Transgender man who gave birth to TWO children with his trans wife opens up about their brutal struggle to conceive – and the bitter hate he faced while pregnant with his kids
Syven and Tori always wanted to have children, but as a transgender couple, they weren’t sure if their dream would ever come true.
After finding out that Syven – who was assigned female at birth – could conceive naturally, they began their journey to have a baby, with Tori now able to proudly say, ‘My husband gave birth to our children.’
The couple are proud parents of their one-year-old son Prophet and their one-month-old daughter Wynter, but things haven’t been entirely smooth sailing for Syven and Tori, who both transitioned as children.
Although having children had always been a dream, Syven admitted he had doubts when they first tried to have a child because he had been taking testosterone for “so long.”
“It took so long to get pregnant, I honestly thought it wasn’t going to happen,” he admitted.
Tori and Syven are both transgender and conceived both their children naturally
At first, Syven doubted he could have a baby, recalling: ‘It took so long to get pregnant, I honestly thought it wouldn’t happen’
Syven said the downside of his pregnancy was that he was judged for being a pregnant man, especially when he went to his doctor
The couple were thrilled when they found out Syven was pregnant, although they were cautious about how people would react to their unusual situation.
“People have this misconception that you can’t have children because you’re transgender,” Tori said.
She said that while they had positive reactions when they told people Syven was pregnant, some “grinned and giggled” when they saw him walking around with a pregnant belly.
“The negatives were basically, ‘Why have a kid when you’re supposed to be a man,’ ‘Men don’t have babies,’ and stuff like that,” Syven recalled.
Despite some negative reactions, Syven says he loved getting pregnant.
The downside, however, was that he was “judged” for being a pregnant man, especially when he went to his doctor.
‘You are a pregnant man sitting among a whole group of women and looking at you like ‘no, that can’t be that way’ or ‘why?’ Or “is it possible that you are pretending?”, he explained.
He added, “So it becomes very, very awkward because you don’t want to hide your pregnancy.”
Syven started transitioning from a “very young age,” recalling “he knew what he was” when he was about five or six.
‘My transition process was easy because I knew it. Difficult because of the things you have to deal with when you go through the transition,” he said.
Syven knew from a ‘young age’ that being a girl was not who ‘he was’ when he was about five or six years old
He said his transition path was “easy” because he knew what he wanted and who he needed to be
Tori was assigned male at birth, but started transitioning towards the end of school and admitted it was “rocky.” Pictured before her transition
Tori started transitioning in her late teens, when she was about 18 or 19
When Prophet was six months old, Syven discovered he was pregnant with Wynter, which he said was a ‘surprise’
Sadly, friends and family shunned him when he started taking testosterone, but added: ‘That all comes with menopause.’
Tori was assigned male at birth and began her transition in her late teens, around 18 or 19 years old.
“My transition process was good, but it was also difficult (because) I was still in school a little bit,” Tori explained.
She continued, “When I was at home I felt comfortable and everything, and at school it was overwhelming.”
The couple also faced misconceptions and judgment when Tori’s parents were told she would “never be the mother.”
After being diagnosed with preeclampsia and having a dramatic birth with Prophet, ending with Syven bleeding, the couple says the only thing that matters to them now is the health and safety of their family.
“(Having children) changes you completely, it makes you an adult,” Tori said. “You want nothing more than for your relationship and family to be healthy and at its best.”
Syven and Tori with their children, Syven’s mother (left) and brother (right)
Syven said he couldn’t wait to teach and protect Prophet and Wynter as they grow up
Tori said haters should ‘keep their opinions to themselves and mind their business’
The couple thanked their close-knit family for making their transitions as smooth as possible and helping their growing brood.
“I honestly think my transition has made my relationship with my parents closer,” Syven said.
The pair are determined not to let the negative comments get to them, telling people who taunt them to ‘mind their own business’, adding that they and Syven are setting strong examples for their little ones.
“People making negative comments to us about being parents, being pregnant and being transgender? I think they should keep their opinions to themselves and mind their business,” Tori said.
“Because our children will be successful because we are.”
The couple said they would like to see more support for pregnant trans people and their families, and encouraged other trans people to “go for it.”