British man, 21, makes history by giving birth to baby girl thanks to sperm donor he found on Facebook
PROUD Hayden Cross has made history by becoming the first British man to give birth.
The 21-year-old, said of daughter Trinity-Leigh: “She’s my angel.”
Hayden, born Paige, gave birth by caesarean.
He put his transition on hold to fall pregnant by a sperm donor.
Cradling his daughter the beaming parent said: “She’s perfect in every way.”
And he told The Sun: “She is so good. I’m so lucky.”
Following the birth Hayden now plans to return to complete his gender realignment as soon as possible.
The proud father was born a girl, Paige, 21 years ago.
He has been living legally as a man for more than three years and taking male hormones, giving him facial hair and a deep voice.
The cost of gender reassignment is £29,000 per patient, including support and surgery.
But Hayden was also desperate to have a baby.
Before completing his transition he asked the NHS to freeze his eggs in a £4,000 process in the hope he might have children years later.
But health chiefs refused.
When The Sun on Sunday exclusively revealed his pregnancy in January, Hayden, from Gloucester, said: “I faced the prospect of not becoming the man I’m supposed to be, physically, or a dad.
“So I didn’t feel like I had any choice but to have a baby now then get back to transitioning.
“In September I got pregnant by a sperm donation.
“I found the donor on the internet.
“I looked on Facebook for a group and found one — it’s been shut down now. I didn’t have to pay.
“The man came to my house, he passed me the sperm in a pot and I did it via a syringe.”
Hayden Cross has no contact with the child’s biological dad and does not know his name.
He said at the time: “I found I was pregnant two weeks after the sperm was inserted.
“It was mixed emotions.
“I was happy but I also knew it would be backtracking on my transition.
“It’s like I have given myself one thing, but taken away something else.
“It’s a very female thing to carry a baby and it goes against everything I feel in my body.
"I was finally starting to become myself and become a man physically — but now my body is going in the opposite direction.”
Hayden’s mum also gave birth to a boy last month.
Hayden, who used to work for Asda and in a clothes shop, aims to find a job once the baby is aged one.
The Man United fan told us in January: “I want the baby to have the best of everything. I will be the greatest dad.”
He insisted: “I will go back to Asda or something.
“I will work anywhere.
“I’ll put the baby in childcare so I can provide for it.
“I want to save lots of money so I can send the baby to private school.
“I don’t mind what the kid does when older.
“As long as they are happy and respectful, I don’t care.
“I just want to make sure that they have the best opportunities in life.
“I will be proud no matter what.”
But he ruled out breastfeeding, saying: “I hate my boobs.
“I want to have the child and get back to full transitioning.”
Hayden later told Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show: “I’ve had some good reactions and bad ones.
“I’ve had death threats, people threatening to beat me up.
“But a lot of people don’t really understand the situation.
“I want them to be more aware.”
American Thomas Beatie, now 43, said he suffered after becoming the world’s first man to give birth in 2008.
Born female, he was able to conceive as he had retained his womb after a partial sex change.
He now has three children — Susan, eight, Austin, seven and Jensen, six.
Thomas, of Phoenix, Arizona, said he was called a “freak” and received death threats.
His 26-year relationship with first wife Nancy was a casualty of his fame in 2012.
Thomas said: “Before I became pregnant I was a millionaire but I plunged into a financial crisis.
“Being labelled the world’s first pregnant man left me unemployable and barely able to afford to eat.
“My family were disgusted by me.
“Hayden must prepare for all that and more as he is much younger than I was and doesn’t have a partner to support him.
MOST READ IN NEWS
“My advice would be to grow a very thick skin.”
In January The Sun arranged for Thomas to speak to Hayden.
The American warned: “We weren’t prepared for the abuse.
“They threatened to kill me and my unborn baby.”
Thomas married teacher Amber, 46, last year.
He added: “I wish people could be less bigoted and more accepting of men like Hayden and me.
“But I guarantee no abuse will matter to Hayden when he holds his baby in his arms.”
£30K FOR FEMALE TO MALE SWITCH
By Andy Jehring
HAYDEN’S gender transition process on the NHS costs an average of £29,975 for a female to male.
Switching from male to female costs £13,867.
In 2014/15 the total cost to the NHS in England was £17.1million.
The budget was increased to £22.7million for the following year
There are approximately 3,000 patients per year at differing stages of their transition — two thirds of which are becoming women.
A trans person can only officially start the process on the NHS aged 18.
But doctors can prescribe hormone blockers before then if deemed appropriate.
Patients must have “socially transitioned” for two years — usually via hormone treatment — before they are allowed to have gender surgery.
For hormone treatment they must book an appointment at a gender identity clinic, which has an 18-month waiting list.
There a doctor will assess for gender dysphoria — where patients have discomfort or distress because there is a mismatch between their biological sex and gender.
Following blood tests they will then be put on testosterone if they are transitioning from female to male, and after two years they will be eligible for surgery.
Female-to-male sex change surgery consists of three operations over 18 months, giving the body time to recover.
Chest surgery is a one-off operation that can be done at any point.
Female-to-male chest surgery costs on average £6,416, while male to female vaginoplasty costs £10,500 and male-to-female breast augmentation is £4,452.
Leading NHS doctors recently argued that women born male should be given womb transplants so they can have children.