How is the Health of your Guatemalan Child

In general, I would expect internationally adopted children to have more health issues than the general population. The birthparents of these children may well have poor nutrition, which can affect their offspring's development -- everything from weak bones to fragile teeth. They may also have a very hard and stressful life, which can affect the development of a fetus. In many cases, they may be young, unmarried, and stigmatized in their culture. The birthmothers often have little or no prenatal care -- no vitamins, no checkups, no reminders to avoid drinking and smoking, etc. These women may have home births with a relatively unskilled midwife in attendance. If the children spend time with their birthmothers after delivery, they may not have breast milk that is sufficiently high in nutrients because of birthparents' nutritional status. Conditions in the home may be inadequate and conducive to allergies and other problems. Lack of education may contribute to inadequate parenting. Lack of money may contribute to lack of immunizations, lack of medical and dental care, etc. If a child is in an orphanage or foster home, there may also be a lack of resources, and children will not be breast fed, which can confer immunities.and such. They may never have their emerging teeth wiped or brushed. They may be given little stimulation and nurturing. And so on.All in all, what is amazing is how WELL most of the children do. My daughter was one of China's abandoned baby girls, and is now a confident, extremely bright, mature 19 year old with many skills.I am, unfortunately, surprised by how little some prospective parents are told about the possible health risks in international adoption. Adopting an infant internationally is often very different from giving birth to a child, in terms of the health issues that will arise.Sharon

In general, I would expect internationally adopted children to have more health issues than the general population. The birthparents of these children may well have poor nutrition, which can affect their offspring's development -- everything from weak bones to fragile teeth. They may also have a very hard and stressful life, which can affect the development of a fetus. In many cases, they may be young, unmarried, and stigmatized in their culture. The birthmothers often have little or no prenatal care -- no vitamins, no checkups, no reminders to avoid drinking and smoking, etc. These women may have home births with a relatively unskilled midwife in attendance. If the children spend time with their birthmothers after delivery, they may not have breast milk that is sufficiently high in nutrients because of birthparents' nutritional status. Conditions in the home may be inadequate and conducive to allergies and other problems. Lack of education may contribute to inadequate parenting. Lack of money may contribute to lack of immunizations, lack of medical and dental care, etc. If a child is in an orphanage or foster home, there may also be a lack of resources, and children will not be breast fed, which can confer immunities.and such. They may never have their emerging teeth wiped or brushed. They may be given little stimulation and nurturing. And so on. All in all, what is amazing is how WELL most of the children do. My daughter was one of China's abandoned baby girls, and is now a confident, extremely bright, mature 19 year old with many skills. I am, unfortunately, surprised by how little some prospective parents are told about the possible health risks in international adoption. Adopting an infant internationally is often very different from giving birth to a child, in terms of the health issues that will arise. Sharon

Well, my soon to be 9 Guatemalan DS has not had a lot of health issues. He did have some asthma when he was little but has outgrown that. However, he struggles with stuttering. He came home at 5 1/2 months and started stuttering around 2 1/2. Then it came back with a vengeance when he was 3 1/2 and here we are years later still doing speech therapy. I hope things get better for your 12 year old. That is a lot to handle.