Wyley Simpson, 28, says he ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ a lot of ʀɪᴅɪᴄᴜʟᴇ as a pregnant man before giving birth to his son Rowan. Wyley Simpson, of San Antonio, Texas, had already started his ᴛʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴ from Fᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀʟᴇ when he ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ news.

He was pregnant. He was “ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜs” ᴀɴᴅ “sᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ” over the news as he and his fiancé, Stephan Gaeth, also 28, were not prepared to become parents. The couple considered placing the child for ᴀᴅᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ, but ultimately chose to grow their family. Simpson decided he would endure any public ʀɪᴅɪᴄᴜʟᴇ during the pregnancy because “it would be worth it” in the end.

It’s not every day that someone sees a pregnant man walking down the road, so we received a fair about of ᴀʙᴜsᴇ,” Simpson said. “I would be told that I’ll never be a man, ‘Men don’t carry babies.’ And everyone called me ‘it.’ ”

Simpson said the ʀɪᴅɪᴄᴜʟᴇ wasn’t the only hardship of the pregnancy. He also sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟʟʏ to ᴄᴏᴘᴇ with the pregnancy as he put his ᴛʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴ on ʜᴏʟᴅ.

“I was already ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ as this was my first pregnancy, but I was also ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜs because I had to ᴅᴇᴀʟ with a lot of sᴛɪɢᴍᴀ behind me being a pregnant man,” he said. “But ᴀʟᴏɴɢsɪᴅᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠɪɴɢ ʀᴜᴅᴇ comments from other people, the pregnancy took a lot for me emotionally.” Despite all the emotional and physical difficulties of the pregnancy, Simpson said it was all worth it to become a father.

“Having gone through the ᴛʀᴀɴsɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss since I was 21 years old, having a physical baby ʙᴜᴍᴘ was something so Fᴇᴍɪɴɪɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴇssᴇᴅ with ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ,” he said. “But it was all worth it to have Rowan and to become a father.”

Rowan was born via C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ on Sept. 5, 2018 weighing 7 lbs and 5 oz. Now, Simpson and Gaeth are enjoying fatherhood.

“Rowan is amazing, he made all of the ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ it, once my physical ʙᴜᴍᴘ had disappeared and I was ᴀʙʟᴇ to take my ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇs again, I felt good about everything. Myself and Stephan suddenly turned into a ɢᴀʏ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ with a baby, as opposed to me being a pregnant man. And Rowan is amazing, he made all of the ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ᴡᴏʀᴛʜ it, Now myself and Stephan are just reveling in fatherhood and can’t wait to continue our journey as a family.”” Simpson said

Although the couple is enjoying life with little Rowan, Simpson said they don’t plan to have any more children because he is hoping to fully transition in the future.

“It was a great feeling to be able to carry Rowan, feeling him ᴋɪᴄᴋ and going to baby sᴄᴀɴs, but for me as a person, it isn’t something I can continue to do, I don’t see myself as any less of a man because of what happened, but I just do not identify in such a ғᴇᴍɪɴɪɴᴇ way as to be pregnant – so it won’t be happening again. I am glad that I got to go through something as amazing and natural as ʙɪʀᴛʜɪɴɢ my own child, it’s definitely made mine and Rowan’s bond so much closer.”Simpson said