A single gay man just made history with the birth of his son via surrogacy

A single gay man from Melbourne, Australia, is finally living his lifelong dream of fatherhood with the birth of his son via surrogacy. Despite a long and challenging journey, Shaun Resnik made history as the first single man in the Australian state of Victoria to become a father via surrogacy, following the arrival of his baby boy Eli Michael on March 22 this year. The process took three and a half years, but he could not be more thankful for his newborn son. He hoped that his story of fatherhood would open doors for other single folks who wish to become parents, The Daily Mail reports.

Resnik, aged 44, explained in an interview, "It is a love like I have never experienced before." He began his journey to fatherhood shortly after his 40th birthday. At first, he turned to local surrogacy groups on Facebook. A year later, he was introduced to Carla Pincombe, who was pregnant with a same-sex couple’s surrogate child at the time. The pair quickly became great friends as he continued his tedious search for other surrogate mothers. Unfortunately, Resnik endured a heartbreaking and unsuccessful journey with three other potential surrogates. Finally, Pincombe offered to carry his child for him. Then, a year ago, he met Bree, a mother-of-two who agreed to donate her eggs so his dream of fatherhood could become reality.

Last month, his son was finally born. Eli was named after Resnik's grandfather. "He's a good bubba," his father said. "As long as there is a bottle in his mouth he's calm, relaxed, and chilled. But he has a scream that will pierce your soul! He's keeping us up at night and if I wasn't bald, I would have lost my hair already." According to Resnik, fatherhood is exhausting but equally rewarding. He was inspired to become a father because of the close relationship he shares with his own parents.

He shared, "I've always wanted to be a dad as I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. Some of my fondest memories were going for walks with my dad and the dogs and we just have this amazing bond. I just wanted to have that connection with my beautiful kids and that's why it was worth it. It was hard work but worth it. At the time of my journey, I was a single gay man and I really yearned to have a family. I'm now in a relationship. He's just joined us on this journey. The house is full, with two dogs, a baby, and a partner. All of those dreams have come true."

Resnik's journey is significant because it has opened the doors for other single people who have also dreamed of becoming parents. "This is huge! It's time society got to see single gay men as dads," he affirmed. "I have always wanted to be a dad, I just didn't know how I was going to make it possible." Now, he has proven it is possible. For others looking to begin their journey, Resnik has some words of advice: "My advice is to go for it but don't put it off too long," he said. "This is a long process. It's a marathon, not a sprint."