A trans man, who recently announced pregnancy, gave birth to a baby in a hospital in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Wednesday, 8 February. Zahad, 23 years old, took a break from transitioning into a trans man, so that he can bear the child. His partner, a trans woman, Siya said, the baby weighing 2.90 kg, was born around 9.30 am through a Cesarean Section at the Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital.
The baby and Zahad are doing well. The couple decided not to reveal the sex of the newborn and refused to assign the baby's gender at birth.
A few days ago, their couple photoshoot announcing the pregnancy on social media went viral and garnered a lot of attention.
'Feeling Great' About Pregnancy
When the couple decided to have a baby, they looked into the various options and found out that adopting a baby was a challenge because of the legal proceedings involved. They then realised that Zahad could conceive even though he had started to transition into a transman.
“I feel adipoli! (great) I can't wait to see my baby doll. It is fascinating that I can be a mother and father. While it is a lot to take emotionally, I can't wait to complete this phase as a mother and then become a father," Zahad had told The Quint before the delivery.
Zahad, whose breasts were removed as part of the medical procedure, will continue his transitioning process soon. They have decided to feed the baby with breast milk from the milk bank.
While the pictures of their pregnancy received a lot of appreciation and support, there were several comments trolling the couple.
“We were overwhelmed by the number of people who wrote to us saying they'll pray for the baby's good health. But many others criticised us and said we should live the gender roles we were assigned at birth. They said the photoshoot looked like a fancy dress show,” said Siya.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)