[ctlc123]

Hello..........My husband and I are considering adoption, we are new at all of this and any information would be helpful. We have been married for 7 years and found out nearly five years ago that we have some fertility issues.

[DinPAis2adopt]

Congratulations on your decision to look into what I'm sure you will find to be a wonderful experience.

There are plenty of tough times ahead, but they are worth every moment!

There are many routes you can take: Adopting through your state/county foster/adopt program (as my wife and I are doing), private adoption domestically, international adoption... there are many choices. You will need to do some research and find out which way you want to go about this. You will need to decide what route you can afford (foster route will not cost you much, but international for example, can cost $30 or $40K!), how long you want to wait, the age of the child, do you want to accept sibling groups, disabilities you will accept... the list goes on and on.

You are in a great place to start your research... the internet has tons of information. Just be sure to not beleive everything you see online... there is good and bad information available.

I would also encourage you to read some books you should be able to get at the library or bookstore, and make a few calls to adoption agencies.

You will find that most users on this forum are very friendly and helpful... we all care about the children

Best wishes,

[tobeafamily]

The first thing I'd do is to go to the library and read everything you can about adoption - international, domestic parental placement, waiting child/foster care adoption.

Then I'd sit down and ask yourselves these types of questions:

1. How important is it that your child share your ethnic heritage?
2. How important is it that your child be a newborn?
3. How willing/able are you to travel with or without notice?
4. How much are you willing/able to spend in fees and expenses?
5. How prepared do you feel parenting a child who may have been exposed to abuse, neglect or institutionalization, known or unknown at time of placement?
6. How comfortable are you sharing your values, beliefs and lifestyle with others you don't know or don't know well?

Remember, there is no one 'right' or 'best' way to adopt, just the best way for you.

Best of luck,

Regina