The coronavirus has changed so many long-awaited plans for millions all over the world. And for couples eagerly awaiting parenthood this year — whether by IVF, adoption, or surrogacy — the consequences can be heartbreaking. That's certainly the case for dozens of new parents whose babies were recently born via surrogate in the Ukraine. According to Reuters, 51 babies born during the lockdown have been left virtually stranded, as worldwide travel restrictions prevent their parents from bringing them home.
The babies are "lying in rows of cots" in a small hotel just outside of Kiev, the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, their heartbroken parents remain at home — some in the US, some in the UK, and others in countries throughout Europe.
After Ukraine blocked foreigners from entering the country in March, the parents have only been able to see their babies virtually, through photos and video calls with the clinic.
Rafa Aires was one of the lucky ones. The new father, who lives in Spain, was able to get into the country before the lockdown was imposed.
Once there, he met his beautiful daughter Marta, and hoped to return with her once all of the paperwork was signed. But he didn't arrive early enough — shortly after, the government imposed the ban, and now he's stuck in a foreign country without his wife.
"Every day I make video calls with my wife for one hour or an hour and a half for her to see the baby," he told Reuters. "It is very difficult."
Still, he insisted that the nurses and medical personnel at the hotel are "wonderful," and that the babies are being well cared for.
"They make my life easier," he shared.
So has the management at The Hotel Venice, which belongs to the clinic BioTexCom. In fact, the company recently released footage of the newborns to raise public awareness and hopefully urge the government to make some changes. (Currently, Ukraine is only allowing parents in if they receive a request from the embassy in the parent's home country — but movement on this has slowed.)
Ukraine has been called a "fountain of promise" for couples wishing to become parents through surrogacy.
For many whose hopes have been dashed, either through infertility, failed IVF attempts, and/or adoption, the country has offered a new path to parenthood — at an affordable price.
"Ukraine surrogacy has been a burgeoning market since the advent and placement of family favorable laws in the early 2000's," the Reader's Digest reported. "Creating jobs and pushing the envelope of innovation, the country has been able to approach the far-reaching crisis in novel and exciting ways. The industry itself brings much needed income into the country via tourism, but it’s the science that really turns heads."
Now, parents from all over the world travel there to make their baby dreams come true. And for surrogates, it's profitable, too. Reuters reported that a surrogate mother typically receives about $15,000 to $17,000 through BioTexCom.
So far, 16 babies have been brought home from the clinic since the lockdown, but far more are caught in a heartbreaking waiting game.
"The children are all provided with food, a sufficient number of employees look after them," Denis Herman, BioTexCom's lawyer, told Reuters, "but there is no substitute for parental care."
"It's heartbreaking to see how much parents miss their little ones," a narrator shares in the BioTexCom video, which was first released April 30.
For now, though, clinic nurses will continue to care for the babies at The Hotel Venice — a location that's usually meant for parents to stay when they come to pick up their babies.
"We try to send photos of children to the parents, we try to make conference calls, but this cannot replace communication in direct contact," Herman said.
