What are some of the medical issues of adoption?

barefoot_yank

Medical issues vary from country to country, child to child. My wife and I are awaiting a referral from Ethiopia. They send a questionairre asking what you will and will not accept, as far as medical issues are concerned. Down's syndrome children, children with cleft lips or palettes, addicted mother, etc etc. The list goes on and on. Learning the medical history of the parents AND child is important, but as the article states, you won't always be lucky enough to get that info. One thing you can do is find a doctor that specializes in adopted children. My wife and I found one (here in southern calif) and she's been great. If you're in the area, I can give you the info. Feel free to email. Good luck!

skyler

I adopted through the state and you do not get that much information on the birth parents however if you request it they will give you what ever information they have. Then I did foster to adopt and took my son to a special dr. who specializes in adoption babies also and you would be surprised what they can tell about the child by doing a FULL check-up.

Mainly it is to know the medical history as much as possible so that you have an idea of the type/level of care that child will need in your home.
Among the most important information to have are allergies and other chronic conditions, physical disabilities, mental health history, medications, surgeries, ongoing treatments/theraputic, and immunization records. Having similar info on the child's family is helpful too.
Make sure you know how continued care will be paid for. Some states do not have medical subsidy money available for out-of-state adoptions. The basic things are to know what you are getting into before the adoption takes place and have a plan prior to placement to continue the same level of care including any additional needs that may rise.

StacieG

It depends on where you adopt from and the background of the child(ren) you adopt.

In Eastern Europe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an issue, in some countries drug abuse is an issue. You'll need to research each country you'd like to look into. You'll also need to get as complete information as possible on any children who are referred to you.

You should also take into account that any adopted child is going to have grief, loss and attachment issues to some degree. Go into it with your eyes wide open, read as much as you can
http://www.tapestrybooks.com
is a great site to find books to read.

Take any referral to an International Adoption Clinic for their professional advice.

chris

i was adpted many years ago. i am now 51 and having medical issues in my life unfortunately i have no idea of my medical background and can't find out. when i was adpoted my parents wouldn't give the adoption agency any medical history to the agency. i have recently found out that both my biological parents are dead. i think that when a child is adopted that a medical history of the family should be given as part of the adoption.

Marianne T

Well, when you adopt it is kind of "grab bag" style. You have no idea what kind of medical conditions may lie in that baby's future. When you have a biological child, you can pretty much understand that diabetes or heart disease or cancer runs in some families. With an adoption, you just don't know. Sometimes the bio Dad isn't even notified so he is a complete wild card. Granted most people are healthy but you just don't know with adoptions.

I got to meet the birth parents of my child and I wrote down his medical history as for as the birth family is concerned. Some times, like in other countries, that is not possible since they don't know who the folks are. But I just send a prayer on the wing of a dove

Kelsey H

Many children available for adoption have special medical needs that are obvious from the start. The biggest medical issue imo is that, in closed adoptions, there is pretty much no family history to speak of, making diagnoses more difficult.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: