[TTCinNYC]

My husband and I are currently in infertility, but have decided that if this doesn't work, we are going to adopt. In fact, even if it does work, we would like to adopt.

We are not sure where to start. Financially, we have no money, as we have spent it all on IVF, so we need to figure out the costs.

We are interested in international adoption we think. I have visited/done development work in Africa and feel good about adopting from a reputable organization operating out of Ethiopia.

But we have concerns. How much money should we have up front? We have exhausted our savings, but we make okay money so should be able to save the 25,000 I heard it costs over the course of a couple of years. But how much should we have when we get started?

Also, we are not set on adopting in Africa. In fact, we would like to find the easiest method possible - be it domestic or international. The cost in New York State, where we live, is about as expensive as it gets, from what I hear, which was one reason for going international. If there are easier way in North America, we would like to know!

Thanks for any and all info you can share.

[angelcare75]

you may actually be surprised- ethiopia is one of the easiest and affordable international options available. their cost is around 10-14k, but remember that there IS the federal and state child tax adoption credit. so really, the credit is about 13k, you're getting most of your money back.

dh and i are far into the adoption process (started the process 8 yrs ago then got preggers, now at it again) and ethiopia was one country that we were really interested in because it's quick too. generally, you can have a referral and a baby home within 8-11 months from when you started the process.

go to rainbow kids- it's an online adoption 'magazine'. they can give you the names of specific agencies that work with ethiopia.

also, check with adoption associates, they are an agency in many many states, and they have african american domestic infants that can be placed immediately.

as for the money, well, dh and i are also completely tapped, and actually in a LOT of debt from all this, but we will be borrowing from our retirement until the child tax credit comes in, then basically putting it all back.

best of luck to you. a-

[GWU1991]

You might take a look at our sister site, forums.adoption.com. Like here, it is a very active site and there are a ton of people who can give you BTDT advice regarding domestic and international adoption. http://forums.adoption.com/

No adoption path is easy. Each has their own hurdles. Adoption from foster care would definetly be the least expensive. Potentially free. Between domestic and international it really depends the situation. International is expensive, there are fewer and fewer countries open to option at this point, and the paperwork hurdles can be enormous. Domestic adoption can be expensive and the potential for a match falling through is always there. Just lots of things to consider.

For international, you might take a look at the State Department website. They have a comprehensive list of all countries, what the requirements are, which children can be adopted, timeframes, etc. It might be a good starting point for you to see what you options are.

GOod luck!

[amelie38]

We are currently waiting our first placement through foster care. We are licensed and homestudied to do foster-adoption. We have been waiting a year and this is not uncommon. We went with this option, as we cannot afford IVF, let alone domestic (infant) or international adoption. (Well, we could afford one round of IVF, but it would take years to pay off and I am not willing to be left in debt, with nothing to show for it.)
Whenever I start to feel disheartened at the wait, I look at how long people have been waiting to adopt from overseas. China is about a four year wait.
Friday, we took a phone call about a six year old boy. We originally said we were interested in 0-5, preferring a baby. You know what? If his details check out as things we can handle, I am saying yes!
As a previous poster said, you can learn a lot from the adoptions forums. Do a bit of investigative work. Make some calls and then you can make an informed decision. None of your options will be 'easy' but they will be worthwhile.
Good luck. Come back and tell us what happened for you.