Raising a Child with my MTF Wife

[tehshort1]

Merry Meet all! My amazing and beautiful MtF wife, Gwen and I just welcomed our amazing baby Boy into the world this February.

My wife is on month 6 of hormone replacement therapy and is starting to have noticable breasts ^.^  At the moment, she still wears baggy masculine clothes and still is sporting her beard (almost like a protective mask). Not many people know that she is transitioning and they still know her as a man. We are talking about her coming out soon to everyone so that she can shave and dress as she really wants to.

We want to raise our son to be a loving, caring, and open/accepting person. I would appreciate any advice on how to deal with people who are negative about her change and ways to help our son as he grows. I know he is going to have to deal with alot of questions and I want him to be well rounded and able to take on any nay-sayers with confidence. Thank you!

[Jessica Merriman]

Right now just revel in the little miracle and get used to a LOT of work. I loved it when my kids were infants as it really brought out the woman in me. Enjoy him because some day it will be car keys and money, NOW!

As for the negatives in the world just strengthen your bond with you SO and you can both deal with anything that comes up in the future. If people ask about your situation I always found a good knowledge of the subject is invaluable. It is entirely up to you though and don't feel like you owe anyone an explanation if you don't want to give it. Live your lives fully and remember there will always be haters and naysayers out there. It is entirely possible you will not have a bad a time as you would think. Acceptance and tolerance is slowly building in the world. It is not quite there yet, but it is coming. Congrats on the new arrival!

[Brooke777]

Just raise your child like any other loving parents raise their's. My son has had no issues with my transition, and he is the sweetest kid in the world! He is aware that there are hateful people out there, and that the best way to deal with them is with love and kindness. I don't feel that having two parents of the same gender has any effect on how a child turns out.

Congratulations on the baby!

[judithlynn]

Hi;
One thing you should do is ask your Doctor and Nurse Practitioner about putting your wife Gwen on  Progesterone and then sharing the breast feeding load between the both of you. Your wife will need to use a Double breast pump to help build up the milk ducts but by both of you doing the breast feeding it will really help the new baby to bond with both of you. Truly breast feeding a new baby is a wonderful experience  for al of us and there is no reason at all  for both MTF  Transwomen to also breast feed with the right preparation.

Judith