Domestic adoption?

bride711

Hi ladies, 

I am a newbie on all the adoption information and research. DH and I are looking into Domestic adoption. Those of you that chose Domestic, how long did it take you to keep the adoption process and finally meet your new little bundle?  

Dr.Loretta

You will find a wide range of answers to this, as every situation is different. We submitted our application the end of May 2009 and had our homestudy completed by the end of September. We went active with our profile mid-December, and are now waiting.

Wait times can vary depending on what situations (age, race, disability, birthparent drug/alcohol exposure) you're open to, whether you're pursuing adoption through an agency, law firm, or facilitator (and which particular one you work with), and a host of other factors.

I see you have a little one at home as well. Some agencies will require you to wait until your current child is a bit older (about a year) before you actively pursue adoption.

Just a few things to think about.

I would highly recommend Adoption for Dummies. It lays out all the different types of adoption and will help you choose what's best for you and your family.

FinallyMrs.G

Ditto every Dr.Loretta said. We started our homestudy in July and became active in October 09 and still waiting. The average wait with our agency is 12-18 months. That's just an average, we could get the call any day though.

Good luck!

Jessie*J

I agree with the other ladies -- a majority of agencies will have you wait until your child is around a year old (that's what our agency does ... they won't approve your HS until they reach 1 year).

I did all of my research online -- make sure to pay attention to age limitations when gathering info. Due to my age we had to wait 6 months before having an "active" file with the agency --- then due to them not having an open spot we had to wait almost 3 more months before starting our HS.

It took our agency over 7 months to approve our HS (don't worry, that's not too normal lol). Since Nov 09 we've been networking with attorney's on our own to find situations. We are active with 3 and just now got a call from the agency that a spot is opening up for us. Average wait with our agency is 12-18 mths as well ... that's once we finally get our profile active with them!

GL with your research!!!

bride711

Thank you ladies! Your replies are very helpful!

WinWed

We entered the program in May 09. Finished homestudy in the fall and were accepted into the program in early November. Now we wait... and wait... and wait.

mrsdrkwaver

well we submitted our application March 2008 it took till November of 2008 to have our home study ready. we have been paperwork ready since then and have been waiting for our match for a year and half and still do not have a match.  during this time we did have one match that fell through in may 2009 we were chosen she gave birth then changed her mind 12 hours before we were suppose to pick her up. for some reason our agency as has been very slow our profile was looked at in July 2009 and then not again till Jan. 2010. we are currently looking for some other options to get the ball rolling

WinWed

mrsdrkwaver:

well we submitted our application March 2008 it took till November of 2008 to have our home study ready. we have been paperwork ready since then and have been waiting for our match for a year and half and still do not have a match.  during this time we did have one match that fell through in may 2009 we were chosen she gave birth then changed her mind 12 hours before we were suppose to pick her up. for some reason our agency as has been very slow our profile was looked at in July 2009 and then not again till Jan. 2010. we are currently looking for some other options to get the ball rolling

 Wow, that's tough. Just 3 months of waiting has been tough.

amberfernandez

We are one of the exceptions.  In CA for independent adoption, your home study does not have to be complete until after placement, but before one-year after placement.  We went active on 11/24/09 and were officially matched with a BM on 1/15/10, with a baby due date of 4/1/10.

Our finalization will take longer with our home study being completed after placement, which we had no idea about when we went independent, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Just remember there are people who have had short waits, and people with long waits, but I would go with the average when you're thinking about adoption wait times.

crystalpopcorn

Hi and welcome.  We applied in late July, began the homestudy in mid August, were approved December 1 (could have been a month earlier, but life got in the way), turned our profile books in the week before Christmas, and got "the call" the week after New Year's.  Baby is due March 1.  The average wait time for our agency is 9-12 months, so we were pretty surprised with how fast the process went.  Now we are just hoping that everything works out, and that the baby comes home with us in a few weeks.

Oh, and I agree with Amber:  you should set your expectation to the average wait time the agency quotes.  It might be longer, and it might be shorter.  An average is usually a good ballpark though.

Alicia_22

We sent in our initial paperwork in late August 09. We finished our home study in December 09 and were active in Jan 10. The average wait time with our agency from start ( of paperwork) to placement is 9-16 Months. Good Luck to you! 

white318

We had virtually no wait.  We didn't even start the application process.  We just told everyone we knew we were considering adoption and posted on Facebook that we were considering it.  Pretty soon the connections started happening.  2 interested birth moms this past fall that both miscarried and then our current birth mom is staying with us and due in March. 

 Then it was crazy though, trying to get the homestudy done now before the baby is born and finding the right attorney to take care of the details.  Good luck to you...look into free profile websites, it gives you a little exposure without paying right away.  And set up your own website or page (like facebook) that birthmoms can look at without the pressure of talking directly to you.

Again good luck !!  It can be frustrating.. but also SO exciting!!