We started looking at adoption in general during 2005. After months of research on the internet and reading as much as we could, we decided that adoption was for us. Once we decided that adoption was the way that we were going to add to our family, we had many more decisions to make before we could get started.
We had to decide what type of adoption we wanted to pursue. There were so many options to consider.
Closed/Semi-Open/Open
Closed Adoption
A closed adoption is an adoption in which the birthparents prefer not to select a family or have contact with them. No identifying information is exchanged, and the agency chooses the family for the birthparents. After the child is placed in the adoptive home, the family doesn't correspond or have any contact with the birthparents. Years ago, closed adoptions were the norm. Today, very few birthmothers choose this type of adoption.
A closed adoption is an adoption in which the birthparents prefer not to select a family or have contact with them. No identifying information is exchanged, and the agency chooses the family for the birthparents. After the child is placed in the adoptive home, the family doesn't correspond or have any contact with the birthparents. Years ago, closed adoptions were the norm. Today, very few birthmothers choose this type of adoption.
Semi-Open Adoption
In a semi-open adoption, the birthmother and sometimes the birthfather, selects the adoptive family after reading the profiles of available families. After selecting an adoptive family, the birthmother may decide that she wants to meet the family in person. Additional meetings may take place as well, and adoptive parents may participate in things like doctor visits and the labor and delivery. In semi-open adoptions, however, identifying information (last names, addresses, and phone numbers, for example) isn't exchanged, and no face to face meetings are scheduled following placement. The adoptive parents and the birthmother can correspond through the agency, if they choose exchanging letters, photos, and gifts.
Open Adoption
Open adoptions usually proceed similarly to the semi-open adoptions, but at some point, the two parties identifying information. Following the placement, the adoptive family and the birthmother have direct contact with one another, with the agency acting as the intermediary. An open adoption usually includes regular meetings between the adoptive family and the birthmother. What constitutes "regular meeting" depends on what the adoptive parents and birthparent agree on. For some families, it means one or two meetings a year in places like the zoo or a park. For other families, it may mean that the birth mom is a regular visitor in the family's home and participates in holiday gatherings and birthday celebrations.
-Adoption For Dummies
Domestic (USA) or International
Domestic Adoption
The United States has many children who need loving families.
A healthy infant is exactly that.
You're more likely to have more information about and possible contact with the birthmother.
Infants are usually placed with you shortly after they're born.
International Adoption
Many families fee adopting internationally is easier than adopting domestically.
They see international adoption as a humanitarian act.
They feel that adopting internationally is a way to avoid having to deal with the birthmother.
-Adoption For Dummies
After lots of thought we decided to adopt internationally from Guatemala. Why or how did we come to this conclusion?
We wanted to adopt an infant and even though adopting internationally the infants are usually a little older (6 to 8 months old when they arrive at home), the process is fairly predictable, that is we can be fairly certain that we could have a child in our home within one year from start to finish. In a domestic adoption, we could wait for an undetermined amount of time for a birthmother to choose us as her child's forever family.
After researching the adoption costs, we came to the conclusion that taking all things into consideration, they all cost about the same. China and Russia may have less costly country or program fees than does Guatemala, but with the cost and length of travel figured, the costs are about the same as Guatemala.
Guatemala requires only one trip to pick up our new family member that is 3 to 5 days in length. When we arrive in Guatemala City to pick up our child, the adoption will be finalized. In the other countries, the finalization does not happen until either a court hearing in the birth country happens or until arrival back in the United States. In other countries, two or more trips may be required and can be as long as 6 weeks in length.
After careful consideration of all of the above and many other factors as well, we decided that Guatemala was the country that we would adopt from.
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