Would you choose your baby over your spouse?

A man in Armenia was forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life when his wife asked him to choose between her and the baby she had just given birth to.

According to ABCNews.com, Samuel Forrest, who is originally from Auckland, New Zealand, said his son, Leo, was born with Down syndrome.

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"This pediatrician walks out of the room with a little bundle -- that was Leo," Forrest said. "She had his face covered up and hospital authorities wouldn't let me see him or my wife. When the doctor came out, he said, 'There's a real problem with your son.'"

Forrest said he was shocked, but as soon as he held his son, his life had changed forever.

"They took me in see him and I looked at this guy and I said, 'He's beautiful, he's perfect and I'm absolutely keeping him,'" Forrest said.

Forrest said his wife's reaction, however, was nothing like what he expected.

"I got the ultimatum right then," he said. "She told me if I kept him then we would get a divorce."

Forrest said he was unaware of Armenian hospital practices regarding newborns with special needs.

"What happens when a baby like this is born here, they will tell you that you don't have to keep them," he said. "My wife had already decided, so all of this was done behind my back."

Attempts to reach the hospital for comment weren't immediately successful. The baby's mother, Ruzan Badalyan, told ABC News that she did have a child with Down syndrome and she has left her husband, who has the child, but she declined to elaborate.

Forrest said there was no doubt in his mind he would keep his son. One week after his birth, Badalyan filed for divorce.

"It's not what I want," Forrest said. "I didn't even have a chance to speak with her in privately about it."

Forrest, a freelance business contractor, plans to move with Leo back to New Zealand, where he said they'll receive support from loved ones.

To read more on this story, including information on Forrest's GoFundMe page called "Bring Leo Home," read the entire article on ABCNews.com.