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Adoptive parent medicine chest or what medicines to bring with you on your adoption trip, in case your child gets sick.
As with the other aspects of an adoption, there is a great deal of controversy around the question of what medications to bring with you on your trip. There are elaborate packages of antibiotics and other prescription medications that are marketed to adoptive families. The major question is what to treat? with what to treat? and actually – to treat or not to treat at all?
Availability and Reliability of Records - Part 2 - The Legal Grounds
“I am writing to you because I had heard that you mentioned on a list-serv that certain medical documents are available to adopting families per Russian law. We have been home for one month. Many families I know claim to have received extra information at court; we did not. I am wondering: Is it still possible to obtain some of our daughter's records?
Availability and Reliability of Records in Russian Orphanages - Part 1
During the process of adoption from the Former Soviet Unions (FSU), families are forced to ascertain the health and developmental status of their potential child based on medical reports provided by orphanages, evaluation by the in-country medical professionals (when available), and on the family’s personal experience during the visit(s) with the child in the orphanage. Proper use of the documents, typically present in any orphanage file, can make the process of adoption more informed and somewhat less stressful. Besides the medical and educational value of such documents, there is a potential present and future sentimental value of this paperwork to the adoptive family and adopted child.
Ear Infections and Hearing Loss in Post-Institutionalized (PI) Children
Ear and sinus infections are the most common problems seen in the post-adoption period. These conditions are usually under-diagnosed and under-treated. Complications of ear infections are numerous and can severely affect the adopted child and the whole adoptive family.
Early Toilet Training. Part 1, Toilet Training the Grandmother Style
My 20 mo old son is reportedly toilet trained. Is it possible? Should I put him diapers or underwear? I heard a lot about children being traumatized during toilet training in orphanage. How can I help my child to overcome this trauma?
In order to understand what to do with the newly adopted child, who was partially trained or abused during the toilet training process, we first have to determine what exactly is early toilet training and what is the difference in perception of toilet training in Russia and in the United States.
Feeding problems in a newly adopted child - a case of a picky eater
“Our 12 month old daughter…is the happiest little baby we've ever met. ..However, she will hardly eat anything at all. The orphanage told us she was a picky eater, but boy is that an understatement. …We were expecting a child who wouldn't stop eating. Never dreamed we'd be in this situation!”
Medical Insurance and the Adopted Child
Medical insurance questions are equally painful both for families and for medical providers.
Persistent Diarrhea in Post-Institutionalized (PI) Children
Persistent diarrhea is extremely common in PI children and can be caused by many factors. Very often several factors are present at the same time. Frequently persistent diarrhea is just an uncomfortable condition, but sometimes it can be a sign of a serious health problem. In most of the cases, it is a combination of different factors, which is determining the necessity and urgency of actions. Children with persistent diarrhea are more prone to have gastro-intestinal tract complications during or after any stressful situations (emotional, infectious and so on)
Post-adoption Vaccinations
"We returned with our daughter in late July and our pediatrician has told us to get all her immunization and shots redone because he doesn't trust the Russian records. I guess it's the safe thing to do, although that means 2 needles for the next month for five months. Has anyone else encountered this?"
Pre-adoption Vaccinations
The following vaccinations are strongly recommended for any person traveling to developing or Eastern European countries, including the Republics of the Former Soviet Union. Family members who do not travel to the above-mentioned countries may still need the same vaccinations because of the potential risk of the newly adopted children transmitting diseases to their families.
Scabies in internationally adopted children
“I have heard that my son’s orphanage has a problem with scabies and that he is more than likely going to have them.
What is the best way to be proactive about this? Should we treat him and us as soon as we meet (if he has them)? We may be traveling with our older daughter (4.5yrs) so we are worried that she would catch them.”
” My daughter came home from Russia last month with them, and after a delay in diagnosis I did the Nix treatment with her. It seemed to work well and the sores disappeared, but now it's two weeks later and new ones are appearing. A friend told me she'd heard there was a different strain of scabies in Europe that our usual medications might not treat."
What are the ramifications of Tuberculosis in Developing Countries?
I will try to clarify here mysteries regarding tuberculosis in general, its testing and treatment with the help of the so called RED BOOK 2003, the report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases (American Academy of Pediatrics, 26th edition) and the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) by the CDC, published on 02.08.2002
What should I do about water while adopting overseas?
The water supply in the former Soviet Union can be sometimes or even constantly contaminated with viruses, bacteria and/or intestinal parasites. Those travelers, who have a weakened immunity, under a lot stress or with chronic health conditions, are at higher risk of getting infected. So how can we survive on the road in a developing country without reliable water supply?
What will my child need if his/her pre-adoptive medical report has a diagnosis of "rickets"?
As many other diagnoses found in medical documents of children adopted from the former Soviet Union, rickets is both extremey common and extremely over-diagnosed.
“Safe Arrival” - Car seat safety for internationally adopted children
The issue of car safety can be confusing even in the case of a child, who is developing within usual parameters. Infants and children, who were recently adopted, do present additional challenges because of failure to thrive, developmental delays and sensory issues, to name a few. Children are not used to car rides to begin with and being restrained is making the things even worse. The use of the car safety restraints in this situation has to be adjusted based on each child’s chronological and developmental age, growth parameters and other variables.
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