How Long Does It Take To Receive A Child?
Domestic Adoptions: While this is a reasonable question, it is also one which cannot be answered very clearly. Because the prospective birthfamily selects the prospective adoptive family with whom they would like to place their child, there is little predictability within the selection process. Some families wait weeks once they enter an adoption program while others wait a year or more.
International Adoptions: The timeframe for international adoption will be determined primarily by the country a family decides to adopt from. Most international adoptions take approximately one to two years to complete, while some countries take longer. An international adoption agency should be able to provide specific information for each country’s current process.
Embryo Adoptions: The matching process is completed by the genetic family choosing the prospective adoptive family with whom they would like to donate their embryos to. In general, this process could take as little as a few months.
How often do prospective birth parents change their minds?
Domestic Adoptions: There are no guarantees in domestic adoptions. Prospective birth parents sometimes change their minds prior to placing their baby for adoption. This occurs less often when an open relationship between a prospective birthfamily and prospective adoptive family has been developed.
International Adoptions: In international adoption, children who are placed for adoption have either been abandoned or the parental rights have been terminated within the country prior to placement with a family.
Embryo Adoptions: In an embryo adoption, the embryos have been donated to the prospective adoptive family prior to a medical transfer procedure. Following the birth of a child through a successful embryo transfer, a formal adoption can occur.
Will we receive medical or family background information regarding our child?
Domestic Adoptions: As much information as possible regarding the prospective birth parents’ medical and family histories are gathered and provided to the prospective adoptive family.
International Adoptions: It is difficult to obtain background information for most children because they are typically abandoned, making it virtually impossible to acquire medical and family information. However, there are a few countries where families voluntarily place their child for adoption, and in these cases, good medical and family background information can be obtained and provided to the adopting family.
Embryo Adoptions: A great deal of medical and family information is gathered regarding the genetic family and is provided to the adopting family.
What are the costs involved for an adoption?
Domestic Adoptions: There are several factors which determine the total cost for an adoption. Variables such as legal representation, possible medical bills and prospective birth parent living expenses can vary from one adoption to the next. Efforts are made to maintain a prospective adoptive family’s adoption budget.
International Adoptions: There are several factors that can determine the total cost of an international adoption such as country fees, international document preparation fees and travel costs. The cost of an international adoption varies greatly from one country to another.
Embryo Adoptions: There are several factors in an embryo adoption. Most of the variation occurs with medical costs. If an embryo transfer is not successful, then medical procedures need to be performed again for another embryo transfer. The cost can increase, depending on the number of attempts a family chooses to make in order to achieve a successful pregnancy.
Do you have any advice about the adoption process?
Adoption is a life-altering experience and should be approached thoughtfully. Perhaps the most helpful advice we can give is: remain flexible, be patient, prepare for the unexpected, keep an open mind and stay positive.
Interested in learning more about The Ultimate Guide to Adopting a Child? Check out our entire guide here.