Frequently Asked Questions

Why adoption v. in-vitro fertilization?

This is a very personal decision that every woman (in conjunction with her husband if she has one) makes when deciding how to build her family. I had to decide what my true motivation was for wanting a child. Was it the experience of actually giving birth or the experience of raising a child, or was both really important to me? I just did not feel this overwhelming need to be pregnant and give birth although I do understand why most women do. I just felt like I have been blessed in my life and I want to share my life with a child. Whether that child was tied to me biologically just wasn’t an overriding factor. I knew I was capable of loving a child just as much either way. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. It made the most sense, for my circumstances, to provide a home for a child that is already in the world as opposed to bringing a child into the world via a medical procedure. Besides, I get to skip the baby fat and the hormonal changes, not to mention the pain of childbirth!

Why international adoption v. domestic adoption?

The truth is I really didn’t spend a tremendous amount of time researching domestic adoption because I felt drawn internationally. There is no question that there are many kids in the US that need and deserve loving homes. And as much as our foster care system is in need of reform; at least we have one. This is not true for many other countries. There are hundreds of thousands of children growing up in orphanages just in Eastern Europe alone. And domestic adoption is not nearly as common in those countries as it is in the states. And even though it is possible for singles to be selected by a birthmother for a domestic adoption, it could take a long time. Children adopted from the foster care system have many special needs that require more resources than I felt I could provide as a single mom. So, for those reasons, and because I felt more comfortable with a more predictable timeline and the finality of the adoption once you bring the child home, I chose the international route.

Why Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan requires a 14-day bonding period. You are required to visit your child for 2 consecutive weeks at the orphanage (usually for 2 hours twice a day) to make sure that the match is a good one. Now, this makes for a longer trip than most of the other countries. You can either do 2 trips with the first trip lasting about 4 weeks and the second trip lasting about a week to 10 days, with a month in between trips. Some families choose to do it in one trip, but this means being in-country approximately 7-8 weeks. From what I can tell, most of the kids seem to transition well once home and it makes sense that the bonding could help greatly with this transition, even with the month in between trips. Plus, Kaz has a great reputation for taking care of the children. From all of the pictures I have seen, the kids do look relatively healthy. Some of the other countries I considered have slowed down in 2007 like Russia and China. And not all countries are open to singles. So, Kazakhstan seemed like the right choice.