Hudson Valley Parent

HVParent.com Q Hudson Valley Parent 13 just turned one. Meeting my sons for the first time is a feeling and memory I'll never forget! We spent two days with each of them. At the time, they were in separate baby homes because of their ages. On our fourth day, we signed the papers committing to adopt the boys and then flew back to Newburgh. More paperwork? After catching up on sleep and resting, we hit the ground running bright and early Monday morning with our second paper chase! Our second round of paperwork included more paperwork, stress and doctor visits. After completing the paperwork, we waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the call came at the end of August 2009. We had a few documents to update then we were ready for our second trip to Russia. Finally a family We boarded a plane at JFK on October 22, 2009 for Yekaterinburgh, Russia. We were reunited with Roman and Maxim on October 25, 2009. We visited them for five days before our court hearing. On October 31, 2009, we went to court and then we waited the ten day appeal period. On November 11, 2009, we walked into baby home number six in Yekate- rinburgh, Russia for the last time. When we walked out at 4:30pm, our dream of becoming parents came true. Roman and Maxim were finally legal members of our family. Making adjustments Once we arrived back home, there were many adjustments and ups and downs. I suffered from post adoption depression syndrome, similar to postpartum depression. For a few months my depression kept me in turmoil. Eventually I found the inner strength and resources to pull myself out of depression. Adopting is a lot like childbirth. It's been almost five years since we decided to adopt and began the paper chase of our lives. Some of those memories have dimmed as time has passed, but my husband and I know this was the path we were meant to take to become parents and a family. Making time Our adoption experience was great, but stressful, disappointing, frustrating and at times we wanted to give up. If you are able to have your own birth children no one questions if you'll make a good parent or even why you want to become a parent. If you go the adoption route to build your family, you have to lay out your personal life as an individual and as a couple for everyone to see which can be hard on your relationship. Don't forget to make time for yourselves and enjoy the time you have together before your children arrive. Do things together that are fun and relish your life as a couple. Christine Nadeau is the mother of two wonderful boys, Roman and Maxim. She lives in Newburgh. Before her trip to Russia, Nadeau was lucky enough to see this photo of her soon-to-be sons Maxim and Roman playing together. Photo provided Is stress keeping you infertile? Tips for keeping stress in check Extreme stress can interfere with normal ovulation in women and may reduce sperm production in men. Stress may lead to a problem with erections, which of course interferes with a couple's ability to conceive. However, while it's possible for stress to cause infertility, it's far more common for infertility to cause stress. For couples who aren't immediately successful in their efforts to conceive, stress-reduction techniques can help keep this anxiety in check. How to reduce stress Massage Therapy. If you're undergoing expensive infertility treatments, you may balk at the notion of spending money on anything that doesn't directly involve eggs and sperm, but give yourself permission to get an occasional massage. The relaxation will do your body good. Acupuncture. Acupuncture is used to treat a variety of maladies such as headaches and back pain. For fertility, the needles are placed in energy points linked to the reproductive organs to improve energy flow to those areas.

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