A transgender man and his wife are celebrating their extraordinary friendship with an ex-boyfriend of them both, who introduced them, was an usher at their wedding and finally became their sperm donor—making them the proud parents of a little boy.
Still living as a woman when Jayden Chapman, 33, first met his now-wife, Keeley, 28, through a friend, Jeremiah Vieth—who they had both dated—for four-and-a-half years, they were just pals.
For, while Jayden, a customer services representative, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, knew he was trapped in the wrong body from an early age, it took him decades to summon the courage to come out—first telling Keeley, only for their feelings to then become romantic.
With her full support, he began hormone treatment to transition from female to male and, once they became an established couple, he and Keeley discussed starting a family—exploring their options together and finding an $89 at-home insemination kit.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah, who had been an usher at their May 2018 wedding, remained such a central figure in their lives that he was their natural choice of sperm donor—a role he was delighted to take.
Incredibly, falling pregnant on their first attempt, stay-at-home mum Keeley delivered baby Keeden—a blend of his parents' names—on October 6, 2019, a happy, healthy, 8lb 15oz boy.
Jayden said:
“I knew how I felt about Keeley from day one, so it was a dream come true when she told me she felt the same."
“She had always wanted children, so from early on in our relationship, she told me that she could see herself marrying me and having a family."
“When Keeden was first born, it was so overwhelming—it all got very real, very fast. He's a happy, healthy, chubby little thing now, meeting all his milestones."
Meanwhile, Keeley was taken aback when she fell pregnant so easily.
She said:
“We didn't want to get our hopes up, but the kit worked on the first try."
“If it hadn't, we'd have kept going, kept trying. To others out there trying to start a family, I would say this—don't give up."
Jayden, who has never been happier than he feels now as a husband and father, says that, looking back, he never felt comfortable as a girl.
He explained:
“I felt forced to be a girly girl, but whenever I was doing anything stereotypically male, like playing sport or wearing masculine clothes—that's when I was at my happiest."
Keeping his feelings secret for years, he lived as a woman and even dated Jeremiah off and on, before they agreed they worked better as friends.
Then, in October 2011, Jeremiah introduced Jayden to his then-girlfriend Keeley.
Jayden recalled:
“Keeley and Jeremiah were dating at the time and he wanted to throw her a 20th birthday party, but asked if he could use my apartment, as there was more space."
“I said yes, but that I wanted to meet her first, so it wouldn't be awkward. We clicked right away, and have been inseparable ever since."
While their relationship was initially platonic, the bond between Jayden and Keeley was so strong that eventually, in August 2013, he told her he was transgender.
Meanwhile, Keeley and Jeremiah had ended their romance, although they remained firm friends.
“I hadn't told anybody until that point, but Keeley made me feel so comfortable and accepted that it felt like the right time to come out," continued Jayden.
Ironically, Keeley admits that she did not even understand what being transgender meant back then.
She said:
“I didn't really know what it meant to be transgender until Jayden explained it to me."
“But I still felt determined to be there for him and support him every step of the way."
The following month, in September 2013, Jayden made an appointment at the University of Iowa's LGBTQ clinic, to discuss beginning his transition to male.
Placed on a course of hormone treatment, given as daily testosterone shots, he also met with psychotherapists at every stage of his transition, to ensure he was feeling mentally strong enough to continue.
He has been approved for top surgery—the surgical removal of breast tissue—but wants to wait until Keeden is a little older, as the recovery time means he will be unable to help Keeley with everyday chores as much.
Unwaveringly supportive, Keeley was there throughout and, in time, the pair realised they had developed deep romantic feelings for each other—becoming an official couple in March 2016.
Aware that, as Jayden is transgender, their road to parenthood would not be straightforward, they began discussing options early on—considering sperm banks and private clinics, but they could not afford the hefty price tag.
But extensive online research led them to discover Mosie baby, an at-home insemination kit aimed at couples for whom traditional methods are not an option, which they can try before attempting invasive or expensive alternatives.
Keeley said of the kits, each of which includes two insemination syringes, instructions and a collection cup for the donor's sperm:
“We had researched so many ways to start a family, but Mosie baby just seemed right."
“I'd be able to do it at home, where I could be comfortable and relax, it wasn't insanely expensive and there were lots of success stories on the website from couples like us."
And they both knew there was only one person they wanted to ask to be their donor.
Keeley continued:
“We went back and forth between having an anonymous donor, or somebody we knew, and both thought of Jeremiah before we spoke to each other. He has been such a huge part of our relationship—he's the one that brought us together, after all."
And Jayden, who says that they would never be parents without having found Mosie baby, heaps praise on the friend who brought him and Keeley together.
He said:
“It is funny to think we both dated him—me when I was living as a female—but neither of our break ups were bad. We both figured we'd be better as friends, and Jeremiah means the world to us both."
So, in October 2018, they asked him to be their donor which, after careful consideration, he happily agreed to.
Trying their first Mosie kit in January 2019, to their delight, just over a week later, an early-detection pregnancy test revealed some happy news.
Keeley recalled:
“I had never been pregnant before, so I didn't actually realise these were symptoms at the time, but looking back, I had been moody, and found I had a heightened sense of smell."
She continued:
“My family would joke, 'I bet you're pregnant.' I was trying not to get ahead of myself, but I took a test 10 days after I'd used the insemination kit, and it was positive."
“The two blue lines were faint, but they were there. I took it while Jayden was sleeping, then surprised him when he woke up. It was such an emotional moment and we were so excited to see it all finally happening for us."
After a “rough" first trimester, where she suffered terribly with nausea and sickness, Keeley's pregnancy became much more enjoyable, and little Keeden was delivered in a home birth on 6 October.
Now, he is a beautiful, bouncing four-month old, and Jayden and Keeley are loving their new lives as parents—choosing to share their story to both thank Jeremiah for helping them and to give hope to other couples trying to conceive.
Jayden said:
“I'd advise people to do their research, to speak to multiple sources and to not be afraid to ask questions."
“If Mosie baby hadn't worked the first time, we'd have definitely tried it again. The developers were so kind and friendly—they even sent us a really lovely personal message when we contacted them to tell them that we'd had a baby."
Echoing her husband's sentiments, Keeley concluded:
“I want to tell others to trust their guts, follow their instincts and go with what they feel is right for them when starting a family."
“But most importantly—don't give up."
Jeremiah said:
“I dated Jayden and Keeley, and introduced them both, so it is wonderful to think that out of my failed relationships with the two of them came this beautiful thing."
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