For anyone, being a parent can be stressful, but for members of the transgender community, there may be additional difficulties before becoming a mother or father.
However, one family in Portland is on a quest to prove that transgender people are capable of having children and raising families. Leo, a baby boy, was just welcomed by Trystan Reese, a transgender guy who made news earlier this year for being pregnant.
The most incredible moment of my life, in his words, was “literally the first breath he took, his lungs filling with air, and the enormous cry he put out,” he told Global News. I felt utterly in love with this tiny human and with [my partner] Biff for having faith in me during this process.
Leo, a nine-pound baby born on July 14 in Portland, had a textbook birth, according to Reese. “There were no difficulties or medical problems at all. An early, lengthy labor that lasted around 24 hours, followed by eight hours of “active labor” and an hour of pushing.
Reese, a 34-year-old non-profit executive who was born in Vancouver, admits he hasn’t had much experience with babies because he and his partner adopted their other two children. However, he claims he is learning every day.
To observe his gradual growth as he gains control over eye attention, head movement, and neck use… and to see our family grow to five members from four has been such a tremendous blessing,” Reese added.
Social media users react
Reese and Biff, who operate a blog about their experiences as gay adoptive parents and current parents, both have a sizable social media following. Reese claims that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
Everyone is probably relieved to learn that a transgender person can give birth and have everything go smoothly. Throughout the entire procedure, we made an effort to convince them of this, but maybe now that they can see it for themselves, they will take our word for it.
However, the downside of being so open about your personal life is that it invites criticism and hatred.
Every public statement we make bears the possibility of being picked up and published on tabloid websites and magazines, where the comments area is a complete free-for-all. I don’t search the internet for those pieces, but I can tell when they’ve been published since I frequently receive unfavorable messages on my personal Facebook account, claims Reese.
Advice for other transgender parents
While transgender parents and non-transgender parents have certain distinctions, Reese claims that his parenting advice is applicable to anyone who desires to have children.
Work hard to make sure your marriage is completely stable and that you have considered every aspect of pregnancy and what it might imply for you two as a couple, he advises. Finding an understanding medical staff is crucial, especially for transgender parents.
You must confirm that your body is capable of carrying a pregnancy to term and that you are able to take all necessary steps to guarantee a safe pregnancy, including surrounding yourself with encouraging individuals, he advises. Finding a team of seasoned specialists who are familiar with trans concerns is important because advocating for yourself when pregnant within a medical system is difficult.
Reese asserts that he is aware of the concerns some transgender parents may have about parenting in general. Other transgender parents who had to deal with ignorant medical teams or experts who mistreated them have told him terrible stories, and he has heard them as well.
According to People, Evan Hempel faced difficulties reconciling his transgender manhood and the feminine nature of childbirth in 2016, after giving birth to a son. Due to the fact that he was listed as a man on the majority of his documents, he also had trouble getting his insurance to pay for expenses like pregnancy tests.
He initially informed the magazine that his gender was “man” and that “my sex is female,” but then changed it to “female” for insurance purposes.
State of being transgender in 2017
Reese is fully aware of the challenges and privileges he has encountered as a transgender man, especially in light of recent news about U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about transgender people not being permitted to serve in the military.
“While being white, working, and residing in a progressive city have each given us advantages, we have also faced many difficulties. And avoiding adversity is not what we want for our kids, he tells Global News. Instead, our aim is to make them strong and intelligent enough to deal with intolerance and hatred when they must.
