by Becomes ‘sᴇᴀʜᴏʀsᴇ Parent’ The Pregnant Man Gives Birth After One Night ‘Grindr Hook-Up’
A pregnant man has welcomed a baby girl after falling pregnant while ᴛʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ, and says carrying the child helped him through the ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ while the initial shock has given way to an immense love. A man who fell pregnant from a one night Grindr hook-up is ᴀᴅᴊᴜsᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʟɪFᴇ as a “sᴇᴀʜᴏʀsᴇ parent” after welcoming a baby girl.
Ash Patrick Schade, 28, had spent two years ᴛʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ before finding out he was pregnant in February 2020.
He been ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴇsᴛᴏsᴛᴇʀᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴇsᴛʀᴏɢᴇɴ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇʀs, and thought that would ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ. But after finding out the happy news he ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ᴘᴀᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀʀʀʏ and birth to his daughter, Ronan Shiva, now one. The dad-of-one had sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ with his ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ identity for as long as he could remember but was excited to start a family of his own as a sᴇᴀʜᴏʀsᴇ parent, claiming that his pregnancy aided him through the ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ.
A sᴇᴀʜᴏʀsᴇ parent is a term used to ᴅᴇsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴀ ɢᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴡʜᴏ ɪs ᴛʀᴀɴsɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴏʀ ɴᴏɴ-ʙɪɴᴀʀʏ. The term comes from sᴇᴀʜᴏʀsᴇs, of which the male carry and birth their young.
Ash said: “At the time I got pregnant, I was on ᴛᴇsᴛᴏsᴛᴇʀᴏɴᴇ ɢᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴇsᴛʀᴏɢᴇɴ ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇʀs, ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀʀᴇᴅ to me that I could get pregnant whilst on them, as it’s such a ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴏᴄᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴄe. I was going through a rough time from 2019 and 2020 and sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ with my mental health due to going through a ᴅɪᴠᴏʀᴄᴇ.”
“I was such a ʜɪɢʜ-ʀɪsᴋ ᴄᴀsᴇ, with a lot of ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ Fᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴀᴡʀʏ. I sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ with the pregnancy, especially with the ᴘᴀɴᴅᴇᴍɪᴄ. When I went into labour, the team of ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ sᴛᴀFF ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʙʀɪᴇFᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ and were amazing, until they were swapped out with different staff members later on.
Despite the ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇs of his pregnancy, Ash found solace in the support of his husband, the online LBGTQI+ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ.
He said: “I felt like I was in the wrong body for as long as I could remember. I ʜɪᴅ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴏʙs ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪFɪᴇᴅ as a boy at school and went by Ash, and wore gothic dark clothes as a way to ʜɪᴅᴇ how I looked. Until one day, my mum, who does not wish to be named, sent me to school in a pink two piece for picture day and my teacher loudly declared that I was actually a girl called Ashley. I went from popular to a nobody overnight, with my then girlfriend’s mum calling my mum to ‘keep that ɢᴀʏ sʟᴜʀ ᴏF ᴀ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ away from my daughter. I had a really ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟᴇ childhood and am a sᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴏʀ Fʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ᴅʏsᴘʜᴏʀɪᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀ I went through.”
