In his first television interview, Thomas said he wept “tears of joy” after seeing his unborn baby girl during an ultrasound scan, and told how he deliberately kept his female reproductive organs in case he wanted children.

The 34-year-old appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with his wife Nancy Roberts to tell the world about their incredible pregnancy.

Thomas, who used to be known as Tracy Lagondino, told the US chat show host that expecting a baby did not make him feel any less of a man.

He was born a girl, in Hawaii, but realised he wanted to be a man during his college years and began taking testosterone injections to change his gender.

But the expectant father told Oprah: “I opted not to do anything to my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day. I didn’t know how, it was just a dream, there was no plan laid out.

“I have a very stable male gender identity. I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn’t define who I am.

“I feel like it’s not a male or female desire to have a child, it’s a human desire. I’m a person and I have a right to have my own biological child.” The show filmed footage of Thomas and Nancy, 45, at their home in Oregon and going to the hospital for a scan. The couple, who began dating in 1998 – when Thomas was still a woman – have  started buying clothes and toys for their baby. Thomas and Nancy struggled to find a doctor who would help them with their unusual pregnancy, but eventually found  Kimberly James. “As soon as I met Thomas and Nancy, I thought they were a very devoted couple,” Dr James said.

“They deserve quality medical care, just like everybody else. This baby’s totally healthy and this is, I consider, a normal pregnancy.”

Thomas said he expected the world to be stunned.

“I think people will be shocked because no one’s ever heard of a man giving birth before.”

“I guess it’s a shock in context, but in this day and age it’s possible.

“I think that different is normal and love makes a family,” Thomas added. “That’s all that matters.”

Nancy joked: “I bet a lot of women would like to have their husbands pregnant.”