Tuesday 31 December 2013

From Australia :a beautiful baby girl


What a wonderful way to finish off the year, a wonderful family who we all had the privilege to all met  in Melbourne earlier this year...


“The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected”. (Swedish proverb)

When we wrote to you from India this time last year, we were readying ourselves for a largely unscripted year full of nervous expectation.  Now in hindsight we don't think anything could have prepared us for the rollercoaster twists and turns that 2013 threw at us.  What a ride!

Without doubt we reached the summit on 8 September at the Eden Hospital in New Delhi when our beautiful baby daughter, Indigo Gallagher-Craven, arrived on this planet.  We are incredibly grateful for the amazing courage of Nandani who grew Indigo and looked after her for 9 months; we will always be indebted.  And we must sincerely thank Dr Shivani at SCI for working her technological magic, and the generous support of her team.  Indigo certainly reminds us of the truly amazing times we are fortunate to live in.  We are indeed blessed to be able to welcome such a little treasure to our family.

So as 2013 comes to a close we want to thank you for your love, support and shared excitement on our journey to bring Indi into this crazy-fun world!

Wishing you all a very happy merry and hope your respective 2014s remind you at every corner of life’s unexpected and profound beauty.

Sean, Owen, Indigo + Eric x



We wish this family the choicest of blessings in the years to come.

If you wish to find out more about surrogacy, please email us at: drshivianisachdev@gmil.com

Thursday 26 December 2013

From Africa:our bundle of joy

From Africa, another family started with the help of SCI,



Mon épouse et moi donnons l'autorisation à Dr Shivani d'afficher la photo de notre bébé dénommé Théophile Kamulete. Rien n'empêche de témoigner notre profonde gratitude envers Dieu, Dr Shivani, Joseph Kasereka ainsi qu' envers toutes les infirmières de la clinique ISIS.
Nous annonçons notre retour en Inde le mois d'août 2014 pour une seconde fécondité.
Cordialement,

In English

My wife and I give them permission to Dr Shivani to display the photo of our baby named Theophile Kamulete.

Nothing prevents us to testify our deep gratitude to God, Dr Shivani, Joseph Kasereka and toward all the nurses in the clinic ISIS.


We are announcing our plan to return to India in the month of August 2014 for our second attempt,

 Cordially,

If you would like to find out more about surrogacy, please feel free to email us: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Tuesday 24 December 2013

SCI sends our best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a happy and miraculous  New Year.





      Our thoughts are especially with those families who are 
            celebrating their first holidays with their babies, 

Happy Holidays

Saturday 21 December 2013

Big Kid Update: From the U.S, reminding us dreams come true (Edward & Paul)

Another big kid update from the U.S


In 2009 Paul and I stepped into the world of Indian surrogacy as naïve, hopeful ‘intended-parents.’ We knew with certainty that we wanted to have children. However, we did not know how profoundly our world would change after we handed over the keys of our hopes and dream to Dr. Shivani.

Frankly, our naturally embedded cynicism tinted our view and demanded that we remained skeptical that this could really happen. Could it!?!?

Alas, in the middle of September 2010, our girls began their untimely, early debut. Slightly before 1:00 AM, my phone rang with a call from the other side of the planet. I was in a deep sleep but was jarred awake when I saw the caller ID said ‘Dr. Shivani.’ My heart skipped a beat. She simply said, ‘Congratulations Edward, you are a father!’ With those simple words, life was changed forever. I woke up Paul and we sat in a dazed stupor of surreal disbelief. We were unsure of what to do next. It was impossible to return to sleep in the quiet of the night. And yet there were 8,000 miles between us and our daughter. For the rest of that night, I sat in our freshly painted nursery staring at a grainy image of our perfect little girl….crying, smiling, and crying some more.

Eight days later, two more girls completed our trio and forever changed every moment of our lives since.

After an 18 hour plane ride, we arrived in Delhi in the middle of the night. Immediately, we took a taxi to the hospital and had the driver wait with our bags while we clumsily sprinted up the stairs in search of the nursery. I knocked on the door and tried to explain to the night nurses - who did not speak my language - that I was here. WE WERE HERE!!! We took off our shoes and walked in. That was the exact moment….the beginning of the most extraordinary phase of our life.


We were parents to 3 glorious girls!


It has been three celebrated, exhausting, momentous, and hilarious years since. Our girls continue to surprise us with burgeoning personalities filled with talkative curiosity, sobering competitiveness, and an unquenchable quest for having fun.

There is not a singular day that goes by that we forget to take a moment and acknowledge the journey that our surrogate mothers made possible. Additionally, we remain in eternal gratitude to Dr. Shivani and her team for delivering our dreams safely into our arms. We are forever connected to these women as well as to India.

In reality, there is no way to adequately express our appreciation with the hollowness of mere words. Our girls have made every color brighter….every day more special…and every new memory sweeter.

Merry Christmas from all of us….

Dreams DO come true!  Believe! 


If you have a dream that we can assist you with, please email us at: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Thursday 19 December 2013

Big Kid Update : From Israel - Ilan's beautiful family

Ilan is a writer, activist,teacher,film maker, poet and most importantly a single Dad; he is my friend. We bonded over eloquent emails sharing thoughts on surrogacy, father hood and parenting.

We are all very pleased to be able to share this thoughtful reflections on his journey to parenthood; on being a single parent and of course see more photos of his beautiful boys.



Recollection of previous life by Ilan Sheinfeld

When I have decided to start surrogacy in India, in July 2011, I have invited my father to my favourite coffee shop at midtown Tel Aviv. We sat outside, so that I would be able to smoke. I had my regular coffee and cigarette, he had his.
"Are you sure you are capable of this?" my father asked me, "Are you should you have parental capability?"
"Oh yes," I have answered without hesitation, "I have talked to friends who have done it, read a lot, and I also feel that if I will not become a parent there is and will be no purpose to my life."
"If that is your final decision, I will help you as much as I can as long as I am here," my 78 years old father replied.

Only after the boys were born, I have discovered that my humble father, who is the ex-president of the juvenile court of Israel, is the one who actually paned this term, "parental capability," which became a professional term and criteria to assess the capability of parents in ruined families to take care of their children.

I had another family conversation to do before going to India. It was with my brother Yair and his wife Michal. Knowing that my health is not well – I had a heart catheterization when I was 45, and my gastrologist discovered the beginning of a Barrett syndrome in my esophagus, which might become malignant – I asked them that if anything will happen to me, they will raise my children. Not only that they have confirmed this, my sister in law said that she will come with me to India, in due day, to teach my how to take care of my babies and to help me in the first few days after their birth.

But when I came back home my ex-boyfriend frowned. "If you will go to India to have surrogacy I will leave you," he said. "I already told you, that I do not want to be a father, and that I will not stand against you, if you will find a woman or two to do it with, but I do not agree to surrogacy because I don't want a child in our house."

For a year I have tried to find someone to have a child with. I met several women, and a lesbian couple. It did not work out. It was then that my shrink told me, that all my life I wanted children, and that if I will not do it now (I was 51 years old than) I will not do it at all.

"I also do not want to see you fall," my boyfriend added, as if he did not know that for a year I have tried to find a woman to do it with, in vein. "You will ruin your career as a writer, a novelist, you will fall into a financial disaster and you will devastate our relationships as well."

But I had no other choice. I was 51, after two medical procedures that frightened me, I lived with 3 boyfriends one after the other and none of them wanted a child when we lived together. They were younger than me. During the years, Adi became a father of 4 children through surrogacy in the US, and so is David. I could not wait until B will also understand that he should become a parent, too.

I had no money, no savings. I went to talk to Esophagus my banker. When she heard why I need the money she immediately said that for such a reason she will give me a loan with no guarantee.

I left Tel Aviv to New Delhi in 4th August 2011, to meet Dr. Shivani and my surrogate and to give sperm. Standing at the door of our house, suitcase in hand, I asked my boyfriend "aren’t you going to wish me at least success?"
He did not answer. "Goodbye than," I have said and left home.

We have separated the night before I got the positive results of my second transfer. The first failed and I lost 4 out of 12 embryos. This was terrible. I felt lost. Dr. Shivani was sensitive enough and urged me to choose another surrogate mother the same night she told me that the first attempt did not work. Now, the night before I should get the results of the second attempt, I saw that something is wrong with my boyfriend.
"What is wrong with you?" I have asked him, already in bed.
"I am very angry with you," he said.
"About what?"
"Do you really need me to explain?" he uttered.
I looked at him amazed.
"Do you mean the surrogacy? Are you still angry with me after all I went through, including my week alone in India and the loss I have experienced?" I asked, "if that is so, you must live home immediately. Because I will not be able to go through the coming 8-9 months with you here."
B left home 9 o'clock in the morning. At 11 o'clock Dr. Shivani called to tell me that I have pregnancy with Sima S.

*
I came to New Delhi two weeks before due day. I wanted to find a flat of a hotel for me, my sister in law and the babies, to prepare the proper equipment I will need, and not to rush to a plane in the same day of the delivery day. This was smart. I met Israelis and Indian guys who helped me a lot. And when my sister in law came, two days before the delivery day, I was already in a nice flat in GK2, with two baby beds, a water filter and warmer, and anything I could think of, to start my new phase in life as a parent.

Michael and Daniel were born in 12.4.12. At 12.12 and 12.13 o'clock. I got their names in a dream, few months earlier. I did not remember the dream, but I woke up with those two names. So I said to myself, ok, you are probably going to have two boys, and those will be their names.



When Dr.Shivani told me that I have tweens I asked her if she is sure. She asked why.
"Because it is three, not two babies there." I have answered.
She laughed. "You are in Israel, I am in India. I am the one who did the tests, and you are telling me that you have a trio. Why are you so sure about it?"
"Because I saw in in my Tarot cards few days ago," I have told her.
Few days later she phoned me amazed. What seemed to be a pregnancy of twins became a pregnancy of three babies.
Then she added that she is very sorry to tell me that, but that she must take one out. I urged her not to do so, but she explained to me that such a pregnancy is dangerous both for the surrogate mother and the babies and that she cannot allow this.

She did not know that because of the Tarot, I already had a name for a third boy, Matan, meaning 'a gift' in Hebrew.
What had to be done was done. I cannot tell you how bad I felt about this. But the same night I consulted an Israeli specialist of pregnancy. "From what you tell me I hear that you are in very good hands," he told me. "Dr.Shivani is right. It is very dangerous. I deal with children who are the results of such multiplied pregnancies. You do not want to know with what I have to deal."

After my sister in law left Delhi Omri, the son of my niece came to help me. As a young gay man he wanted to experience this time with me. And we had wonderful time together, although it was split into two hours shifts of feeding the boys. 

And then my 78 years old father came. When I opened the door for him, he dropped the suitcase at the door and asked only one thing, "were are the boys? I want to see the boys first." 

And he became totally in love with them from then on.
*

Its 1.8 years since their birth. When I look at myself and my life now, I cannot recognize myself. From a self-centered prolific writer of 18 published books (novels, poetry, books for children, for writers, scripts and plays) I became a full time parent,  a father-mother of two beautiful vibrant boys.

They make me crazy of course, running and jumping and climbing the sofa and tables and falling, painting on the walls, scratching all my DVD's and classical music cd's. They have recently ruined my portable pc by pouring a glass of water onto it; they make me 15 years old dog miserable, because they like o climb on her back and pull her tail, but they are the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. 









I am happy as I have never been, although I have not time to write my next novel now, my working time is reduced by 70% and I owe the banks 80,000 dollars that I do not know how and when I will pay it back

.

Nothing could not stop me of becoming a parent, and nothing will not stop me of being their dedicated father and mother. 
















And it is all Dr. Shivani's and staff to blame :)





I would encourage you to Google this wonderful writer; as always, we wish this family the choicest of blessings. If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at:  drshivanisachdev@gmail.com






Tuesday 17 December 2013

From the U.S: Gorgeous boys , look how we have grown!

Another family who have written to us, to tell us of their joy on returning home, this time to the U.S



Hello Dr Shivani

Doyel and Dylan are growing fast and are healthy. We have had no health issue for either baby of any kind. In the morning when we walk by the crib, we see only big smiles and little arms trying to reach ready to be picked up for some play and love.

They both giggle loudly when played with. Doyel laughs loud and out of control, Dylan has a rolling baby laugh that is so, so cute.They hold their toys with a strong grip as they learn to control those long little arms.

To have them is the best decision of our lives.

We are so lucky or blessed to have Dylan and Doyel complete our lives.

Thank you so much,

Henry and Edith


We wish Henry and Edith and the boys the choicest of blessings. If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Saturday 14 December 2013

From India: a much wanted and loved baby girl - welcome Nagina

A gentle reminder that SCI also helps many Indian families achieve their dreams  - may i introduce the beautiful Nagina


Baby Nagina at 4 months 



Greetings to Dr Shivani and all the team,

We are deeply grateful for our daughter born after many years of trying. I am 

referring my sister please help her too ,

A Grateful Family


If you would like to find out more about surrogacy, please email us at: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Thursday 12 December 2013

Tuesday 10 December 2013

This time a family from Spain wrote to us wanting to share an update of their gorgeous little girl...



Dr. Shivani,
Our daughter Olivia is almost seven months old and we feel blessed every single day. Her beautiful smile is a continuous reminder of how precious life is.
No words could express the love & joy this priceless gift gives to our lives. Thank you so much for jumping into heaven and bring us back a beautiful Indian angel.



We wish this family the choicest of blessings. If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at : drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Sunday 8 December 2013

From the U.S: Bon Voyage and safe travels home to the newest SCI Family

Another SCI family completed and safely on their way home...


Dr Shivani,
 
Tim and I want to convey our sincere appreciation for making our dream come true.  

We are truly enjoying the experience of being parents together and watching the changes in our babies.  












Every day we thank God for our precious 
Cyril and Madelyn and we know it would
not have been possible without you and your team. 
 
R and T












If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please contact us at: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Friday 6 December 2013

An update from Brazil in Portuguese...

An update in Portuguese!

Please read the original post here: http://drshivanisachdevgourdelhi.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/from-brazil-blessed-baby-boy.html

Começamos este depoimento, agradecendo a Deus, pelo presente que nos deu, através da Dra. Shivani.
Quando começamos a pensar na possibilidade de fazer barriga de aluguel na India, veio junto um montão de dúvidas e desconfianças, primeiro porque nós brasileiros somos desconfiados de tudo, e segundo, tínhamos  que fazer os pagamentos do tratamento, antecipadamente, antes mesmo de conhecer a clinica pessoalmente. Mas, decidimos arriscar, e tudo aconteceu tão perfeito que parecia irreal. Tudo aconteceu tão tranqüilamente e com tanta dedicação da equipe e da Dra. Shivani, que em nenhum momento nos sentimos inseguros. 
E quando o nosso Baby nasceu, tudo continuou na maior Paz e tranqüilidade, sempre com o apoio da equipe, que nunca nos desapontou e nem nos desamparou. Não passamos por nenhuma dificuldade, até começamos a gostar de Curry. Kkkkk
Só temos que agradecer a essas pessoas maravilhosas que fizeram do nosso sonho uma linda realidade. 
Obrigado Deus, obrigada Dra. Shivani, seu esposo, filho e equipe. Agora nos sentimos fazendo parte de uma verdadeira família, FAMÍLIA SCI. 
Agradeço também ao apoio de todos os amigos que lá estavam, na mesma epoca e situação que a nossa, foi uma verdadeira manifestação de amor e carinho, foi uma confraternização que jamais esqueceremos.  
Beijos carinhosos a todos e em especial para os nossos queridos amigos Brasileiros(Dror/Tania/Marcia) e Espanhóis(Jose Maria/Margarita) que encontramos e dividimos nossos anseios e alegrias e também ao querido Scott, que Graças a Deus conseguiu realizar seu sonho também. 
Amamos vocês. 
Marconi, Aparecida e João Pedro
Brasil
if you would like to find out more about surrogacy, please email us at: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Thursday 5 December 2013

Isn't it wonderful that so many families are coming forward to share their stories with us and you...



Greeting Rachna, Nabanita and Dr. Shivani ( and the rest of the SCI Team),

Henry and Angus are now nine months old.  They are beautiful and happy boys with smiles that will melt your heart. We are so incredibly happy that SCI allowed us to compete our family.  

Dr. Shivani, you and your staff were wonderful and were always available to answer our questions throughout our pregnancy and also during our exit process.  We are thankful each day that we decided to try surrogacy in India.

When I sent that first email it started us on a journey that would change our lives forever. 

Thank you Dr. Shivani and SCI for this incredible gift! 


If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at : drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Tuesday 3 December 2013

From the UK: A gorgeous baby girl and two delighted parents

From the UK, another happy family...



Our lives have been miraculously transformed with the arrival of our beautiful baby girl

I have attached some pictures of her. Words cannot describe the joy she brings to our lives every day and we wish to thank you so very much in helping us with this very special of journeys.

Best wishes and regards to you and your wonderful team at SCI/ Isis,

Two delighted parents




If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at : drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Sunday 1 December 2013

From the U.S.A : A gorgeous baby girl...

A beautiful baby girl for a beautiful family, all safely back home in Illinois, with their family and friends.


We have always had a dream of becoming parents but never knew what we could do to realize our dreams. Then last year we heard about SCI. I said to myself that this is just too good to be true as we had been let down by adoption agencies so many times before.In December 2012 I met with Dr Shivani, after meeting with I felt a sense of calm and confidence that our dream of parenthood was about to come true!!!

Fast forward to October this year when we got the much awaited call from Dr. Shivani that our precious little daughter had arrived. We adore and cherish her every moment. She is everything and then some that we ever dreamed of.

We are eternally grateful to Dr. Shivani and her wonderful team. Her judgement and experience is just priceless. Team at SCI kept us informed every step of the way and answered every question we had. Also, we are indebted to our most generous surrogate and her family. Without her help and generosity our daughter would not be a possibility. 

We will always keep her in our prayers.

Thank you all
Proud Parents



If you would like to find out more about surrogacy, please email us at: drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Thursday 28 November 2013

Big kids update ( USA) : Christmas Eve Boys and their sons Jag and Ajay who are three!

Many of us followed the story of the Christmas Eve boys, one of the families that i tend to think of as being a first generation families with SCI. 

We all celebrated the birth of their gorgeous sons, Ajay and Jag and often wondered how they were doing. For those of you who would like to look at the back story, here is the link to the Christmas Eve boys blog : christmaseveboys.blogspot.com

I would like to thank both Terry and Steve for kindly allowing us a glimpse of their family three years on. We are so very proud to be part of both Jag and Ajay's story.


Rarely a day passes without Steve and I speaking about how blessed we are to have these two guys in our lives.  All the hard work and emotion that it took to create their lives has now been eclipsed by the immense responsibility of properly raising them.  The boys turned three on September 11th and we have gone from asking ‘when will they start talking in complete sentences?’…to asking… ‘will they ever stop talking?!?!?!’  Two chatter-boxes…non-stop chatter!  People always say ‘they grow up so quickly’.  This is true, but we have committed ourselves to treasuring every single moment so that we do not ever ask ourselves where the time has gone
 

.

Our life revolves around the two of them.  Both are very physically active and given their short stature (both are approximately 36” (a bit over 91cm) tall at this point), they are enjoying gymnastics.  They love books and Spongebob Squarepants.  Their favorite movie is Mulan and I am fairly certain we have seen it more than 100 times at this point…never seems to grow tiresome for them!  Jag is reserved and can sit quietly and draw or color…Ajay cannot sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time.  They have very different personalities.  Steve is Dada and I am Daddy.  I am the disciplinarian and Steve is the pushover…a serious pushover.  When I say ‘no’ they run to Steve.  Oh well, you cannot win them all!



Because their birthday falls in early September, they will not begin pre-school until next year.  The age requirement to enter school is three years on or before Sept 1.  They missed that by 10 days.  So, they will start next year, a few days before their 4th birthday.  We’ve identified the school and are in the process of completing admissions applications.  There are 21 spots available in our ‘first choice’ school and we are hoping to secure two of them.  There are some contingency plans if they aren’t accepted but we are hopeful.  Everyone tells us they will be well served by being elders in their class…good for self esteem and for learning curve.

I miss our blog and I apologize for not properly ‘signing off’ but I felt as though the public story had evolved into their private lives.  Perhaps when they are reading and writing for themselves, they will choose to pick up the story and share their lives with the on-line surrogacy community, but that will be their choice, not mine.




We miss all of you very much and are incredibly thankful this holiday season for Dr Shivani who made our dreams a reality.  What she is doing for families like ours is something so profound that words are not enough.  We all send our love and blessings and wish you a prosperous 2014!

PS.  Steve and I are legally married…Dec 3, 2011…New York City

With Love,
Terry, Steve, Jag and Ajay

We wish our American boys the choicest of blessings in the years to come. If you would like to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at : drshivanisachdev@gmail.com

Monday 25 November 2013

From Ireland - a Diwali baby girl


Ireland's newest baby girl, safely home with family and friends...


We are so delighted to welcome our most beautiful precious bundle of joy, born on Diwali eve in Delhi, India.
We are so, so grateful to the whole team at SCI. We especially thank Dr. Shivani for her expert help and her sound judgement. She and the entire team from the medical to the admin staff and the nurses were so caring and professional. We would not have had our baby without our wonderful and generous surrogate mother and indeed, without the help of Dr. Shivani and the SCI team.


We are so blessed with our beautiful baby daughter, whom we cherish and adore. We would not have had her only for the wonderful generosity of our beautiful surrogate mother. We will forever be indebted to her and we will keep her in our prayers and thanks to her.


Thank you all so much 


We wish this family the choicest of blessings. A Diwali baby is certainly a blessing, a reminder of the light and goodness that surrounds us.

If you want to find out more about surrogacy in India, please email us at drshivanisachdev@gmail.com.