Why Pregnant Francesca Farago Recommends Having a Baby With a Trans Man

Not many pregnant women have a partner who can say he's been there, done that—and really mean it.

But as Francesca Farago knows, it's a wonderfully supportive dynamic if you can get it.

"It's been a dream," the Too Hot to Handle alum, who's expecting twins with fiancé Jesse Sullivan, exclusively told E! News of being with someone who has experienced pregnancy. "Because I'm just like, 'Is this normal?' 'OK, did you feel this?' He's like, 'Yeah.' And he's been through it, so he's been the most amazing support system."

Sullivan, 34, is dad to 15-year-old Arlo from a high school-era relationship. He was raising Arlo as a single parent when he transitioned, documenting his story for his now 3-million-strong TikTok following.

Farago, 30, met Sullivan in 2022, the couple immediately feeling that zsa-zsa-zsu over Zoom when she sat down to interview him for a TikTok Pride event, and they announced their engagement in April 2023.

So, it was hardly a stretch for the media-savvy pair to share the at times very raw details of the IVF journey they embarked on last year, starting with Sullivan having his eggs retrieved and frozen, after which Farago did the same. Using sperm from a donor they know but whose identity they're keeping to themselves for now, the plan was to use her embryos for their first child and Sullivan's for a second—unless she got pregnant with twins the first time.

Which, reader, she did.

And together they've been rolling with the highs ("buying baby clothes is how I wake up in the morning") and lows (a "brutal" first trimester) ever since. Going on a tip from a Snapchat commenter, Farago also found out she had a short cervix. When she spoke to E!, she was expecting to undergo a cerclage—getting temporary sutures to help shore up tissue in the uterine cervix—and was coming to terms with having to throw her birth plan out the window.

"Originally my plan was 'just don't die,' make sure the babies are here safely," she said. "I really wanted to give birth naturally and vaginally." But in light of her condition, "I'm most likely going to have to get a C-section and I'm really bummed about it." 

And not only because the bikini-loving Farago the Label founder is admittedly "just vain" and doesn't want the scar. "I really wanted to experience birth," she explained. "It's just something I've always wanted to do. But maybe if I have a single baby in the future, I'll be able to do that naturally." 

At least, Farago added, a planned C-section would be "a little bit less stressful" and she won't be in labor for an unknowable number of hours. 

But in any and all cases, she's got Sullivan by her side and he's been her rock.

"He doesn't want me to cook, he doesn't want me to clean, he wants to just love me and support me and make sure I'm comfortable," Farago shared. "I don't think any other male, especially, would ever be able to understand like Jesse does, because he's done it and he's raised a child."

Since Sullivan was just 17 at the time, she continued, "I don't think he was thinking about what could go wrong. He was just thinking about how he was going to have a baby. But having him has been amazing. Like, 10 out of 10, highly recommend being engaged to a trans man who has given birth."

Meanwhile, being so online, Farago is obviously aware of just how much judgment awaits everyone on social media, let alone a modern family such as hers. But she knows what's in her heart, and that's all that matters.

"I've seen people comment on other queer people's posts, as well, like, 'That baby needs their biological father,' or, 'That baby needs their biological mother,'" Farago said, "failing to realize that the people that do IVF—queer or straight—want these babies so bad, and are going to love these children so much. And they are probably in one of the most loving households that there can be because of how much time and effort and money people put into having these babies. They're going to be so loved." 

Moreover, she continued, "People focus on biology and DNA so much that they forget babies don't really care about that."

Her kids may have questions when they're older, and Farago said they will eventually know the identity of their sperm donor.

But, she added, "when they're kids they just want to be loved. We can provide that for them, and that's the most important part. That's all that matters."

Keep reading for more on how Farago and Sullivan went from meeting cute to planning their family: 

Though Francesca Farago tried her luck with love on a few reality dating shows, including Too Hot to Handle, she met her perfect match in Jesse Sullivan while hosting an event online.

“TikTok hired me to host an event for Pride Month,” Francesca told Elite Daily in 2023. “It was over Zoom. It was a TikTok live event with Willow Smith and the app’s LGBTQ+ Trailblazers. I interviewed three people and Jesse was one of them. We met on Zoom and just fell in love very quickly.”

And though her time on season one of Netflix’s Perfect Match (which aired in 2023) didn’t work out, Francesca knew that fate had bigger plans in store.

In fact, as the reality star shared in a TikTok, “Literally the minute I left that villa, I texted Jesse, and I was like, 'Hey, are you still single? I'm traumatized and do you want to hang out?'"

And the rest is history. Since then, the pair have shared insight into their romance on social media. “We’re just so in love, and I feel that’s obvious with what we post,” she told Elite Daily. “Some couples share a filtered version of the happy times, but they don’t post anything negative. We actually don’t have any negative times. It’s all positive.”

Two years after they first met, Francesca and Jesse were ecstatic to start a brand new chapter together.

“WE’RE ENGAGED,” Francesca shared in a May 2023 Instagram post, “a glimpse into the most magical night ever, obsessed with our family… what is life!!” Fast forward to early 2024, and the couple made it clear that they were keen on starting a family, even before their nuptials.

"We want a huge wedding, but I think it would be so cute if we had a little baby in our arms or two babies in our arms at the wedding," Francesca exclusively told Live From E! host Laverne Cox at the People’s Choice Awards that February. "So, hopefully we can have a baby first and then do the wedding after."

And as predicted, Francesca and Jesse—who is dad to teenager Arlo from a previous relationship—announced they were expanding their family.

"We wanted to take this special day to celebrate this amazing milestone with all of you," Francesca wrote on Instagram March 31. "We've brought you with us through the loss, so we couldn't wait to bring you along for the win. I am still pretty newly pregnant, and there's so much more to come, but we are so excited to be growing our family with Arlo as the coolest older sibling! AHH IM PREGNANT!"

As for Jesse, he was more than excited to share the news. "We're pregnant!" the influencer, who came out as transgender in 2019, captioned a clip. "Its been such a struggle to get here, but we felt like TDOV was the perfect day to let you all in on our celebration. Im so proud of @Francesca Farago for fighting her way to get here, and I fall more in love with her every day. Thank you for following our journey, and heres to more trans joy!"

A week after the pair confirmed Francesca is pregnant, Jesse shared they'll be adding not one but two more members to their family.

"We're having twins," Jesse wrote under his April 7 TikTok. "We know it's early but we're preparing for the best."

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