A Kerry couple is preparing to travel to Ukraine tomorrow to meet their baby boy who was born there through surrogacy this morning.
After a tense few days, with the threat of a Russian invasion, Luke Daniel Patrick Moynihan arrived a few days early.
"It's been an incredible journey, very long but incredible", said his father Dermot Moynihan.
Speaking to RTÉ News from his Kerry home, he said there were lots of "ups and downs ... but that's what life is all about and at the end you get this amazing reward".
Dermot and his wife Dorothy will fly from Dublin to Poland tomorrow before travelling on to Ukraine.
"We're flying through Poland so we could get in no matter what and then we'll all be together on Thursday or else Friday morning", he said, adding that they are lucky their son was born in Lviv, a city near the Polish border.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against all travel to Ukraine, but this was not a deterrent for the Moynihans.
"Obviously I respect their guidelines because safety of Irish citizens is paramount," Mr Moynihan said.
"But for family members - and this is our first child - we needed to be there and we were going to use any means necessary to get there.
"We're a family, we'll be together and that's the main thing."
The Moynihans will not be able to return immediately as they will have to complete paperwork to get emergency travel documentation for Luke.
Under normal procedures they would have to travel from Lviv to the Irish Embassy in Kyiv, with the surrogate mother, to complete DNA testing and paperwork.
This process can take up to four weeks.
The Moynihans' solicitor, Tracy Horan, said she hopes the process can be dramatically shortened to allow the family and other couples already in Kyiv or travelling there soon to get home quicker.
Last month, Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery-Kearney said 14 babies were due to be born in Ukraine between then and May.
"It will be difficult to get the [Moynihan] family to Kyiv, we don't want to put anyone in danger - the surrogate mother who has just given birth, or the parents or baby Luke who has just been born.
"We are trying to come up with a plan to get them home as quickly as possible."
Dermot Moynihan says the family will "nest" in Lviv until they get clearance to come home with baby Luke, who will be wearing a Kerry jersey.
In a statement this evening, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is continuing to closely monitor the situation as Russia confirmed a pullback of some forces from Ukraine's borders.
In a statement, Minister Simon Coveney said: "While recent reports of a move towards de-escalation on the ground – if confirmed – are welcome, it is urgent that Russia de-escalate, abide by international law and engage constructively in dialogue."
"My Department's advice in respect of Ukraine remains not to traveI. I encourage any Irish citizen in Ukraine who has not already done so to register with the Embassy. Citizens currently in the country should leave now using available commercial options."
Mr Coveney added: The Department is also in close contact with families who have surrogacy arrangements in Ukraine, and is continuing to provide support and assistance to them on an individual basis.
"Any citizen who requires emergency consular assistance can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs at 01-4082000.
