Barry H. Friedman

How flexible and comfortable are you with traveling? If you are fearful of flying or can only be away for a short period of time, you should consider a domestic adoption. International adoption may include long flights, weeks away at a time and varying accommodations.

Just because a child has been put up for adoption, that doesn't the mother was unfit. Birth mothers come from all walks of life and the only thing that can be assumed about them is that they decided, for whatever reason, their child would be better off being raised by someone else.

You get the most medical and familial information through a domestic adoption and varying amounts (often starting when a child enters institutional care) through international adoption.

If you are a single woman, and interested in an international adoption, keep in mind that there are some countries that do not allow adoptions by unmarried women and will only allow married couples to adopt.

While going through the adoption journey, there will be lots of challenges along the way. It’s imperative that you and your partner are in agreement with the goal - you will need to lean on each other to get there.