MAMAMIA - As Yulia Konokhovych flung open the front door of her unassuming 1950s brick veneer in Melbourne’s south-east, I was met with her kind smile. The mid-30s mother of two has her hair gathered into a neat plait. Her top eyelids are each lined with a simple black stroke. “Please, come in,” she implores, a melodic lilt to her accent…

MAMAMIA - It’s 7am London time when Jess van Nooten and I first speak. Her words are hushed through the phone. Her voice is friendly, but strained. Tired. And then I hear Alba’s cry; the little baby that made headlines, born 11 weeks premature via a surrogate in Ukraine - two days before Russia declared war.