Kayden Coleman’s pregnancy news was life-changing. And it’s not just because the baby was discovered at 21 weeks along. It’s because Kayden is transgender and had been living as a man for nearly 10 years with no intention of having children when he found out he was going to be a dad.
29-years-old transgender man Kayden was shocked to find out he was pregnant two years ago, despite having been in gender reassignment therapy for a decade and thinking that made pregnancy impossible, the Daily Mirror reports.
Kayden says he noticed bloating and back pain two years ago after he’d taken a doctor-advised break from his male hormones for six weeks prior to his double mastectomy, but he didn’t think that small of a break from his hormones would allow for pregnancy.
Kayden even says he joked with his partner, Elijah, 27, about the possibility of being pregnant because that was how impossible he felt that reality was. Once he took a pregnancy test and went to the doctor, they discovered he was already carrying a 21-week-old baby. “I took the test the same night. I felt nervous but excited. The results were conclusive but I still didn’t believe it,” Kayden told the Mirror.
Kayden said that doctors required him to halt the testosterone shots six weeks before his mastectomy. On the couple’s YouTube channel, TheShadyColemans, Kayden mentioned that his surgery was on March 28 and he didn’t take hormones again until June.
More details from AWM:
In their day-to-day, most people think that their daughter is either adopted or the result of surrogacy. Still, they have taught Azaelia to be proud of who she is and where she came from.
“I’m lucky enough to have a working uterus and reproductive system that allows me to carry a child and create life so why should I have to reject that part of me just because I’m trans?” Coleman said.
Kayden and his partner prepared their Philadelphia home for a child. In July 2013, they got married, reports the Mirror. They also needed to come out to Elijah’s family, who did not know his partner was transgendered.
“It was such a personal thing that I felt if Kayden wanted them to know he should tell them himself,” Eljiah explained. “But when we found out Kayden was pregnant we knew we had to tell them. How could we explain the baby when she popped up after a couple of months?”
Kayden was induced at nine months, since he had high blood pressure. Although he did not face discrimination while in labor, he admitted feeling like an experiment, as medical students came in and out of his room.
Although there was tension in Elijah’s family, Kayden said that they now have a happy family. The couple plans to tells their now-22-month-old daughter, Azaelia, about her unique family when she turns five.
“As long as Azaelia is loved and cared for, I doubt she’ll care,” Kayden said.
Kayden says his first pregnancy was marred by people saying that he was a monster and his daughter should be placed in care. He has also encountered a lack of sympathy from medical professionals and was even advised to have an abortion. Despite the lack of support, the couple can’t wait for the arrival of their baby in August. Azaelia is also looking forward to becoming a big sister.
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Sources: OpposingViews, TheShadyColemans on YouTube, The Mirror
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