health issues of adoptees from Bulgaria

Amy, of the 5 children I know from Bulgaria, none have either. When other Bulgarian boards were more active, FAS and RAD were not topics that came up. My eldest daughter was mildly anxious attached, and I do know of a couple parents that started bottle feeding their 2 year olds. All of those children are fine now, with no issues. From what I can tell, it is just not as prevailant as it is in Russia. I do not know if there is a lot less alcohol use is the Roma community or what. Anyway, completely unscientific, but from what I have observed, it is far less than Russia. Kay

Dear Kay, I hope youre well. Thank you very much for getting back to me. I do appreciate it. As I think I have mentioned to you, my child is of a Roma birthmom. I, like almost all other prospective adoptive parents, was a nervous wreck about maternal drinking, and especially since we went to Russia. On our first trip to the orphanage, we got to speak to the orphanage doctor and social worker. That was when we learned that our child had Roma ancestry. It was also interesting to note(and a great relief) when the women told us that the Roma dont really drink. If they do, it is only for special occasions. I felt so much better and ready to move ahead on my adoption after that. To this day, my child is very bright and seems to have no cognitive impairments. So maybe there is something to it between the small sample size of the children that you have met from Bulgaria and from what we were informed from the gals at the orphanage. There is a lot of talk on the Russian boards on FAS and all but little about Roma adoptions in general. That is a very encouraging sign. I will try to let my husband know this. I would like to adopt once more and my husband says he's "Thinking about it." Thanks Kay and have a good weekend, Amy K, NJ

My son is from Bulgaria. Of Roma decent. His very bright. However, he has neuro problems due to neglect. ADHD, SPD, CAPD, ODD and Aspergers. All of the breaks down to lack of stimulation. No FASE/FAE. No RAD. He is loving, snuggly, huggy. But he seeks stimulation at all times, mostly by touch and movement. Can drive a person insane! Right this minute he is watching Tak, jumping up and down shaking a pom pom, now running with it after the cat!

Dear QS mom, Thanks for your feedback. I have to assume that happens, the longer children are in an orphanage setting, and a poor one at that with poor caregivers, the children do suffer. It is a lot for us to think about. We will make our final decision after the holidays as to if we move forward or not. Amy K, NJ.

Don't get me wrong. My son is great. He is beautiful. He's been asked to model. He is smart, reading at 4. He has some athletic ability - in soccer. Loves music and dance class. We have a great group here for blind and handicapped people - it's an ice skating program. He loves it and is a natural. This is his 2nd year, he's 7 and will probably be a volunteer helper soon, he's done so well. I wouldn't change a thing about him.

qs mom - what orphanage was your son from? My first daughter was in Varna, and my second in Sliven. Kay

Hi Amy, I noticed you had a previous adoption from Russia. We received a referral recently from Kemerovo region. We are supposed to be flyng out soon to go visit her, but I am so nervous I can't stand it and am thinking of backing out. What was your experience with your adoption in Russia. Are the regional planes as scary as I have heard? ie. duct tape on doors etc. leaking water etc. Any and all info is much appreciated.

My son is from Blagovegrad. He was healthy. He was tiny, but proportioned. His immunizations were up to date. But he wasn't taken out of his crib very often. That is my thinking. He has great upper body strength. In fact, his acro teacher is amazed. But his lower body is is very, very weak and uncoordinated. My guess is that it is from being left in his crib sitting and reaching for things. Using only his arms to pull himself up. I could be totally wrong on this point, but this is my belief.

Thank you all for responding to my post about Bulgaria adoption. I have mentioned my desire to adopt from Bulgaria to my spouse, and I am waiting and hoping that he has a change of heart over the holidays. Mamawantsagirl: Best of luck on your upcoming adoption. Take a deep breath. If I got through it you will also. We adopted from a region called Tver, which was about a 2.5 hr. drive NW of Moscow. So therefore we didnt have to take any domestic flights inside Russia. I would post online on the russia board to see if others have taken internal flights. I would guess it's not as bad as you think. If you want to email me you can Im at babyfatty@verizon.net Thanks again ladies for the Bulgaria information. It was a big help. Have a good Thanksgiving. Amy K, NJ