Hello! New to this area of the forums with a few questions...

[wellsk]

Hi there,
Wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions in this forum. As this area is quite alien to me.
I'm 22 and my DH is 29, been married 2 and a half years. We've been TTC for 11 cycles consecutively, although we have tried on and off prior to this with no luck and we have never had a BFP.
We have made an agreement that we will wait another 6 months before seeing a fertility specialist (although to be honest, it was DH's idea ) and then after another 6 months we would start the process towards adoption; for personal reasons, I do not want to go down the IVF route. It is something I in particular feel very strongly about and would like to do it, regardless of whether we can conceive our own children or not.

I do have a few initial question that I thought might be answered on here;
By the time we come to adopt, I should be 23 (DH 30) ; would my young age make it more different or mean that I would take less priority over older women?
I have spent a lot of time volunteering with young children (between 3-7 years old), I think I read somewhere that this will go in my favour?
My DH has epilepsy, although extremely well controlled, will this be an issue?
I probably wouldn't, but I was wondering too if anyone knew that if we wanted to adopt siblings, would my age and the fact we have no children also be an issue?

Oh! And does anyone know if they do any talks (in the West Midlands/ Warwickshire area? Or if there are any informative books that anyone could recommend?

Sorry that I have 101 questions! I know I am quite far off this, but I like being prepared and just want to know what to expect.

 

[angelandbump]

Hi wellsk, my aunty and uncle adopted my cousins around 7 years ago now so i have a little bit of knowledge but not much.

Regarding age, your age will not go against you. They set a age limit so can not discriminate against you.
your partners medical condition will be looked into to make sure as you said it's controlled etc and will pose no risk to the child.
Working with children will probably not speed up the process but will look good on your case file.
I hope this helps xx

 

[wellsk]

Thank you! I know the set age for my local council is 21, so I know I'm definitely old enough for there limit. However I just wondered if I took less preferencial treatment if that makes sense? Because I think I read somewhere that they I would have to justify myself more that I had enough experience to be suitable?

 

[Loski83]

Hi wellsk there is a lot of younger children coming into the system so they are wanting younger adopters so that is good for you. They will check your husbands epilepsy is under control and you will both have to pass medicals. Having experience with children is an advantage and could help with the time of your process as you may not need to go on extra parenting courses, I am a childminder and my job helped us a lot through the process. The amount of children you can adopt goes of what your sw thinks you can cope with regardless of age. There should be agencies in your area that you can contact about open evenings and information days. Hope this helps xx

 

[ispeakinsongs]

Hello, I agree with the others, I am a Social Worker placing children for adoption and if any age is difficult it is when adopters are too old (eg both in their 50s), but you are definitely not too young Your husband's epilepsy also should not be an issue.
And yes the fact that you worked with children is good, if you wouldnt have any experience with children the social worker would probably advise you to volunteer in a school or club to get some experience. Good luck xx