To give your new adopted child the very best, it's important to obtain as much personal medical history as possible so that his doctor can provide him with care that's geared to his particular background and genetics. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to piece together a full medical history for an adopted child. This is particularly true if your child was adopted from another country.
Where to Begin
What type of medical history is important to obtain for an adopted child? Ideally, you'll want as much data as possible. Information regarding your adopted child's early care, past medical problems, vaccinations, surgeries and medications are important to allow ongoing care of any preexisting medical problems. Knowledge of drug and food allergies is also critical, since exposing your child to a substance she is allergic to could have serious consequences.
You also want to obtain as much information as possible about your adopted child's birth and delivery, including gestational age, health status at the time of delivery and weight and measurements at the time of birth. If your child was born premature or had a difficult labor and delivery, this could increase the risk of future medical problems or a learning disability. If your child is older, you'll want to obtain any medical records documenting his development up until the time of adoption to be sure your child has successfully met developmental milestones.
Knowledge of the medical history of your adopted child's parents and grandparents is important to determine any genetic susceptibilities to particular diseases. It's critical to be aware of any psychosocial problems, particularly substance abuse problems, experienced by the mother that could have affected your adopted child during her pregnancy and delivery. These situations are not uncommon in cases involving adoptions of children from other countries.
Lastly, it's important to obtain as much psychosocial medical history as possible. Who did your child live with up until the time of adoption? Was your child transferred from home to home? If you adopted your child from another country, did she reside in an orphanage? Is there any history of neglect? These factors can significantly impact your child's development and her ability to adapt to a new environment. Children adopted from some countries may have experienced a relative lack of medical care and can even harbor infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis. Plus, they may have been subjected to malnutrition and mental or physical abuse, which may have a bearing on their future physical and mental well-being. By being aware of these circumstances early on, you can ensure that your child is monitored more closely for signs of mental or physical illness.
Tips for Foreign Adoptions
If your child was adopted from a foreign country, getting relevant medical history can be a challenge. If he was adopted through an adoption agency or from an orphanage, the agency should be willing to supply you with as much medical history as they have available, which may be limited in some cases. In these situations, it's best to gather as much medical history from the appropriate agencies as possible and have your adopted child evaluated in a timely manner by a physician who is knowledgeable about the medical problems common in internationally adopted children. Although it may be a challenge to locate such a physician, the extra effort will be worth it.
One option to ensure that your adopted child gets the best medical care is to work with a physician at an international adoption clinic. They can perform a complete analysis of your child's physical and developmental status and help to decipher the medical history and records that are available. They benefit from having inside knowledge on how the health care systems work in foreign countries. Once you return home, these physicians can communicate with your child's local primary care physician to ensure that he is getting appropriate care based on his designated needs. International adoption clinics exist in various parts of the country and can usually be found by doing a Web search.
Although the challenges of getting a medical history on an adopted child can be great, doing so can help to ensure that your child is healthy from a physical as well as a psychological standpoint.
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