[bugfree]

My family was set on a country to adopt. We just found out that it is now 12-15 months from homestudy to referal if you do not specify a sex. Maybe there is a country that we don't know about that has the things my family wants.

Things my family wants:
Foster care from birth
Healthy babies
Short visits to the country or no visits
If possible, family histories on the parents.



Thanks for the help. :-)

[Bassette]

Guatemala.

[bluedaisy]

Ethiopia doesn't have foster care from birth, but some (if not all) of the orphanages used by American agencies have excellent care. Our agency's orphanage has a 2-to-1 ratio--for every two babies, there is one nanny/caregiver. The kids are held almost all the time, actually. And often a baby is pretty attached to one caregiver. In a recent article in the New York Times, the writer said that Ethiopia is gaining a reputation as a country with healthy children and good orphanages.

I recently met a mom and baby (he's from Ethiopia and is about 20 months old), and he lived at the orphanage for several months, from about 6 weeks until 9 months of age or so. He's wonderfully healthy and happy. His mom said she is certain that this is due to the exceptional care he received at the care center.

Many people have children home within six months of beginning the process, including the homestudy.

Many (if not most) parents visit for as short as one week; an escort option is also available.

And some of the babies do have family history; this varies by child. I think you could probably work with an agency to request a referral for a child with family history. Some babies are abandoned, but some birth families relinquish their children.

Also, Ethiopia has a long and incredible history and culture, and the people are warm and beautiful.

Feel free to PM me.

[sak9645]

Probably the "safest" country for a family like yours is South Korea.

South Korea has been placing children with American families for over 50 years. It has an extremely ethical and organized adoption system.

South Korea is probably the most prosperous of the countries from which Americans adopt. As a result, it has a medical care system that is very much "Western quality." The children receive good diagnostic workups, so they generally turn out to be "as described" on the referral medicals. When they need medical care prior to adoption, they generally get care that is of very good quality. American adoption medicine professionals generally find that the medical records are accurate; for example, they don't recommend redoing immunizations, as they do for children from most other countries.

South Korea understands Americans' concerns about the health of the children. As an example, where possible, information on things like whether a birthmother, smoked, drank, or used drugs during pregnancy is provided. Where possible, information on things like risk factors in the birth family -- for example, mental retardation or schizophrenia or certain diseases -- is provided. Where possible, information on the birthmother's prenatal care and delivery, including the baby's Apgar score, is provided. Of course, some children do come into the system through abandonment, or in other ways that make it impossible to get this information. You have to remember that there are ALWAYS some medical risks in adoption.

Most of the children go into well-organized and well-supervised foster care starting soon after birth. Many of the foster families become very attached to the children.

Escort used to be the only option for bringing a child home to his/her forever family. However, recognizing the importance of having the family committed to celebrating the child's birth heritage, South Korea now permits travel. If a parent chooses to travel, the trip can be a matter of a few days.

With South Korea, you don't actually finalize in that country. The child comes home under a decree of guardianship, for adoption here in the U.S. That is why escort or short trips can occur.

Because South Korea knows that its program is attractive, it has made its criteria for acceptance very strict. It feels that these criteria will help to ensure that its children will get the best possible parents.

As an example, South Korea accepts only married couples, not singles. It requires that they be married at least three years. It will not accept parents over age 43 or 45. It wants parents to be in excellent health. Some of the organizations in Korea consider obesity a risk factor for parents, and won't accept people who are more than 30% over normal weight.

With most countries, you can use an agency anywhere in the U.S. (assuming that you are a U.S. citizen), as long as you have a local homestudy. However, South Korea insists that you work with an agency that has a contract with the Korean government to place children with families in your state. This usually limits your choices to 1-3 agencies, unless you are willing to accept a child with special needs. The good news is that the agencies authorized to place Korean children tend to be long established and among the best in the adoption field.

I hope this helps.

Sharon

[sis2kensia]

I know of one program in Haiti that uses fostercare for their babies and another program that has extremely low child/caregiver ratios and it is a family run home. We just brought home a healthy 10 month old boy - so you can get babies under 1 year. You don't have to travel to Haiti if you don't want to. We know both our kids birthfamilies, that is common in Haiti.

Hope this helps - PM if you want any more info.

S.
sis2kensia@yahoo.com

[bugfree]

Korea is so popular that it is now 12-16 month wait from homestudy to referal for a healthy boy, even longer for a girl.

My state only has 1 agency, so I guess I am in for a long wait. Seeing that it will be 2 months at least until my home study starts (I have to take classes),2 or 3 months for my home study, 12-16 months for a referal, then 3-5 for travel. I figured it would be 19 - 26 months, although I might be leaving things out.

[bluedaisy]

Bugfree, can I gently suggest that it seems like you want everything? It seems like Korea has all that you want, but a long wait. Other folks have mentioned some great options, but you seem to have dismissed us.

Perhaps domestic adoption would be better? Or else you might need to decide what's most important--all the things that you want or having a baby home sooner.

International adoption is tough, mentally and emotionally exhausting. And not risk-free.

Good luck with your decision.

[bugfree]

We are still planning on going through Korea. It just seems like the perfect answer for us, but the wait is long. I think we just need accept that there will be a wait. Hopefully I will be able to get one of the referals in the 2007 calender year. :-)

[drmalcolm]

bugfree, good luck with your process. I know, the waiting is so difficult. We are in the homestudy phase right now, pretty sure we have a country to go with, but constantly second-guessing ourselves.

From everything I've read, we'll forget the wait when we get our children (a painful childbirth of sorts!).

Best to you,
Christina

[Sean&Shan]

Keep in mind with all these countries, as well as your homestudy for that matter, the timelines are projected. They are really just an educated guess based on patterns and obstacles that are forseen. For almost any country you can find examples of couples that breezed through and others which got delayed with every small bump in the road. Unfortunately we have found that these delays are totally beyond our control and have little to do with our qualifications, organization, or agency.

While it is natural to want your child home as quickly as possible I urge you to put that factor at the bottom of your list. Pick a country in which you are comfortable with their practices and ethical adoption history regarding health, policies, and fees. Pick a country where you can get the gender of child you prefer (if that is an issue) and most importantly, pick a country who's culture you can embrace and share with both your child and extended family. The wait is something that is here and now, the culture and health of your child are "forever factors". Good Luck!

[Dearonebaby]

I have heard that Taiwan has very healthy children, but they are in an orphanage after birth for 4 months or so while papers are pushed. I was told it can take a long time, 9m-1 1/2 yr. 5-7 day stay. The ** picks who gets the baby, but is only given 3-4 profiles. We were going to go this route but then vietnam opened up and we are going that route because the wait is months shorter. They are not all too sure about stay in country yet, they are thinking 2-3 wks, also heard 10-15 working days. The kids are relatively healthy, maybe a parasite, or so I have heard. Also, Korea has strict weight guidlines which sound reasonable but most americans I know are borderline to the requirements or not within them.

[Kama]

I agree with sean and shan that genuine interest in the culture and heritage of yoru child is one of the most important things ... Even though it seems that Guatemala is quick and easy, it has a lot of problems and I have heard about adoptive parents waiting for more than a year...

[kelleymac]

We adopted from Guatemala and took five months from referral to home. Our son was in foster care from birth and had a wonderful foster home. He is healthy, happy and a joy.

Our total time in country for our pickup trip was three days. We have an extensive report from family court about his birthmom and some details about his birthdad.

I'm not sure where you "heard" that Guatemala has problems, but assuming a 6-9 month wait to bring a child home is average in Guatemala.

Speculation probably won't help the original poster.

Kelley

[bekalynn]

We also adopted from Guatemala and brought home a 5 month old baby boy, referred at 18 days old.

He was in a phenomenal foster home with excellent care. I agree with Kelleymac.

I also, wholeheartedly agree with sean&shan - go with the country your heart is telling you to go with. The wait for your referral will be hard - but use the time to enjoy your family, plan for the baby, shop, sleep, take a vacation. Once your little one is home, you will be amazed at how quickly time flies!!

[beachdreams]

Another person who adopted from Guatemala. I had a zero wait for a referral and the process took 7.5 months from accepting her referral. She came home at almost 8 months old. She had a WONDERFUL foster mother and I have a bit of background information on her birth parents.