A transgender father who has just given birth to a baby has made medical history twice.
Maaike contracted COVID-19 from his partner when he was nine months' pregnant.
When he gave birth to his baby in March, he was the first Western person to have a child with COVID-19.
New Zealand Herald reports that Maaike was also the first person who didn't need medical assistance during the COVID birth.
Coronavirus has since been found to cause difficulties during pregnancies and labour.
Maaike's partner of two years, Holly Zwalf says her partner birthed his baby while in quarantine, making medical history as the first birth to COVID-positive parents outside of China, and the first unassisted COVID birth in the world.
Maaike, a 43-year-old from regional Queensland, transitioned to a man but was still able to birth his "miracle" baby.
He is a father-of-two, and has given birth to both kids.
For this pregnancy he was impregnated through an anonymous donor.
Zwalf also has a child of her own.
Zwalf says they were always going to be the unconventional family in the birthing ward, but they never anticipated how much of a stir they would cause.
She returned from the UK in late February and had unknowingly brought the coronavirus with her.
Still in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zwalf was just the 15th case in Queensland.
The family's record-breaking birth is now the focus of research by the Infectious Diseases Department at the Sunshine Coast University.
Source: NZ Herald
