‘Next chapter’: Update after tradie dad’s heartbreak

The ex-partner of a Sydney tradie who has decided to keep his daughter has been revealed.

The ex-partner of a Sydney tradie who raced to the US to stop his baby from being adopted has been revealed as a spiritual sex coach and psychologist, who has shed new light on their relationship.

Liv Pavlov said she and Aussie carpenter Dan Gaut were working on a shared custody deal for their daughter Ana, claiming she had fallen pregnant just a week after they met.

The update comes as Mr Gaut has told news.com.au he has retained a lawyer in America and believes moving might be the only way to have a “meaningful role” in Ana’s life.

He dashed to Texas in February after his former girlfriend, Ms Pavlov, returned home to the US and told him she was considering a plan to put their daughter up for adoption after she was born.

According to Mr Gaut, Ms Pavlov, who rekindled her relationship with an ex-partner, had allegedly agreed to give the baby to Mr Gaut if he was there during or shortly after the birth.

However, in a devastating blow for Mr Gaut, the tradie said earlier this week Ms Pavlov changed her mind and decided to keep their baby in the US as her primary caregiver.

Now, Ms Pavlov has revealed she wants to share custody of their daughter, Ana.

“Well the tides are always changing and I’m happy to announce that baby Ana Rose is so loved by both her mama and her daddy Daniel Gaut,” Ms Pavlov wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“After five weeks here in America daddy Daniel has gone home for a bit while we regroup and work out our shared custody agreement so that we can have flow in our life this next chapter.”

Mr Gaut raced to the US to stop his daughter from being adopted. Picture: Instagram@livlovetantra

Ms Pavlov with baby Ana.

Ms Pavlov said she realised she had experienced a “trauma response to pregnancy” after Ana was born.

“What’s clear after walking through the burning door of birth is I LOVE this girl and I am going to take care of her and give her a home.”

Ms Pavlov, 31, says on her social media pages that she is an artist, podcaster, “lightbringer” and psychologist who specialises in sex and relationships.

She has a masters in psychology, is a Reiki master and has undergone training in the ancient Indian practice of tantra.

On her website, she offers sex and intimacy classes for $US600 ($A910) and Tantric healing sessions for $A1214.

She has also started a GoFundMe page to pay for her maternity leave, with $US8800 raised so fair toward a goal of $US25,000 ($A38,000).

“I’m fundraising to support the time off that I will need to take to go through the birth portal and recovery time and to pay the legal fees needed to afford my lawyer so I can establish joint custody with Ana Rose’s father, an Australian,” she wrote.

Ms Pavlov says she loves showing her daughter nature. Picture: Instagram

The 31-year-old said she believes Ana chose her parents.

“And make sure she can stay home here in America with mama and have her daddy in her life here as much as possible!

“I am the only source of my income and without being able to offer coaching and teaching sessions, I will not have another source of income.”

In Thursday’s Instagram post, which tagged Mr Gaut, the new mother said: “When things didn’t work and Daniel felt he couldn’t open his heart and I needed to be home in America things became complicated even further.”

Last month, Ms Pavlov said she was a “mother who is willing to coparent her baby with a man she barely knows because she trusts that this child chose both of them and it’s divine”.

Tradie’s struggle with legal demands

It comes as Mr Gaut provided an update about his efforts to arrange a custody agreement for his “little angel”.

He told news.com.au on Friday that he had obtained legal representation in the US after being asked to sign documents that “would have forfeited my rights”.

“The last 10 months have been a roller coaster of extreme highs and devastating lows,” he told news.com.au on Friday.

“The latest being asked to sign documents that would have forfeited my rights and told that if I didn’t sign in less than an hour I’d be getting served.

“I was blindsided and no longer felt safe or welcome, the only option was to return back home.

“I have legal representation in Austin now and a mediation is booked in for this month.”

The tradie flew to America in February. Picture: Channel 9

The new parents are working towards a deal. Picture: Instagram

Mr Gaut thanked his friends and supporters for helping him through a difficult period, including those who donated to his fundraiser, saying without them he’d be a “total mess”.

I am just coming to terms with if I want to have a meaningful role in my daughter’s life, I’ll probably have to move to a place I don’t necessarily want to be in and surrender my dreams of having Ana grow up in beautiful Australia with her cousins,” he told news.com.au.

“I am struggling right now with this ... and finding it hard to sleep.

“I am at a loss right now but will bounce back soon.”

The new mother soon after finding out she was pregnant. Picture: Instagram

Ms Pavlov is also a podcaster. Picture: Instagram

Race against the clock for Ana’s citizenship

Sydney migration agent Ahmad Shady from Longton Legal told news.com.au there was a rush to secure Australian citizenship for baby Ana.

Mr Shady had messaged Mr Gaut on Facebook in February to offer his services pro bono upon seeing his viral story online.

At that point, the plan was for the tradie to bring Ana back to the Harbour City after his pregnant girlfriend had returned home to America.

Australian citizenship is not automatic for children born to Aussies overseas, and half of applications take 78 days to process.

Mr Shady and his client had never met in person but lodged a decision-ready application, which set out the circumstances of the situation on March 13, and received approval two days later.

It was communicated to Home Affairs that every day Mr Gaut spent in the US was another away from work and brought the possibility that Liv would change her mind.

“Unfortunately, that has happened,” Mr Shady said.

“I feel terrible for him of course.

“As a father of daughters, my heart would be absolutely broken.

“He’s back in Australia now and back to work.”

Mr Gaut’s ex originally told him she planned on putting their baby up for adoption. Picture: GoFundMe

Mr Shady believed the situation now was “very much up in the air” and any resolution would need to be ironed out by family lawyers in both countries.

Ana’s citizenship means she has an indefinite and automatic right to enter Australia, but it does not extend to influence any custody disputes.

She is also an automatic US citizen by birth.

Mr Gaut had met his ex while holidaying in San Francisco in early 2023, before she followed him back to Australia.

Mr Gaut met his ex in early 2023. Picture: Channel 9

The pair “were deeply in love and agreed to have a baby together”.

However, the tradie said he was left “heartbroken” when his ex returned to the US for a “visit” seeking her “support network” and told him she was considering handing the baby to US adoption agents.

“She was starting to send me adoption options for people that she knew in Texas, and she was sending me the links to the Instagram page,” he previously told A Current Affair.

“And I was like, ‘No, this is, stop, don’t promise her to anyone.”

He later said at the time Liv was supportive of him bringing Ana – short for Anata – to Australia but the mother later had a change of heart.

A GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign was set up by Mr Gaut’s friends to help with travel and immigration costs.