Two Dad Diary: Our Trip to Delhi

First Impressions

We had hoped to meet other couples during our trip but we didn't expect to get this off to such a quick start. We had barely checked in to the hotel when we bumped in to lovely Sam and Phil,

samandphilblog.blogspot.com

who have just become proud Dads to Ruby and Zoe. Within moments of our arrival we were sitting at breakfast talking to them and another lovely family (Bec, Michael and their son Josh). Wow, it's good to talk: after so much Internet reading, it was great to hear some real experiences first-hand.

And shortly after breakfast we were peering, gooey-eyed, into Ruby and Zoe's cot:

Awwwwww, so cute!

So within hours of our arrival we had met some lovely people and had seen for ourselves a wonderful happy ending.

Visiting the IVF Clinic

After having looked at various clinics in Mumbai and Delhi, we had planned our trip with Surrogacy India Centre, run by Dr Shivani (drshivanisachdevgourdelhi.blogspot.com/). We had been impressed with the their overall approach and the amount of information we'd received from Meg and Margarida, the client liaison team before we travelled.

Meeting Dr Shivani gave us just the right balance of personal care, straightforwardness and a matter-of-factness that only comes with experience.

Dr Shivani (right)

And the facilities are impressive. I'm used to the contrasts of India, having travelled there before, but your overall impression is of a professionally run, modern facility.

The rest of our trip

We stayed at the Svelte Hotel & Suites. It's where lots of families using the clinic stay, so easy to meet people. It seems to be the ideal place for people who are collecting their babies and expecting only a short stay before departure. It's also attached to Delhi's biggest shopping mall with great restaurants and a cinema so perfect for avoiding the summer heat.

All of our meetings were efficiently planned by the SIC team and a car service that works closely with the clinic ensured you were never lost.

We even had time for some sightseeing. The new metro is just a short hop in a rickshaw from the hotel, so it's very easy to get around......