Need help! Where to start?!?

alisonj · 08-03-2004, 09:17 AM

I am frustrated with no luck in the TTC area. My husband and I agreed when this happened we would pursue other alternatives of having a baby.

We both have been interested in adoption even before the TTC problems came about. Can anyone give me any insight on where to start? I've been looking at a lot of the websites listed on the sticky, but I don't know if that helps me too much. I am looking into purchasing a book I found - Adoption for Dummies (you all know the popular series) to get some help. Any suggestions, words of wisdom or advice would be much appreciated. We really don't know where to start - do we need to locate an agency? Do we need a lawyer? The process is a little overwhelming and anyone with ANY advice would be great!!

Thanks and the best of luck to everyone!!

Lisa2008 · 08-05-2004, 01:11 AM

hi, it can be really overwhelming when you first start looking into adoption.
good for you for starting the researching. I read anything i could find on adoption when we were starting out. Go to the library and ask for everything on the subject.

in order to find a starting point, you will need to decide on what kind of adoption will work best for your family. the three main ones, are, international, private, and public.
Each way has its own benifits and faults.
We adopted our son when he was 4 months old, publicly (which you will hear is unusual)
we were really happy with the public system, but i know people who have not been.

good luck, and feel free to ask specific questions if you have any

rachelmichellek · 08-05-2004, 04:56 PM

http://nacac.org/howtoadopt.html

That should get you off on the right foot if you haven't read it already. The "How to Adopt" sequence.

Why read one book on adoption? Go to the library to be able to read MANY adoption books for free!

After that, contact an agency in your area or, most states have a statewide 1-800 number that can help you get a list of agencies in your area.

Ange75 · 08-18-2004, 07:24 PM

I am currently in the homestudy process so I'm fairly new. But we knew of a couple who had adopted and we talked to them and they by far have been the best resource we have had. I also went to several agencies locally and got their list of "resources" (people who have used them) and I emailed or called them to get their experiences. I think the real life experiences really helped narrow things down for us.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the agency we are working with - they make everything so easy. I feel like they tell me what I need to do and that really helps.

Good luck!!

spookycyster · 08-18-2004, 08:57 PM

Hi,

We chose our agency because we had met a couple who adopted thru them. Also, a friend of ours is involved with the same agency--it was nice to have personal experiences to go from. If we were going to be living here, we would be using the agency again for the next child (we're moving out of country in November, so can't use our agency

)

If I had to do it cold, I would start by going to the various agencies and adoption attornies in your town. They should give you names of people who have used them in the past and you could speak with them. Also, if there are any adoption info gathering fairs....those would be good places to start. (I am speaking at our agency's info fair in October, sharing our story.)

One other thing that really helped me with our adoption journey was the book "Adoption after Infertility" by Pat Johnston (I believe that's her name.) It really helped me get my emotions in order, to help me put away the feelings I had about our infertility and helped me to get excited about how our family was going to grow thru adoption.

Good luck to you! I hope your wait is short and that your little one is in your arms soon.