A new mother who gave birth to twins before having to give them up has come to terms with the fertility clinic that implanted her with “unimaginable” embryos from two other women.
The Korean-American couple from New York City only discovered the horrific mix-up in the delivery room when the twin girls they were expecting turned out to be Caucasian boys.
The couple, identified in court papers as YZ and AP, had struggled for years to conceive before spending $100,000 at the Cha Fertility Clinic in Southern California.
But just six weeks after becoming parents, a court ordered them to give up the babies they had been so excited about.
And it caused them “permanent emotional injuries from which they will not recover,” the lawsuit says.
Anni Manukyan and her husband Ashot, whose embryo was mistakenly implanted into the New Yorker, while Anni had a third woman's embryo implanted at the same time
AP had told the court: “I kiss his little feet every day, I bathe him, I breastfed him” as she desperately tried to retain custody of the baby she gave birth to
Cha Fertility Clinic co-owners Joshua Berger (left) and Simon Hong (right)
“They may never know what happened to their embryos and whether the embryos currently cryopreserved are a genetic match for them,” it continues.
Custody of one of the boys was awarded to his genetic mother Anni Manukyan and her husband Ashot, who also sued the clinic.
Anni and the other boy's genetic mother had all been at the clinic on the same day in August 2018 when AP had her embryos implanted, and Anni herself was accidentally implanted with a fourth pair's embryo.
This pregnancy failed and the couple was completely unaware that they had become parents until they received a call from the clinic in March 2019 asking them to do a DNA test.
Meanwhile, AP was ordered to ignore scan results that suggested the girls she expected were actually boys. The clinic's co-owner, Joshua Berger, told her that his wife had seen the same abnormality during her pregnancy.
Anni spoke about her heartache and the trauma of fighting the boy's birth mother in court after winning custody of the little boy, who she named Alec.
“They came in and were crying, and I saw them crying and I started crying,” she remembers.
“My husband tried to hold me. Even the security guard cried.'
AP was told to ignore scans that suggested she was carrying boys and not the expected girls
AP had written to the court: “I kiss his little feet every day.” I bathe him. I breastfed him.
“We are their real parents and the ones who want to be with him.” We love them, they are ours and they are twins, they should not be separated.
“They cuddle together, they sleep together every night. 'How could you separate them?'
Anni claimed she broke down when the judge announced his verdict, saying: “DNA is DNA and genetics plays a big part in everything, so the baby belongs to Anni and Ashot.”
While waiting for the handover, a psychiatrist informed the Manukyans that they should hand over their pillowcases so that their son could become accustomed to their smell and the recordings of Anni readings.
“My voice was shaking,” said Anni.
“It was just heartbreaking.” My husband and I wondered, what if the pillows we were sleeping on didn't have enough scent? “We hugged the pillowcases just to be sure.”
Finally, the day came that baby Alec was born in the lobby of a New York hotel.
“They said, 'We're sorry, we're so sorry,'” Anni said.
“We should have let you come over sooner, we just love them.” We wanted to take care of them as if they were our own. We love her'.
“There was no tension in the room at all. “It felt like we were friends…It was just love because we all love the same child.”
When the couple gave birth to the baby in May, they also presented a number of gifts for the Manukyans, including gold bracelets, one celebrating the Year of the Pig and one with a crown; and a ring with tiny baby shoes.
“I want you to give this to him so he knows it’s from me,” AP said to Anni.
A week after Anni and Ashot gave birth to their baby, AP and YZ left Alec's “twin” to his biological family.
AP and YZ reached a $200,000 settlement against the clinic's co-owner, Joshua Berger, in October and have now agreed to an undisclosed sum against the clinic.
In their lawsuit, they admitted that they “did not find the courage or the way to tell others about their devastating loss.”
Anni, who settled her case against the clinic in 2019, said she prays every day for the woman who gave birth to her son.
“She carried my child for nine months, she fed him, she looked after him, she changed his diapers.” It could have turned out differently.
“I pray for her every day, she was as much a victim of this as I was.”
“She's a lovely lady. She raised my baby inside her and after it was born.”
Baby Alec shortly after arriving at his new home in Los Angeles, California
The little boy is now being raised by his genetic parents after a judge ruled that “DNA is DNA.”
Lawyer Adam Wolf, who represented the Manukyans, said: “This incredible series of events demonstrates the shocking incompetence of CHA.”
“Although I have handled hundreds of malpractice cases at fertility centers, this tragedy at CHA is among the most egregious I have ever seen.”
“Anni and Ashot put all their trust in CHA. In return, CHA provided Anni and Ashot with lies, excuses, and heartache.
“It’s safe to assume that there are far more tragedies in fertility clinics than we know.”