Begining adoption

Lil35

We have a beautiful daughter, who we had biologically, but my husband and I have always wanted to adopt.  Does anyone know if the fact that we can have children biologically will cause problems for us in the adoption process? 

Dr.Loretta

Will it prevent you from adopting? No. Will it increase your wait time? Possibly.

Some of this depends on what type of adoption you pursue. In terms of domestic adoption, birthparents usually choose the adoptive families, and they look for different things depending on the person. Some want their child to be an only child. Some want their child to be part of a large family with a lot of siblings.

The requirements or preferences may be different for foster/adopt or international adoption. And if you adopt a child who's older than your daughter, some people have issues with adopting out of birth order (but those can be overcome).

My best advice would be to call agencies you're interested in, and flat out ask them. They'll likely be more than happy to discuss your family situation and whether having a bio child would be an issue, and how much of one.

GL

 

CaptainSerious

Dr. L. covered it pretty well.

My husband and I have not tried to conceive, and that fact did delay the adoption of our son to some extent.  We adopted from Peru, where there is a heavy influence on biological families, and the adoption authorities there asked us to explain why we wanted to adopt without having tried to conceive.  To be honest, when the asked us to explain our "phobias about biological children," we thought we were sunk, but we knew that: 1) they almost always ask for more information from families applying to adopt, and they didn't have anything else they could ask us; and 2) families with biological children often adopted from Peru, and decided to stay the course.  It was a good thing, because they did, if fact, grant us permission to adopt our son.

My point is that if you choose to adopt internationally, you will have to understand that they may not understand why you wish to adopt, and families that can have biological children are sometimes suspected of adopting to "save a child."  Depending on which program/country you chose, you may end up having to explain/justify your decision and motivation in excruciating personal detail, but in the end, if you can provide a safe, loving home for the child, you will most likely be able to adopt.