Brand New to Adoption in Illinois

KAnde · 03-29-2004, 11:24 AM

WE have struggled with infertility for almost 4 years and now we are really trying to find out if we can afford adoption. We are in Illinois...We dont' have anything done for home study or anything. We are just trying to find out what to do where to go we need to find our feet. If you have any suggestions Please feel free to give them!

spookycyster · 03-29-2004, 11:56 AM

I just wanted to welcome you here to the Adoption Option. Check out the sticky at the top for some resources! Ask any questions you have--the ladies here are a wealth of information and will always help if they can.

Adoption is a totally different roller coaster than infertility, so be prepared for a different kind of ride. We too struggled with infertility for nearly 5 years and all kinds of failed treatments before we decided that we really wanted to be parents and not pregnant. We are now a happy family of three, with a beautiful 4 month old little boy. He's the light of our lives and I almost can't remember a time without him. I know that we had to go thru all the struggles, the pain and all the millions of tears to get to ds. Our hard times made us ready for ds to come into our lives. Of course, it was hard to see that the struggles would be worth it when we were going thru them, but here at the other end, it was all worth it.

I hope that your wait is short and that your forever child is with you soon!!

KAnde · 03-29-2004, 01:25 PM

Spooky thanks so much. How long did the process take you before you were placed with your son and how old was he?? And if you don't mind how much did you end up spending on the adoption and where did you adopt from? I would like an infant like a few days old...i would like to pick the baby up from the hospital...is that possible? We also have a budget of around 15-20,000 is that going to be an option for us? I mean will we find an infant for that price range? does that make any sense??

spookycyster · 03-29-2004, 01:38 PM

Hi,

Our process was very blessedly short. Our paperwork is dated 9/15/03 and we got "the call" on Thanksgiving Day. I know this is not typical of a waiting time, but when things are meant to be, they just happen!

Ds is just over 4 months old right now and I brought him home from the hospital at 4 days old (he was in the NICU from birth until when he came home for some minor things).

We adopted thru Children's Home Society--I think they are all over the US, so you might want to check in your area. CHS usuallly tries to place the infant with the adoptive parents at 24 hours old, if they are healthy enough to leave the hospital at that point. Our agency has a set fee for infant adoption, but they break down what needs to be paid and when into a more managable payment plan. All in all, our adoption fees were around $15k. We had very minimal birth mother expenses, as the bm did not decide to place until after ds was born. I think we paid for her last month's rent and some utilities because she couldn't work. In some agencies, you are matched with a bm while they are still pregnant and at that point, you can help with their expenses. I believe that's where alot of the costs come into play. I don't think you HAVE to pay bm expenses, but it helps them out. You may be able to set a cap of how much you are willing to spend for bm expenses. Just depends on your state and your agency, I think.