Entry #8 Meeting with a Pediatrician

During our home study visit, we were advised to meet with a pediatrician to find out about various medical conditions that an adopted baby can be born with. The amount of time it takes to be matched with a baby can be affected by how open adoptive parents are to various conditions. My husband and I were just able to have a meet and greet with a pediatrician and it was very informative.

The medical staff was very kind and gave us a welcome packet about their office. Then, when we met with the doctor, she answered all of our questions in such a helpful way. We asked about the long term effects of drug use, including meth, heroine, marijuana and crack. We also asked about the effect of alcohol use, commonly known as fetal alcohol syndrome. We asked about a baby being born to a birth mother with HIV, various mental illnesses, defects and life threatening conditions.

The doctor explained that many of these conditions can be treated, initially with the birth mother’s potential access to prenatal care, and then after birth with monitoring, medical care and a nurturing, loving home. We felt that this meet and greet answered many of our questions and helped calm our nerves down because it is better to be informed and know how to care for the various conditions rather than go off of hearsay. We understand we will encounter challenges, but that goes for any child, adopted or not, so we definitely recommend setting up a meet and greet ahead of time. The doctor said we were her first couple to ever meet with her before having adopted the baby, so I’m happy with our progress.

Now, we ask for your prayers for our meeting with the adoption lawyer on July 30. We have our profile books ready to go and are excited for the next step that will hopefully lead us closer to our future baby.

We thank you for your prayers!