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Monday, 06 July 2020 07:02

A California Couple's Surrogacy Journey: Personal Insights

A Californian couple that has been trying to have a baby for an agonizing 17 years is going to have to wait a little while longer due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But thanks to a surrogate in Ukraine, they have what they've waited so long for.

Yuvaraj and Sarvicka Nagendram, 56 and 49, respectively, called their new baby "the gift of a lifetime," but the journey to adoption was a long one that's still not over.

The couple, from San Leandro, just south of Oakland, learned in early May they finally had a son from a surrogate mother in Ukraine. But travel restrictions have prevented them from uniting with the long-awaited baby.

Yuvaraj and Sarvicka got married in 2007 in Canada. Yuvaraj is a U.S. national and a software developer. Four years ago Sarvicka, who was diagnosed with uterus fibroids, learned she couldn't give birth to a child for themselves.

"We went through a lot of treatment, but weren't successful," Yuvaraj recalled. "I saw an article on the BBC News about surrogacy. There was a lot of clinics that provide surrogacy. I looked through a lot of agencies."

In June 2018, the couple found an agent in Ukraine, who took them to the surrogacy motherhood center BioTexCom in Kyiv.

"He responded quickly, he was very responsive on my questions and everything. So I decided to go to Ukraine," Yuvaraj said. "When we met I liked him, he's a very good person. And at the clinic they were very nice to us."

But the much-wanted baby still didn't come easy. Yuvaraj and Sarvicka gave their biological material, but it took three cycles to make the impregnation successful.

"Then we had to wait until the birth. Time was moving so slow. We felt terrible," the couple said.

Finally, on May 5, the agent called to say that the baby boy had arrived.

"We were so happy. When we saw the pictures, my wife cried and I sat very quietly," Yuvaraj said. "At the same time, we were confused. We wanted to celebrate, but due to lockdown we were worried when we will be able to see him."

They still don't know the exact time of birth.

"Since then, we couldn't sleep, we couldn't eat," Yuvaraj confessed.

Then, he and Sarvicka had to figure out how to take their beloved baby from a country that is under lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ukraine, which has had more than 17,000 cases of COVID-19, has banned all international flights.

They weren't the only couple that faced such an obstacle.

As of April 30, 46 babies born with the help of BioTexCom specialists were waiting for their foreign parents at a Kyiv hotel, called Venice. In a video published by the company on its YouTube channel, all the newborns are seen in one room. A woman, who presented herself as a hotel administrator, said they are being taken care of 24 hours a day.

"All children are gaining weight steadily," said pediatrician Tatiana Lisovskaya. "We've chosen formula and its dosage individually for every baby."

"We show babies to their parents online and our managers arrange video calls," the nurse says in the video. "It's heartbreaking to see how parents miss their little ones."

But Yuvaraj and Sarvicka haven't had a single video call with their child since he was born.

Yuvaraj tried to book a ticket on different flights to Ukraine, but the airlines demanded permissions from the Ukrainian government. He addressed the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, but officials required an itinerary and a flight booked to facilitate the journey. Eventually, Yuvaraj booked a flight to Minsk, Belarus, for May 16, while still waiting for permission from Ukrainian authorities to enter.

Meanwhile, the video with the crying newborns sparked outrage in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights, Lyudmyla Denisova, responded to the outrage, saying, "A law should be changed for the reproductive technologies to be provided to Ukrainian citizens only. In Ukraine, children shouldn't be a trade matter."

Current Ukrainian laws do not regulate surrogate motherhood entirely. The relative freedom has led Ukraine to be Europe's surrogacy capital.

"There's an article that said, 'If a baby is born by a surrogate mother, its biological parents are the ones considered to be parents,'" Sergii Antonov, a Ukrainian lawyer who specializes in legal advice on reproductive technologies, told ABC News. "We don't have discrimination by nationality -- foreign and Ukrainian citizens have the same rights."

There are around 50 clinics of reproductive medicine in the country, and around 40 of them arrange surrogacy -- providing medical consultations, legal advice, logistics and post-birth support. BioTexCom bills itself as one of the largest in the country and among the leaders in reproductive medicine in Europe.

Women between 18 and 38 years old can become partners -- donating eggs or as a surrogate mother. The center pays surrogates $15,000 for the first kid and $22,000 for two kids in addition to about $2,000 for food during the pregnancy.

BioTexCom charges more than $40,000 -- it has packages for 49,900 euros or 64,900 euros -- for a couple to have a baby from a surrogate mother in Ukraine, not counting travel and accommodation expenses. For Yuvaraj and Sarvicka, who went through three cycles, it cost much more.

"I spent around $150,000 to $200,000," Yuvaraj said. "Now I look back and think that maybe I could spend a bit more, but at least do it here in the U.S."

"To have a surrogate baby in Ukraine is much cheaper than in India, Thailand or the U.S., so many foreigners prefer to come here," Antonov said. "When surrogacy started to develop in Ukraine, foreigner were 15% of clients, now they are more than 85%. It drives the authority mad."

Antonov argued that the number of overseas clients doesn't mean foreigners should be banned from having surrogate babies in Ukraine.

"We have suggested a lot of law amendments to protect both children and surrogate mothers, but the authorities don't understand and linger," he said.

After the video went viral, Denisova said something should be done urgently to reunite the babies with their parents. On Friday, Yuvaraj and Sarvicka received a letter from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that he would be allowed to enter Ukraine to take their son.

"We are thinking of naming him Alan," Yuvaraj said. "I'm on my way to him and I feel like I conquered the world. We think people in the world are now giving more attention to death, not a lot to birth. We just thought it's our destiny."

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International

Learn more About International Surrogacy In Ukraine:

Delivering Dreams helps couples throughout the world struggling with infertility have children. Located in NJ and Kyiv and Lviv, Ukraine, our amazing medical facilities and professionals, surrogates and donors are in Ukraine, because Ukrainian law protects the rights of parents and their children from inception at affordable costs anad high success rates.

Unique to Delivering Dreams, we offer guaranteed not to exceed, all-inclusive pricing and contracts under US law to provide prospective parents legal and financial security.

You are not alone. We want to be your path to parenthood. Contact us to find out more about how much does surrogacy cost.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.Delivering-Dreams.com and www.international-surrogacy.com, 1.908.386.3864

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Testimonials

I am very satisfied with the medical services. Coordinator Lyubov was always in touch, answered any questions quickly and clearly, and helped in any difficult situations. The level of personal support and genuine concern for my health and well-being was 100 percent. I am very pleased that I am going through the surrogacy program with this agency. I feel protected and confident. I really like the attitude of the agency, timely payments, and the curator and manager make sure that pregnant girl...
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Olga T.
I am very pleased to meet such beautiful and kind people Hello everyone, I'm Myroslava and I'm going through my SM program at the Delivering Dreams agency. I want to express a big thank you to the girls who cooperate with me, who worry about my condition, who are always in touch, and who always support me - Omelchuk Lyubov and Anna Levchenko. I've already been to a program and therefore I have something to compare it with, this agency and the staff are at the highest level. And also the doct...
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Myroslava
Hallo Oksana,  vielen Dank für Deine ausführliche Erklärung. Wir haben alles gut verstanden. Das zeichnet due Arbeit von Euch und Eurem Ärzteteam aus. So kann man gut vertrauen. Hello Oksana, Thank you very much for your detailed explanation. We understood everything well. This is what distinguishes the work of you and your medical team. This is a good way to trust.
German couple
One of the best teams and my program! Hello! I want to share my experience and my impression of my program, one of the best programs, and the team from the Delivering Dreams Agency! Great attitude, attentive staff, responsible! Always in touch 24/7! Lyubov Omelchuk is a wonderful person, she was with me from the first minute of implantation until the end of the entire program! I am grateful that Lyubov was always with me! People of their word! Staff who never let you down! I highly recommend...
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Anna Priazhnikova
DD is outstanding We have just returned home to California with our beautiful daughter who was born in Lviv. The Delivering Dreams team made our trip so easy and straightforward. From our arrival to Ukraine to our departure, they had everything covered. The constant communication from the team is amazing. All of our paperwork for the embassy was properly prepared and organized. I cannot recommend them enough, we are even thinking about having another baby with DD!
Andrey Frenkel
Thank you very much Dear Oksana, Thank you very much for the great news. We still can't believe it and are totally speechless. The work you do under these difficult conditions cannot be put into words. Thank you very much for that. Liebe Oksana, vielen Dank für die super schöne Neuigkeit. Wir können es noch gar nicht glauben und sind total sprachlos. Was Ihr für eine Arbeit leistet, unter den schweren Bedingungen,  kann man nicht in Worte fassen. Vielen herzlichen Dank dafür.
Couple from Germany
Very friendly, pleasant team I am very grateful to the international surrogacy agency Delivering Dreams for such a short period of experience that dispelled all doubts and the remains of incomprehensible questions that were before and during this program, but I had a wonderful curator Lyuba who did not leave me for a second even on distances?❤️ This is how experienced, pleasant, kind woman you want to go to the program at least immediately after finishing the first one! Very friendly, pleasa...
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Angelina
Thank you for the wonderful experience and the opportunity to help future parents. I also want to thank Lyubov Omelchuk (Delivering Dreams) for her kindness and empathy, she was always in touch throughout the program, especially since the rehabilitation course is based on the supervision and advice of the curator. My worries about the procedure were in vain because everything went perfectly, thanks to the 24/7 support of the curator and qualified doctors Дякую за чудовий досвід, та змогу...
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Angelina
I recommend this agency. I was a surrogate mother in this agency, I really liked everything. The doctors treated me well and explained everything clearly. Curator Lyuba and Anya are always in touch and answer all questions, always supporting. I recommend this agency. Я була сур мама в цьому агентство, мені все дуже сподобалося лікарі гарно відносяться, розповідають все доступно. Куратор Люба і Аня завжди на зв'язку і відповідать на всі запитання, завжди підтримують. Рекомендую це агентство.
Yuliia
Thank you very much for worrying about me.  I really want to start the program at Delivery Dreams agency. The doctors here are extraordinary. Coordinator Lyubov is also extraordinary, always in touch and worries about me. After the hysteroscopy, Lyubochka is on the phone with me 24/7. Thank you very much for worrying about me. I hope that my program will start soon and I will present the baby to the biological parents. Thank you for being there!?? Я дуже хочу почати програму в агенстві De...
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Nastya

Under Ukrainian law, surrogacy is a legal affordable option for traditionally married couples to have children using their own embryos, or with either an egg or sperm donor. There must be a medical reason you can’t carry a child. You are also able to participate if you have had 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts.

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Under Ukrainian law, surrogacy is a legal affordable option for traditionally married couples to have children using their own embryos, or with either an egg or sperm donor. There must be a medical reason you can’t carry a child. You are also able to participate if you have had 4 unsuccessful IVF attempts.