Intersex Child 'Would've Been Loved No Matter What' By Mother
(CBS) -- The joy of birth gives way to uncertainty when the sex of an otherwise healthy baby cannot be determined. WBBM's Steve Miller spoke with families who are facing the unknown.
Violet and her husband met seven years ago. And almost two years ago, they had a child.
Like many husbands, Violet's was with her for the delivery. When she was told, "It's a boy."
"My husband, the look he gave me wasn't a happy... I mean he was happy that I had the baby, but I think he was still in a way shocked at what he was seeing."
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The diagnosis was hypospadias. Simply put, an abnormally placed urinary hole.
"And when they told him they were going to be doing tests to see if it was a boy or a girl, that took him to a different level of his feeling. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to feel.
"I think I was the stronger one. I told him that everything was going to be OK. The important thing is, overall he's good."
Violet says her husband struggled. "Males sometimes think, it's their manhood, you know?"
Her son has undergone some surgeries.
"I was afraid that he would never be able to pee from his penis. And the day came that he did, after the second surgery. And you know what? That was like a day we will never forget."
"Even if he was going to be a girl or a boy or both - transgender or whatever - he's still my son. And he would've been loved no matter what."
This is the third part of a five part series. For part one, click here. For part two, click here.
Lurie Children's Hospital is one of the medical centers in the Chicago area that treats patients with a variety of disorders of sexual development.
The DSD clinic estimates that 1 in every 4,500 children has a disorder of sexual development, although other estimates range from 1 in 1,500 to 1 in 5,000.
Lurie's DSD clinic currently treats 72 patients.
For more information on Lurie's DSD Clinic, click here.
Parents we spoke with for this series recommended the website www.dsdfamilies.org.
