An Australian father facing the heartbreaking prospect of giving his daughter up for adoption met his precious little girl for the first time after a frantic race to the other side of the world.
Dan Gaut, from Sydney’s north shore, jumped on the first plane to the United States on Monday after the trader discovered his ex-girlfriend Liv went into labor a day earlier.
Liv had broken the explosive news that she planned to give her daughter up for adoption, which spurred him into action.
He recalled not sleeping during the 15-hour flight to Texas before describing the “magical” moment he met baby Ana for the first time.
Ana was born on Monday at 8pm Sydney time.
“She’s the cutest little thing, she’s so good, she’s just adorable and perfect,” he said. A current issue as she showed off her two-day-old bundle of joy.
Dan Gaut (pictured) cherishes every moment with his newborn daughter Ana after his mercy trip to the US.
“It was as if any apprehension or possible discomfort I might have been thinking about at that moment simply dissolved.
‘The love for her took over and it was like such a magical moment of love that I just couldn’t wait to hug her.
“She’s just a little angel, really calm, which is phenomenal, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Mr Gaut cherishes every moment with his daughter as he embraces fatherhood for the first time and prepares to bring his little girl back to Australia.
It’s taking one day at a time.
“I feel like I’m in training mode,” he said.
“I can’t tie myself up thinking about all the stages along the way, so it’s just one day at a time.”
She also revealed that her ex, who moved back to Texas and had gotten back together with his former partner, has now expressed interest in being a part of Ana’s life.
She is even willing to make the trip to Australia to accompany Mr. Gaut, since he was nervous about flying alone with baby Ana.
“He’s definitely mentioned how much he loves her (Ana) and wants to be a part of the baby’s life,” she said.
“We don’t know what it’s going to be like, but she supports me a lot when I bring the baby.” [to Australia]’.
But it could be some time before Gaut can bring her home to meet her Australian family.
The arduous process of organizing the immigration papers to be able to bring Ana home has begun.
“I have to get a U.S. passport, which could take, even if I do it fast track, up to five weeks,” he said.
‘Once I have the passport in my hands [the next step is] obtain one of the ETA applications for the Australian visa for her and then at the same time apply for her Australian citizenship.
Baby Ana (pictured) was born on Monday night Sydney local time.
The Sydney trader (pictured), who was informed by his ex that he was considering giving his daughter up for adoption, hit the road determined to raise his daughter alone.
The ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) app allows non-citizens to travel to Australia for up to one year or the validity of their passport, whichever is shorter.
The app allows users to digitally store their visas linked to their passport number.
Gaut previously explained how heartbroken he felt when his ex told him he was considering giving Ana up for adoption.
He met Liv, who he thought was “the love of his life.” while she was on vacation in the United States.
The couple were inseparable and soon discovered that they were expecting their first child together.
However, cracks began to appear in their relationship when his homesick girlfriend left for Texas because she felt she needed to be closer to her support network.
After what was supposed to be a “visit,” Mr. Gaut received the devastating news that Liv would not be returning, setting him on a determined path to raise his daughter alone.
Cash-strapped Gaut relied on community donations to organize paperwork in the US to bring his son to Australia.
A crowdfunding page was created to raise $30,000 so Gaut could travel to the United States and arrange an Australian passport for her daughter.