Adoption

Hi I just wanted to find out if you were able to adopt the child. I'm single and considering adopting a baby from my NICU but his mom hasn't made a final decision yet. The parents never told anyone that they were expecting a child and they still havn't told anyone that she had it so maybe there won't be any family stepping in.

I'm in Australia (as opposed to being American like the majority of people on this board!) however my mum works for our Department of Community Services (which basically deals with adoption, foster care, removing children from families, reintegrating them etcetc.) She's a solicitor, so she doesn't see to much of the "emotional" side (I can't imagine my mum as a social worker!) However she's attended several "raids" along with policeman and social workers where the children get removed from the home/family, run a lot of cases (court cases) against parents who want their children back and aren't fit to keep them, certified end-of-life plans for neonates born addicted to heroin or crack etcetc. Sometimes, the system really fails these kids (and their families) and sometimes, it saves them. It's almost luck of the draw.

I work in a long term care facility for children with severe mental and physical disabilities. We see a lot of "shaken babies" who are admitted in the care of the state. At the moment we have an eight month old with a foster family interested... I hope they love him.