Transgender man shares his story of giving birth to a baby girl
A trans man in Iceland who recently gave birth to his baby daughter has shared his parenting unlikely story with Gay Iceland.
19-year-old Harry Steinn was born female and had only just started his gender transition when he discovered that he was pregnant.
Speaking to Gay Iceland, Steinn says: “I was well into the consultation and was living as a man but was about one or two months away from starting hormone treatment when I found out I was pregnant. It would probably have been less likely for me to fall pregnant after that, but not impossible, so everybody’s saying I was meant to have her!”
“I had to be induced and then I was 26 hours in labour before I had a C-section. So I was well tried in the end but it all went well and we’re both doing great.”
He adds that while it was a big shock to find out he was pregnant, Steinn was eager to have his own baby. Steinn has been in a relationship with Doddi, the child’s father. The pair live together in a small village, Ársskógssandur, but Steinn says he hasn’t “experienced any prejudice so far.”
Steinn says that finding out about the pregnancy, he postponed the transition, fearing that it may affect the baby.
“I just tried to wear big, baggy T-shirts, it’s a good thing my boyfriend is bigger than me so I just borrowed his clothes. I did wear pregnancy pants although I found their cut a bit too feminine for my taste, but I never wore those pregnancy dresses or tunics.”
Speaking on raising his daughter and her gender identity, Steinn says: “We’ve talked about not emphasizing anything gender specific during her first years, not to focus on the colour pink and such. And then, when she starts having her own opinion on what to wear and stuff, she’ll be free to choose whatever she wants.”
“I myself was given much freedom once I started to have an opinion on what to wear; I wore mostly spots clothes because I found them comfortable and was very happy to have the freedom to make my own choices.”
The couple plan on naming their baby girl on Whitsunday (May 15) but will keep the name a secret until then.
You can read more of Harry’s story over at gayiceland.is.
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