Thanks so much to everyone who responded to my first post!!! Lots of great things to discuss! As you probably can see, there are too many questions to answer in just one post, so I’ll be breaking this into several separate posts over the next few weeks.

Question #1: My questions would be: typically how long nowadays is LID from DTC and then from LID to travel? We are adopting an older girl from Shaanxi and hope to be DTC in 6 weeks – 2 months tops!

First of all, congratulations on your daughter! We adopted a sweet little guy from Shaanxi last year. He was in the Xi’an CWI and is now four years old. He’s doing great! Now about your questions.

It is taking anywhere from 1-4 weeks after DTC to receive your LID. I know that’s kind of a broad range, but it really does vary. I have seen some relatively quick LIDs recently (less than a week), but then a few others who waited longer (close to a month).

Currently, a good estimate for travel is 4-6 months after your LID. That is pretty accurate right now. A lot of it depends on how quickly your LOA arrives. Unfortunately, the wait for LOA has definitely increased recently for some reason, which has lengthened this timeline. Last fall, I would have said 3-5 months. That was our scenario…..LID on 10/12, LOA almost exactly a month later, TA two months later. So we received our TA three months after LID. But this spring the wait times have been increasing. So 4-6 months is a good estimate.

Question #2: Is it really recommended to have your referral file reviewed by an adoption clinic? If you have a great pediatrician, is it okay to have them look at the child’s file?

If you have a pediatrician that you trust, it is absolutely okay to have them look at the child’s file. Not everyone has their referral reviewed by an adoption clinic. We never had any of our files reviewed in this manner. Not only is it a considerable expense for our family, but we didn’t feel it was necessary. We have a great family doctor (who is also a close friend) who assisted us in reviewing our files. Our family doctor has a son with the same special need that we were adopting, so we felt he was the best choice to help us review our little guy’s file.

However, there can be great benefit in using an adoption clinic, or a clinic that specializes in the child’s need. The needs we were looking at weren’t severe or life threatening and were pretty clear cut….for a family adopting a heart baby or a child with spinal issues, it may be more critical to have the opinion of a professional skilled in international adoption. Also, obtaining the opinion of a doctor who has experience in international adoption can be greatly beneficial in helping you know what to look for as well as interpreting the information in the file.

On the flip side, international adoption doctors have usually seen a LOT (including some very worst case scenarios) and can often end up painting a very bleak picture after reviewing your child’s referral.

If you do choose to have your child’s referral reviewed by an adoption clinic, you can apply for a grant from The Sparrow Fund to help you cover the expense of the medical review. This is a great assistance to families who wish to have this review of their child’s file.

At the end of the day, there is limited information that you as an adoptive parent will be given in the referral, and there is no guarantee that all of it is 100% accurate. You can only do your best with the information you have and the opinion of trusted doctors. But don’t feel guilty or bad if you choose not to use an adoption clinic. On the other hand, know that is a great option!

Website: www.china-adoption-online.com
Blog: www.courtneykrause.blogspot.com
Email: courtneyinaz@gmail.com