International Adoption: Ask the Right Questions About Child's Health

Dr. Manny of the Fox News organization has tips for couples who may be considering adopting internationally. As a couple who adopted internationally, we were blessed to have Catholic Charities in our corner, as well as the Catholic sisters overseas. Not everyone is blessed this way so it is a good idea to be as educated as possible.

There’s been a growing allure surrounding international adoption ever since the likes of Angelina Jolie, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, and Tom Cruise and ex-wife Nicole Kidman took the plunge.

While it’s certainly an exciting event to bring home a baby under any circumstances, bringing home a child orphaned in a foreign country has a special euphoria attached to it because you know that child will be getting many advantages he or she would have otherwise gone without.

While you should certainly enjoy the emotional high, be careful not to let it cloud your common sense. Adopting a child from a foreign country brings with it a number of health issues that you must be prepared to deal with.

Start ensuring good health for your newly adopted child by learning as much as possible about the child's health history before the adoption. Some questions you should ask:

--Is the child's birthdate known? Birth height and weight?

--Has the child had any illnesses, and if so how were they treated?

--Has the child ever taken any medications?

--Does the child have any known allergies?

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