SYVEN and Tori were not sure it was possible for them to conceive naturally after trying for a while but both were overjoyed when Syven got pregnant with their son, Prophet who is now one-year-old. Six months after Prophet’s birth, they conceived with their daughter Wynter, who is now one-month-old. Tori said: “My husband gave birth to our children.” Syven was assigned female at birth and started his transition at a young age. Tori is also trans and began her transition in her late teens. As a pregnant trans man, Syven received both positive and negative comments and difficult interactions in public - especially at doctor's appointments. He explained: “You’re a pregnant man sitting around a whole bunch of females, looking at you like ‘no, it can't be’, or ‘why?’ Or ‘is it possible you're faking?’ So it gets bad and very uncomfortable because you don't want to hide your pregnancy.” The couple have also faced misconceptions and judgement as parents with Tori being told she ‘will never be the mum.’ But the couple will not let this negativity faze them as Tori said: “People who made negative comments to us about being parents and being pregnant and trans? I think that they should keep their opinions to themselves and mind their business because our kids are going to be successful because we are.” They would like to see more support for pregnant trans people and their families and encourage other trans people considering having children to ‘go for it’.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00This is Tori. She fell in love with 7.
00:05My husband gave birth to our children. I always wanted to have kids.
00:09I didn't think it was possible to conceive naturally.
00:11This is the 7-month belly of the 7 months.
00:16Because I took testosterone for so long and it took so long to conceive,
00:21I thought, you know what, it ain't gonna happen.
00:24Num-nums. Num-nums.
00:26My pregnancy experiences were perfect. I just didn't like being judged.
00:30People would stare. They would smirk and giggle.
00:33Eat that one there. Eat that one.
00:35I was assigned female at birth. I started my transition at a very young age.
00:41I would say I knew what I was off back when I was very young.
00:45I would say about 5, 6.
00:47Where you going?
00:49I don't know.
00:51I was assigned male at birth and I started my transition,
00:55I would say when I was like 18-ish, 19.
00:57My transition journey was easy because I knew.
01:01I knew.
01:02Hard because the stuff that you have to deal with when you're going through your transition.
01:06So as me being born female, then I'm putting this testosterone within my body.
01:14But then you also have to deal with the realities of,
01:17you have people that judge you because you take them.
01:19Friends that leave you because you take them.
01:21Family that shun you because you take them.
01:23So you got to deal with all that. All that comes with the transition.
01:26My transition journey, it was good. I loved it.
01:29But it was also rocky.
01:31When I was transitioning, I was still kind of in school.
01:33When I was in home, I was comfortable and stuff.
01:36And in school, it was overwhelming.
01:38But for the most part, it was good.
01:42Come on.
01:44I like that one too with his feeny pack.
01:46You see your little teddy bear on there? Look at that.
01:49You want to wear this one?
01:51What I love most about being a dad is I can dress him like me
01:56and just teach him things, you know, protect him, teach him.
01:59He's like, okay, I'm ready.
02:01All right, in the blue crop.
02:03Okay, let's get dressed.
02:04What I love most about being a mom is, honey,
02:07well, we all know I do hair, nails, and makeup.
02:09So my daughter will stay laid and slayed, honey.
02:12Prophet's favorite toy is that steering wheel, honey.
02:15He be acting like he loved to drive.
02:17He loved his stuffed animals.
02:19For the most part, honey, he loved putting stuff in his mouth.
02:21Yes, and it's always these.
02:23How did you feel when you found out that you were pregnant both times?
02:27I was happy, emotional, but happy.
02:30The first thing I did was call all of my family.
02:32I called everybody.
02:34I was ecstatic.
02:36Misconceptions they have is that because you're trans, you can't have kids.
02:40The positive responses was like, congratulations, good job,
02:44you're going to be a great parent.
02:46The negatives was basically, why are you having a kid?
02:50If you're supposed to be the man, men don't have babies and stuff like that.
02:54Going to the OBG and sitting around a whole bunch of females,
02:59they're looking at you like, no, it can't be.
03:02Or, why?
03:04Or, is it impossible?
03:06You're faking.
03:08So it's like, it gets bad and very uncomfortable
03:12because it's like, you don't want to hide your pregnancy.
03:15I don't want to hide my kids.
03:17Definitely stare.
03:18People would stare.
03:19They would smirk and giggle and point and things like that,
03:22but they never said anything.
03:26Pregnancy with Prophet, towards the end, I had severe preeclampsia.
03:31When I had him, it was dramatic.
03:34I hemorrhaged, like bad, with Prophet.
03:37Here come the storm.
03:39I had him 36 weeks.
03:41It really scared me.
03:43Yeah.
03:44When Prophet turned six months, winter came.
03:47We conceived the same time.
03:49Say, I'm almost done.
03:51Say, I'm almost done.
03:52I was sick with winter.
03:54I was hurting with winter.
03:56I did have still the severe preeclampsia,
03:59but it wasn't as bad as Prophet.
04:03When you have kids, it completely changes you.
04:05It matures you faster.
04:07You don't want nothing but your relationship and your family to be healthy
04:11and at its best.
04:15I honestly think that my transition made my relationship with my parents closer.
04:21That moment when we found out that we're going to have a baby over here soon.
04:26Oh, I got goosebumps just talking about it.
04:28It was beautiful.
04:30I was there for Prophet's birth.
04:33That was one of the best experiences in my life, in our lives.
04:38I enjoy being an uncle.
04:40They're like my siblings, to be honest.
04:42You're going to be faced with a lot of different opinions and judgment
04:46and stuff like that in this walk of life.
04:49It makes me feel sad for them, you know, but in the same breath.
04:54I'm like their big cheerleader.
04:56So we always going to find a positive as a family together.
05:00Nothing's going to take away the joy that we have as a family.
05:05Would I say we're a close family? Yes.
05:07We have family time.
05:08We bond.
05:09We go through things.
05:10Cry together.
05:11Laugh together.
05:12Argue with each other.
05:15Very close.
05:16How our mama supported us, you know, she's a whole lot of motivation.
05:21We do a whole lot of family and bonding time, you know,
05:24so she's one of our biggest supporters.
05:31Things that people have said to me,
05:33Why are you pregnant?
05:35I feel sorry for the baby.
05:36The baby needs a new family.
05:38I have comments of people saying that Prophet's going to be trans
05:42or he's going to be gay and stuff like that.
05:44And I also get, you know, you would never be the mom
05:47or your kids is going to grow up to be crazy.
05:50People who made negative comments that said I'm being parents
05:53and being pregnant and or trans,
05:56I think that they should keep their opinion to their self
05:59and mind their business because our kids is going to be successful
06:02because we are.
06:03It's all about how you raise your kids, what you show them,
06:07how you teach them, and it all starts from home.
06:12What I would like to say to other trans people that consider having kids,
06:16go for it.
06:17It's a beautiful thing, it's a blessing.
06:19You're always going to have negative comments or, you know,
06:21hate or people judging you.
06:23Don't let that phase you, you know, don't take it to heart.
06:25You know, keep doing you.
06:31Hospital wise, using the correct pronouns.
06:34For people to be more open-minded, to be more careful of, you know,
06:38the choice of words that they say.
06:40Understanding and acceptance and to educate yourself.
06:44What I hope for my family for the future is what we have now.
06:48Just, you know, be successful.
06:50Definitely good health.
06:51Be motivated, strong.
06:53Grow up to be something and to keep going, don't never stop.