Wednesday 14 September 2022 11:23 AM US couple make 'terrifying' journey through war-torn Ukraine to meet their ... trends now
An American couple traveled through war-torn Ukraine to meet their surrogate and bring their baby home after going through six rounds of IVF and four miscarriages.
Audrey Quinones, 35, and her husband, George, 34, were desperate to become parents and began trying to conceive soon after getting married, in 2017.
However, after struggling to fall pregnant naturally as well as four unsuccessful years of fertility treatments, Audrey and George, from Atlanta, decided to go down the route of surrogacy.
Yet due to the high costs in the US, they decided to begin their surrogacy journey in Ukraine.
When news of the war broke, it meant the couple were going to have to cross into a warzone to be present for their son's birth before bringing him home with them to the US.
Audrey Quinones, 35, (left) and her husband, George, 34, (right) were desperate to become parents and began trying to conceive soon after getting married in 2017. The couple traveled through war-torn Ukraine to meet their Ukrainian surrogate and welcome their baby home (center)
Ukrainian surrogate Kate, pictured, was heavily pregnant when the war broke out. Audrey was terrified for Kate's safety as she lived in the middle of Ukraine, and despite trying to convince her to move as close to the border as possible, she waned to stay with her family in her hometown
Audrey and George are now the proud parents of Matteo Makai, pictured, who was born on 17 July in Ukraine
Audrey, an engineer, said: 'We'd both always dreamed of growing our own family, so we were devastated when we faced these challenges to fall pregnant.
'We suffered four miscarriages while trying to fall pregnant. We tried IUIs and IVF, but they were all unsuccessful.
'I gained 60lbs over the four years of fertility treatment and ended up having a gastric sleeve to help me lose weight, which meant I couldn't pursue pregnancy again for a year.
'I was also diagnosed with many reproductive issues, such endometriosis, PCOS, and reproductive immunology challenges, such as high natural killer cells and extreme high levels of inflammation in the body.
'All of this made a natural conception and carrying to term a slim possibility.
'We then decided to look into surrogacy. One of my friend's volunteered but medical, legal, and compensation costs were too high, so we looked into surrogacy abroad.
'In December 2020, we decided on Ukraine as we loved the idea of traveling the program there, so began our journey.'
It wasn't an easy ride for the couple who were on their fifth surrogate by the time a positive pregnancy test was read, due to embryos failing and not taking.
Audrey continued: 'By the time we met Kate, our surrogate for our son, I was heartbroken.
'Yet when we got the call saying she had a positive pregnancy test, I couldn't believe it. I was scared to get my hopes up too much.
'Everything was going great until 24 February when we heard the news Russia had invaded Ukraine.
Audrey decided to cross into Ukraine when she was 37 weeks so she could spent time with Kate and be there for the birth of her son. 'When I first met Kate, it was like going on a first date because we'd talked so much over text message but never in person,' she said
