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MidReal Story
The Older Father
Scenario:In a world where men can get pregnant. Hwa, who is a 42 year old korean boy who is ten weeks pregnant and goes to a high-risk doctor cause of his age. Hwa is married to his husband, kihyun, who is 41. And they already have a 18 year old daughter addie. Hwa and kihyun are happy to have a baby again
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Hwa
He is a 42yearold Korean man. He is resilient, loving, and hopeful. Hwa is experiencing pregnancy for the first time as he nears his due date. Despite his advanced age for pregnancy, he remains optimistic about becoming a new parent again. His marriage to Kihyun began when they were both 30 years old, and they have an 18yearold daughter named Addie. Hwa cherishes his family and looks forward to meeting his newborn son.
Addie
She is an 18yearold Korean woman and the daughter of Hwa and Kihyun. She is nurturing, understanding, and supportive. Addie stands by her parents during Hwa's pregnancy, assisting with household chores and caring for her father. She forms a close bond with her parents, especially excited about becoming an aunt soon. Addie embraces the idea of having a younger sibling and looks forward to the renewed family dynamic brought by her soontobeborn brother.
Kihyun
He is a 41yearold Korean man and Hwa's husband. He is supportive, nurturing, and caring. Kihyun has been a devoted partner to Hwa since their teenage years. He stands by Hwa through his pregnancy, caring for him with addie's help. Their relationship remains strong even with the challenges of Hwa’s advanced pregnancy age. Kihyun looks forward to welcoming a new family member and embracing the changes that come with being a father again.
I am ten weeks pregnant.
Yes, you read that right.
I am pregnant.
Not my husband, but me.
I know it sounds weird, but men can get pregnant too.
Not many know that, but yes, we can.
It’s not common, but it happens.
Men can have babies just like women.
We have a special organ inside us that can hold the baby until he is ready to be born.
My husband and I found out I was pregnant a week ago.
We were both happy, but also a little worried.
You see, I am 42 years old.
Which makes me a high-risk pregnancy.
My husband is 41.
We’ve been married since we were both 30 years old.
We have an 18-year-old daughter named Addie.
She’s the light of our lives.
We’re both proud parents of her and we can’t wait to meet our new son.
Our relationship started when we were both teenagers, but we didn’t start dating until we were both 30 years old.
I sit in the waiting room of the high-risk pregnancy clinic.
I have my medical file in my hand.
The receptionist had raised her eyebrows when she checked my age.
She made that clicking sound with her tongue.
Kihyun squeezes my hand as we watch all the younger pregnant men walk in and out.
Most of them are in their twenties.
A nurse calls my name, but she pronounces it wrong, like always.
"Mr. Bae?"
I nod and follow her to a room.
She takes my blood pressure and weight, then asks me a few questions.
She checks my file again and looks at me with that look people give me when they see my age.
"You’re 48 years old," she says in that patronizing tone I’ve heard so many times before.
"Yes," I answer, not sure where this is going.
"Well, you’re considered a geriatric pregnancy," she says, still looking at me like I’m some kind of freak. "Geriatric pregnancy?"
I ask, confused.
"Yes," she says, nodding.
"It’s a pregnancy that occurs in a man over the age of 35."
I stare at her, trying to process what she just said.
"Over 35?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Yes," I say, still trying to wrap my head around this new information.
"Well, congratulations," she says with a smile.
"You’re going to be a father again."
She writes something down on my file and then hands it back to me.
"Your blood pressure is a little high," she says, "but that’s normal for someone your age."
I take the file from her and thank her for her time.
As I walk out of the room, I can’t help but feel frustrated by what she just told me. Why do people assume over thirty is advanced age for pregnancy?
I turn to Kihyun and snap, "Why do people assume over thirty is advanced age for pregnancy?"
Kihyun looks at me, concern etched on his face.
"Do you think they’ll ever see us as just... normal?" he asks softly.
I sigh, glancing around the bustling clinic. "I hope so, but maybe it's up to us to redefine what normal means."
Back in the waiting room, I flip through my medical paperwork while Kihyun gets us some water.
My eyes land on a section filled out by the nurse.
Under "Age," she's written "41."
I frown, realizing yet another careless mistake.
I'm 42, not 41.
I stand up and walk over to the front desk.
The receptionist barely looks up from her computer as I approach.
"Excuse me," I say, holding out my medical file.
"I think there's a mistake here."
She sighs and takes the file from me, scanning it quickly.
"What's wrong?" she asks, still not looking up at me.
"It says I'm 41 years old," I explain patiently.
"But I'm actually 42."
She types something into her computer and then prints out a new label.
Without saying a word, she slaps it over the old one, smearing the ink in the process.
I glance at the new label, feeling the weight of being both seen and unseen in a world still learning to understand us.
I trudge up our driveway, still dwelling on the clinic's dismissive treatment.
Through the car window, I spot Addie gliding back and forth on her old roller skates, the ones we got her for her sixteenth birthday.
She's wearing knee pads and wrist guards, practicing tight turns on our smooth concrete.
The sight lifts my mood slightly.
Kihyun parks the car, and I watch as she executes a careful spin, her long hair whipping around.
She notices us and skates over, slightly wobbly but grinning.
The familiar scrape of her wheels against concrete drowns out my lingering frustrations from the clinic.
"Dad, you're back!" Addie exclaims, coming to a stop beside us.
"How was the appointment?"
I exchange a glance with Kihyun before answering, "It was fine, but they still think I'm 41."
Addie furrows her brow, and I slump down onto the porch steps, still feeling the weight of the clinic's dismissive attitude.
Addie rolls to a stop beside me, the wheels of her skates scraping against the concrete.
She pulls off her helmet, revealing a mess of damp hair stuck to her forehead.
She sits down next to me, tugging at the laces of her skates.
"What do you mean they think you're 41?" she asks, glancing up at me.
I sigh and run a hand through my hair.
"They treated me like I'm too old for this pregnancy," I explain.
"The nurse called it a 'geriatric pregnancy.'"
Addie looks at me, confusion etched on her face.
"Geriatric?"
I nod, remembering the nurse's patronizing tone.
"Yes. Apparently, that's what they call pregnancies in men over 35."
Addie laughs, catching me off guard.
"You don't look 42," she says, bumping her shoulder against mine playfully.
"You look nineteen to me." I stare at her, taken aback by her comment.
"Addie," I say slowly, "you know that's not true."
She shrugs and continues to unlace her skates.
"Well, you don't look your age," she insists.
Kihyun joins us on the porch steps, his eyes fixed on Addie as she removes her skates.
"What's so funny?" he asks curiously.
Addie looks up at him with a mischievous grin.
"Dad thinks he looks 42," she teases, nudging me with her elbow again.
Kihyun chuckles and shakes his head.