Russia and put down "minor correctable conditions" on our dossier. Meanwhile we are being referred children that would be considered special needs in China.

We spoke to our social worker and told her what kinds of referrals we are hoping to get. Since IVe heard so many good things about China, if Russia doesnt work out, we'll be switching.

Thanks again,
Amy K, NJ

[lovemybulldog]

Originally Posted by amyfk

We spoke to our social worker and told her what kinds of referrals we are hoping to get. Since IVe heard so many good things about China, if Russia doesnt work out, we'll be switching.

Amy,

My husband and I recently switched from Russia to China for several reasons, the main one being that we were uneasy about the health issues AND the forthcomingness (is that a word?) of the Russian officials about the real nature of the health at referral. I had heard from so many people that were heart broken when the got to Russia only to turn down the referral due to a condition that was not mentioned prior to travel. I know this is the exception and not the norm, but my gut told me to really reconsider.

We were also uneasy about the controversy over the abused Russian adoptees and how it may affect Russian laws regarding IA by Americans. Our agency was on the list of "warned" agencies last month, yet is one of the top in the US. It made me a little gun shy.

We were also worried about the 2 (and possibly) 3 trips necessary. We would use all of our vacation time and then some just to travel, making our time at home with the child limited before at least one of us would need to go back to work.
I instantly felt a bond to the Chinese culture and heritage for several reasons that I won't go into now, but it just felt right. Although the process and wait times seem arduous, I know it will all be worth it in the end. Once I have that baby in my arms, time will melt away.

We are against the norm as we are asking for a boy up to 36 months from China, but our agency rep assured us that boys are available and the wait time is no longer than for a girl. From what I've read, although institutionalized, like Russia, the general enviroment to child health relationship is much better in China. We also put down minor correctable, which I've heard can be something as simple as a herniated belly button or rash or as complicated as lazy eye or a minor cleft.

Happy thoughts to you as you make this important decision. While I hope Russia works out, I know the right child will find you, not the other way around!

Good luck and keep us all posted on your progress!

[drmalcolm]

What an informative and personal post, Steph--good luck to you as you pursue the adoption of your son.

Best to you, too, Amy K.! I'm sorry you've been through so much with the referrals--that must be very emotionally draining.

Although the wait is a bit long right now, I hope you'll find the China IA process a relief in terms of children's health, ease of process, and strict rules by the Chinese that leave little room for any type of shadiness. There are problems everywhere, of course, but there seem to be fewer with China's "tried and true" process.

Good luck in your journeys!
Christina

[StorkWatcher]

Just curious - people have mentioned "long" waits. What is the average wait for China right now?

[drmalcolm]

Hi Storkwatcher,
I was just DTC and my agency told me to expect a referral in about 12 months. I do think, though, that folks who are just starting to paperchase may be told 14+ months just because the agencies can't predict what is going to happen during these months that the families are gathering their documents--they'd rather give you a worse case scenario. Some people have heard rumors of upwards of 18 months, but I have to stick with what my agency tells me in order to keep my sanity... and I like their answer better, anyway!

Just to give you an idea, though, of how things fluctuate, the process was 6-8 months to referral just last fall (October). But when I first began looking into adoption several years ago, the time for China was closer to 18 months. I keep hoping that I'll be in that group where we start off with a high referral time and it gets shorter! A girl can always hope...

Christina

[amyfk]

Hi to Stephanie, Christina, and everybody else,

Thanks very much for your encouragement. It's been a week since my last referral, and I honestly feel somewhat down. I did lay out my expectations for my social worker. We will give it a bit more time now that we expressed what we expect from our agency. However, everything I read about China seems like a go.
If things dont work out in the next few months, then most likely we will switch to China.

Stephanie-I can understand why you wanted to switch the the reaccrediatation mess and the 3 trips etc. It's getting harder, not easier.

I wish you all the best in your adoption endeavors-may you get happy healthy children, and the wait time not be too painful.

Amy K, NJ

[roseofchina]

Amy,
Good luck on your adoption process! Our daughter was 10 months at adoption in 2002. She was very healthy then, a little on the thin side perhaps, but otherwise just fine. She is lactose-intolerant which I've read is somewhat common in folks of Asian heritage. But we believe she is growing out of it. She can now tolerate yogurt, cheese, and ice cream...but we don't overload her on it. She still has trouble with regular cow's milk, so she's been on lactose-free milk since we brought her home. I used to have to cook with it, but now I do not. She is prone to have dry skin though so we watch the bathsoap and how many baths per week she has. I recommend "Cetaphil" (I think that's how you spell it) soap for any dry-skin, by the way. You can get it at Wal-Mart for a good price. She did have her share of ear infections during her first year home but we and her pediatrician attribute that to daycare. Hope all goes well with you and you proceed.

Sharon
dh - David
dd - Whitley Rose Hui; doa 9/17/02

[SofiasMom]

I have read over the years of parents who turned down a referral once they are in China because the baby is sick or they suspect the child has a special need. They either get another referral or they go home without a child. This is rare. I've also read of parents who find out during their time in China that their child might be special needs (deafness for example) and have decided to continue with the adoption. I also know of families who have adopted and months later discover that the child is special needs (in my case, my daughter has cerebral palsy).

[Happy2Bhere]

HI!
Amy- I PM'ed you, but also wanted to put this out there:
We were first going with Russia. I talked to about 30 agencies, and everyone said to put minor correctable conditions. Only ONE agency said "If you put minor correctable conditions, then you will get minor correctable conditions, and if you want a healthy child, state that" I don't know how agencies can vary. If I would have followed the guidance of other agencies, I would have put the minor correctable conditions. Not that I am against anything like that- even with child birth, there are no guarantees, but with another toddler at home, we just can't see spending time & time again for dr appts, surgeries, etc, so we put healthy child.
I just wonder if certain agencies tell you to put minor correctable, because the orphanges they work with- that is the type of children they have, or if it is "easier" on the agency, so no wait time?
I am new to all this- so bear with me.
In the end, I think there is a MUCH higher power that is directing our children to us.
Best wishes-
Melissa

[amyfk]

Hi,

I just want to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who responded to my questions about the health of Chinese adoptees. I will plan to stick with the Russia program awhile, but if we see that we keep getting disappointed, then maybe it's time for a switch.

Best to you all,
Amy K, NJ