The world's first pregnant man, Thomas Beatie, captivated the world when he first revealed in a 2008 TV interview with Oprah Winfrey that he was expecting. At that time, the public has never heard of the word "transgender," but things were drastically changing for him, his family and the world.
Beatie, now 47, recently sat down with Today Health to discuss how things have been in his life since he became a media sensation. Now working as a Phoenix stockbroker, the former pregnant man revealed that he is now a dad of four and enjoying the quiet life sans the sensational headlines.
After giving birth to his first baby, whom he named Susan, Beatie revealed that he had two more children. The dad also shared that he separated from his first wife, Nancy Beatie, in 2012. He found a second shot at love after meeting his second wife, Amber, who gave birth to their child, and his fourth baby, in 2018.
How Did He Get Pregnant?
Beatie was born Tracy in 1972 and used to compete in beauty pageants in Hawaii despite identifying as a man since he was ten years old. He made a life-changing decision to transition in the late 1990s. He admitted that it was a novel and shocking idea, but he went through testosterone treatments and had his breasts surgically removed.
However, Beatie opted not to undergo a sex change operation because he was still hoping to bear his children. He met Nancy in the years following his transition, and the two agreed that he would carry their child when they decided to have a family since Nancy had a hysterectomy.
Their daughter was conceived via artificial insemination using his eggs and donor sperm. He revealed to People in 2008 that the pregnancy was not different from any other woman, except that he could breastfeed Susan.
Beatie also carried his two other children with his first wife. The father said that he doesn't see anything wrong with his choices because the bottom line was he was proud to be a dad.
His children with Nancy, are now entering their teenage years, and they divide their time between both parents since his ex-wife lives 10 miles away.
Can't Shake Off 'Pregnant Man'
But the dad of four said that though a lot has changed in 13 years and people are now more receptive to transgender issues, Beatie could never shake off the label of being the first man who got pregnant.
Despite this, he is grateful that his story got out to shine the light on what it means to be transgender. His experience gave the world a wider understanding of gender identity.
In 2018, The Guardian reported that six transgender men have also gotten pregnant after Beatie, including Hayden Cross and Scott Parker, the first two British pregnant men. Transgender pregnancy has also been widely studied, including the effects of testosterone treatments on the uterus. According to the experts, it is the stigma and not the medical issues that are the biggest barrier for trans men.
