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Dad Who Flew 15 Hours To Stop His Baby From Being Put Up For Adoption Must Now Part Ways With Her
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Dad Who Flew 15 Hours To Stop His Baby From Being Put Up For Adoption Must Now Part Ways With Her

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Dan Gaut, the father who took a 15-hour flight to prevent his baby daughter from being put up for adoption, is now fighting to be in his child’s life after learning the mother wants to be her primary caregiver.

At the beginning of March, Dan flew from Australia to Austin, Texas, to stop Liv, the mother of his little girl, Ana, from looking for adoption options for her.

Highlights
  • Dan Gaut, the father who took a 15-hour flight to stop his daughter's adoption, now fights to be in her life.
  • Liv, the mother, decided to keep their daughter Ana in the US, changing her initial adoption plan.
  • Feeling "heartbroken", Dan's wish is to see Ana grow up in Australia.

Now, he says Liv has had a change of heart, and she wants to keep Ana and raise her in the US.

“I feel heartbroken and empty as I’m forced to leave America alone. Liv has changed her mind and wants to keep Ana in the States and be her primary caregiver,” Dan wrote on Instagram on Monday (April 1).

Image credits: Daniel Gaut

“I still hold strong the vision of Ana growing up in Australia in the not to[o] distant future,” the carpenter added.

Dan, who lives in Berowra Waters, Sydney’s north shore, met and fell in love with his ex-girlfriend Liv while vacationing in San Francisco in early 2023.

Liv, from Austin, Texas, didn’t want to part ways with Dan, so she followed the carpenter home to Australia, where they agreed to have a baby.

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However, the pair didn’t have a happily-ever-after, as a homesick Liv returned to Texas following her pregnancy announcement.

Little did Dan know that Liv wouldn’t return, as his ex-partner revealed in an upsetting call.

As Dan announced on social media, the baby’s mother has changed her mind and wants to be Ana’s primary caregiver in America

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dan Gaut (@dan__gaut)

“I was actually leaving the job site as she’s telling me the news that she got back with her ex-partner,” Dan told the Australian outlet A Current Affair. 

“I couldn’t believe it; what is happening? Like, you’re pregnant with my daughter?”

The father was then hit with another surprise, one that was even more concerning: Liv had started looking for adoption options in Texas. “I said, ‘No, stop, don’t promise her to anyone, this is against all my morals,'” he told ACA.

As he didn’t have the funds to cover the travel expenses, Dan started a crowd-funding page to travel to Austin, organize an Australian passport, and bring his little girl home.

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Image credits: Daniel Gaut

While he may have missed baby Ana’s birth, the proud dad was able to meet her after setting foot in the US.

In an interview he gave after meeting Ana, then two days old, Dan said: “She’s just the cutest little thing, she’s so good, she’s just adorable and just picture perfect.”

“It was like whatever apprehension or possibly awkwardness I might’ve been thinking about at that moment just dissolved.

“The love for her took over, and it was like such a magical, loving moment that I just, just couldn’t wait to hold her.

“She’s just a little angel, really chill, which is phenomenal; I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Dan, who lives in Berowra Waters, Sydney’s north shore, met and fell in love with his ex-girlfriend Liv while vacationing in San Francisco in early 2023

Image credits: A Current Affair

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Image credits: Daniel Gaut

At the time, the carpenter said that his ex-girlfriend had expressed interest in being in Ana’s life, but he didn’t know “how exactly [it was] going to go” once he returned to Australia.

Now, Dan has informed his followers, who have supported him throughout his life-changing journey, that he’ll be using the money from his crowd-funding campaign to seek legal representation so that he can remain in Ana’s life.

“I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who supported me on this journey,” the father wrote. 

“I will use the remaining donations to seek legal representation in Austin and to visit Ana as often as I can.”

In a separate post, the father announced that Ana has her Australian citizenship and passport.

People supported Dan’s fight to be in his daughter’s life

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Marina Urman

Marina Urman

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Marina is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she holds a Bachelor of Social Science. In her spare time, you can find her baking sweet treats, reading, or binge-watching a docuseries on Netflix. Her main areas of interest are pop culture, literature, and education.

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Marina Urman

Marina Urman

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Marina is a journalist at Bored Panda. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she holds a Bachelor of Social Science. In her spare time, you can find her baking sweet treats, reading, or binge-watching a docuseries on Netflix. Her main areas of interest are pop culture, literature, and education.

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that). In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

Read less »

Karina Babenok

Karina Babenok

Author, BoredPanda staff

As a visual editor in the News team, I look for the most interesting pictures and comments to make each post interesting and informative through images, so that you aren't reading only blocks of text. I joined Bored Panda not that long ago, but in this short amount of time I have covered a wide range of topics: from true crime to Taylor Swift memes (my search history is very questionable because of that). In my freetime, I enjoy spending time at the gym, gaming, binging Great British Bake Off and adding yet another tattoo artist that I would love to get a tattoo from to my pinterest board.

What do you think?
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emmastowe1986 avatar
Emma S
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kid would have a better upbringing and quality of life in Australia. Texas is not where I'd want my children growing up.

amcgregor7419 avatar
Tams21
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree that the quality of life is generally better in Australia but it probably wouldn't be for this poor kid. The mother considered putting up the child for adoption and who knows if she'll do it again. Having a parents that want you is more important than where you live, particularly if you're comparing two wealthy world countries.

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sunnyday0801 avatar
Sunny Day
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom only stepped up because she got beat up on social media. She should let Dad raise the baby.

keeley_3 avatar
KillerKiwi
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom is crazy. He should fight for custody and raise his daughter in Australia

Load More Comments
emmastowe1986 avatar
Emma S
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kid would have a better upbringing and quality of life in Australia. Texas is not where I'd want my children growing up.

amcgregor7419 avatar
Tams21
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I agree that the quality of life is generally better in Australia but it probably wouldn't be for this poor kid. The mother considered putting up the child for adoption and who knows if she'll do it again. Having a parents that want you is more important than where you live, particularly if you're comparing two wealthy world countries.

Load More Replies...
sunnyday0801 avatar
Sunny Day
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom only stepped up because she got beat up on social media. She should let Dad raise the baby.

keeley_3 avatar
KillerKiwi
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom is crazy. He should fight for custody and raise his daughter in Australia

Load More Comments
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