Brian Dowling has shared his joy at becoming a father alongside his husband Arthur Gourounlian after their surrogate gave birth to a baby girl.
The couple introduced their daughter, who they have named Blake, after she was born on September 1.
Brian, 43, wrote alongside a photo of him and Arthur holding their new baby, and a snap from her birth: ‘Please be upstanding for the arrival of our BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER Blake Maria Rose Dowling Gourounlian. Yes people another BDG.
‘Blake was delivered safely on Thursday September 1st at 14:52pm weighting 7lb 4ozs. We are ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY IN LOVE with her & can’t believe she’s here & is ours.’
He also paid tribute to the anonymous egg donor as well as his 33-year-old sister Aoife, who acted as their surrogate, adding: ‘None of this would have been possible without our donor, a woman we have never met or even seen a picture of but has given us the GIFT OF LIFE.
‘Now, where do we even start with you you are a SAINT to us & we will FOREVER be GRATEFUL to you for the REST OF OUR LIVES. Baby Blake can’t wait for her Aunty Aoife to spoil her. .’
Brian was seen cradling Blake in their pyjamas, telling his followers in a video: ‘So our news is out and we are so happy baby Blake is here and that’s Arthur singing with excitement.
‘We left the hospital yesterday and Aoife checked out today and its been crazy since we had her on Thursday.’
Brian and Arthur have been married for seven years but kept their baby journey private until recently,
He wrote at the time: ‘It COMPLETELY FILLS OUR HEARTS @gourounlian to be able to reveal we are PREGNANT & due to our BEAUTIFUL bundle of joy later this year.’
He admitted they ‘never thought this day would be a reality for us’, saying they felt ‘lucky and blessed’ to be expecting a child.
‘For a lot of us out there & especially people from our community we have to fight harder & push harder for what others consider to be something that can be achieved easily (sic),’ he added.Â
