Transgender man who gave birth opens up about his pregnancy: 'I don't see myself as any less of a man'
A transgender man has spoken candidly about the realities of giving birth to his first child and the “daily abuse” he suffered from strangers during his pregnancy.
Wyley Simpson, 28, was surprised to discover he was pregnant in February 2018 while transitioning to becoming a man. It’s the first child for Simpson and fiancé Stephan Gaeth.
Having started testosterone in 2012 and not having had a period for several years, he did not believe it was possible to conceive.
Despite not feeling ready to welcome their first child and receiving “judgment from strangers,” the couple went through with the pregnancy.
Simpson gave birth to their son, Rowan, via emergency C-section last September. But it wasn’t an easy journey for the new parents.
Speaking about the pregnancy, Simpson — who still has female reproductive organs — said: “It’s not every day that someone sees a pregnant man walking down the road so we received a fair amount of abuse. … I would be told that I’ll never be a man, ‘men don’t carry babies’ and everyone called me ‘it.'”
But it wasn’t only public opinion that made the pregnancy difficult, as Simpson also struggled to come to terms with the emotional side effects.
“Having gone through the transitioning process since I was 21 years old, having a physical baby bump was something so feminine that it messed with my head,” he admitted.
Yet since bringing their now 6-month-old baby home, he has settled into parenthood.
“Once my physical bump had disappeared and I was able to take my hormones again, I felt good about everything,” he explained. “Now myself and Stephan are just reveling in fatherhood and can’t wait to continue our journey as a family.”
But the couple don’t have plans to welcome more children in the near future.
“I am looking to fully transition in the future, so the likelihood of having another child naturally is unlikely,” he said. “It was a great feeling to be able to carry Rowan, feeling him kick and going to baby scans, but for me as a person, it isn’t something I can continue to do. … I don’t see myself as any less of a man because of what happened, but I just do not identify in such a feminine way as to be pregnant — so it won’t be happening again.”
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