Britain’s first transgender parents have had a second baby, and say their family shows ‘what people can achieve when they’re given love and support’.
Jake, 42, and Hannah Graf, 33, from south London, appeared on the Lorraine show today to talk about their new baby Teddy, who was carried by a surrogate and born by emergency c-section.
The recent birth of their second daughter followed the April 2020 arrival of their first child, Millie Winter Graf, who is believed to be the first baby born in the UK to transgender parents by a surrogate.
Speaking to Lorraine, the couple said their new baby is ‘easy’, but her older sister Millie is more of a challenge to care for – particularly now she has a new sibling.
A couple believed to be the UK’s first transgender parents, Hannah and Jake Graf, have just had their second baby, a daughter called Teddy Susan
The couple revealed that their older daughter Millie (pictured), who was born in April 2020, keeps wanting to kiss and hold her new sister
However, she seems besotted with the new arrival, according to Jake, who revealed: ‘[Millie] is being very sweet.
‘She keeps wanting to kiss Teddy wants to hold Teddy and so you know, you put her in her arms and she kind of sits there with this little lump on her lap. And it’s really beautiful to see. So given a year and they’ll be better friends.’
The pair then addressed how happy they are to have two children, with Hannah saying: ‘When I came out as trans, I thought I was giving up the opportunity to be in a relationship, let alone find love, get married and have kids.
‘So you have to pinch yourself in the middle of the night to remind yourself that it’s real.
‘But we just feel so lucky and so privileged and we know that there are so many trans people who would love to have what we have and you know, we are where we are because of the support we’ve been given by our friends and family.’
She added: ‘So it just goes to show that’s what you can. That’s what people can achieve when they’re just given love and support.’
During the interview, Jake and Hannah also opened up about losing a baby, when their surrogate Laura suffered an ectopic pregnancy.
Hannah said: ‘I think with Millie happening first time, we [had a ] false sense of security.’
She said they thought everything was going well with the pregnancy, following the positive pregnancy tests.
‘And then all of a sudden, Laura had to call us up and give it that that difficult news,’ Hannah added.
The couple, believed to be the UK’s first trans parents, came on Lorraine today to reveal their new baby and talk about their journey to becoming a family
Lorraine asked the couple how they felt about being parents – and if they had ever thought they would have a family
Baby Teddy Susan is the couple’s second baby, following the arrival of their first child Millie, who was born in April 2020
‘And it was difficult for us, because we were emotionally grieving, and having lost a child we had a limited number of embryos to start off with so it really hurt us.
‘But then Laura had to go through all the actual physical things that go along with ectopic pregnancy which is difficult for her.’
Despite the ectopic pregnancy, Jake noted: ‘I mean, come on how lucky have we been – we’ve had two out of three, we’ve been absolutely blessed, and we know that every day.’
According to the couple, they have also been blessed with lots of kindness from the public, with Jake saying: ‘We get so many messages from people saying “I’ve never seen a trans person before…I didn’t know that you are normal”.
‘You know, we just need to see more trans people out there living our lives – and we are everything from doctors, to nurses, to actors, to activists.
‘We’re just the same as anybody else and we just want people to know that.’
According to the couple (pictured) they receive lots of messages from people, who say they’ve learnt more about trans people from them
However, Jake and Hannah (pictured) still believe there is a ‘long way to go’ when it comes to trans rights and advocacy
The trio also discussed how trans rights have progressed in recent times, with Jake agreeing with Lorraine that there is still a ‘long way to go’.
He said: ‘Unfortunately, everyone is talking about us and about trans women and where they should be.
‘Should they be in women’s spaces…and whether trans women’s rights are sort of infringing on the rights of cisgender women, which we know is not the case and talking about trans kids, but not talking to those trans children or to their families who have seen them thrive when they’re supported.
‘We’re just hearing so much talk, but unfortunately, not hearing from the actual trans people who are living those lives.’
Lorraine replied: ‘And that’s what’s going to happen which is why it’s such a joy to see both of you here today.’
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