From Adoptive Families magazine, the country’s leading resource on adoption, this warm, authoritative book is full of practical, realistic advice from leading attorneys, doctors, social workers, and psychologists, as well as honest, intimate stories from real parents and children. You Can Adopt answers every question–even the ones you’re afraid to ask: • When should I shift from fertility treatment to adoption? • How do I talk to my spouse about adoption? • Can we find a healthy baby? • Do I need an attorney? An adoption agency? • Can the birth mother take the baby back? • How much will this really cost? How long will it take? • Aren’t all adopted children unhappy? • Can I love a child who “isn’t mine”? • How can I ease the rest of my family into this decision? Complete with checklists and worksheets, You Can Adopt will help make your dreams of family come true.

Many families want to adopt, but do not have the large amount of money it takes to complete a private domestic or international adoption. Some quickly give up the idea of adopting and are left feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Those who choose to proceed often take out large loans or borrow from family and friends which adds to the financial pressure on the family. Author Julie Gumm shares proven strategies from her own experience as well as from others that include applying for grants, creative budgeting, and fundraising that prospective adoptive parents can use to prepare for and avoid those high costs associated with adoption.

One in seven couples struggle with infertility. Other parents long to add another child to their family who needs a home. Whatever the reason, many couples who decide to pursue adoption do not realize the often unnerving, stressful, emotional ride it can be. Deciding to adopt means moving into uncharted territory. There are many emotional highs and lows, as well as psychological, mental and spiritual ramifications. The authors prepare prospective adoptive parents for the adoption process, from helping them examine their motives for adopting to making practical decisions about the type of adoption to pursue. They also explore the adoption process from the viewpoints of the prospective adoptive parents, the birth parents, the adoptee, attorneys and adoption agencies. This book is an indispensable resource for anyone considering adoption.

Originally published in 1993, this classic piece of literature on adoption has revolutionised the way people think about adopted children. Nancy Verrier examines the life-long consequences of the 'primal wound' - the wound that is caused when a child is separated from its mother - for adopted people. Her argument is supported by thorough research in pre- and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding and the effects of loss.

Big Bird tries hard to be helpful when a new baby arrives on Sesame Street.

Over 150,000 people adopt children each year, and more than 2 million parents are now raising adopted children and grandchildren. While the path to parenting through adoption is rich with rewards and fulfillment, it's not without its bumps. This compassionate, illuminating, and ultimately uplifting book is the first to openly recognize the very normal feelings of stress that adoptive families encounter as they cope with the challenges and expectations of their new families. Where do parents turn when the waited-for bonding with their adopted child is slow to form? When they find themselves grieving over the birth child they couldn't have? When the child they so eagerly welcomed into their home arrives with major, unexpected needs? Until now, adoptive parents have had to struggle silently with their feelings, which can range from flutters of anxiety to unbearable sadness. At last, Karen J. Foli, a registered nurse, and her husband, John R. Thompson, a psychiatrist, lift the curtain of secrecy from "Post Adoption Depression Syndrome" (PADS). Drawing on their own experience as adoptive parents as well as interviews with dozens of adoptive families and experts in the field, the couple offers parents the understanding, support, and concrete solutions they need to overcome post-adoption blues-and open their hearts to the joy adoption can bring.

"Birthdays may be difficult for me." "I want you to take the initiative in opening conversations about my birth family." "When I act out my fears in obnoxious ways, please hang in there with me." "I am afraid you will abandon me." The voices of adopted children are poignant, questioning. And they tell a familiar story of loss, fear, and hope. This extraordinary book, written by a woman who was adopted herself, gives voice to children's unspoken concerns, and shows adoptive parents how to free their kids from feelings of fear, abandonment, and shame. With warmth and candor, Sherrie Eldridge reveals the twenty complex emotional issues you must understand to nurture the child you love--that he must grieve his loss now if he is to receive love fully in the future--that she needs honest information about her birth family no matter how painful the details may be--and that although he may choose to search for his birth family, he will always rely on you to be his parents. Filled with powerful insights from children, parents, and experts in the field, plus practical strategies and case histories that will ring true for every adoptive family, Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew is an invaluable guide to the complex emotions that take up residence within the heart of the adopted child--and within the adoptive home.

A child is coming – whether you approve or not it's time to get with the program! If someone you care about – a family member, co-worker, or close friend – has recently announced that their family will be growing through adoption, you may have questions. After all, unless you have personally experienced adoption, you may know very little about how adoption works and what it means. Are you worried that your loved one may face disappointment? Do you find yourself wondering exactly what your role is going to be in the child's life? Does the term "open adoption" confuse and concern you? Just what are the privacy boundaries for families built by adoption: what is it okay to ask about? Adoption Is a Family Affair! will answer all of these questions and more, offering you information about who can adopt, why people consider adopting, how kids understand adoption as they grow up, and more. This short book is crammed full of the 'need to know' information for friends and families that will help to encourage informed, happy and healthy family relationships.

Tell me again about the night I was born . . Tell me again how you would adopt me and be my parents... Tell me again about the first time you held me in your arms . . In asking her mother and father to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl shows that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart. Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell come together once again to create a unique celebration of the love and joy a baby brings into the world. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a heartwarming story, not only of how one child is born but of how a family is born.

You hear all sorts of things said or implied about adoption. Some information comes from people who know a lot about it, while some comes from people who don’t know anything about it but make assumptions anyway. Some comes from people whose experiences have been good; some from those whose experiences have been bad. The result? Enough conflicting information to make your head spin. So when everyone has an opinion and most of the books on the market deal with specific aspects on adoption or particular types of adoptions, where do you turn to for reliable information? Start with Adoption For Dummies. The great thing about this guide is that you decide where to start and what to read. It’s a reference you can jump into and out of at will. Just head to the table of contents or the index to find the information you want. Each part of Adoption For Dummies covers a particular aspect of adoption, including: Answering the basic adoption questions – How much does it cost? Who’s involved? How long does it take? What do I need to know that I don’t know to ask? And more. Getting started – and figuring out what steps you have to take. Dealing with birthmothers and birthfathers – and why, even though they may not be part of your life, they’re still important to you. Confronting the issues adoptive families face – issues from sharing the adoption story with your child, to answering your child's questions about his birthparents, to handling rude family members who treat your child differently than her cousins. Finding help – from books, resources, and support groups. No adoption book – at least no adoption book that you can carry around without a hydraulic lift – can tell you everything there is to know about adoption. What Adoption For Dummies tells you is what you need to know, all in an easy-to-use reference.