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Pete Buttigieg on parenthood: 'Most demanding thing' I've ever done

The transportation secretary and his husband, Chasten, announced in August that they had become the parents of two newborns.
/ Source: NBC News

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former Navy intelligence officer and 2020 presidential candidate, said that being a first-time parent was the “most demanding thing I think I’ve ever done.”

“I used to think of 5 a.m. as early. Now, I think of it as naptime if I’m lucky,” Buttigieg said Thursday in an interview with MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Mika Brzezinski. “And yet, I catch myself grinning half the time.”

“It’s been wonderful. It’s everything people tell you to expect and more,” he added. “I think the biggest thing that surprised me is just how much joy there is even sometimes in the hard parts.”

Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, announced that they had become parents of two newborns in August.

“For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents!” the transportation secretary wrote on Twitter. “The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon.”

Buttigieg and his husband, an author and former teacher, have been married since 2018. The couple put their South Bend, Indiana, home on the market this year, and, according to The Washington Post, they now live in a one-bedroom apartment in Washington’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with their dogs.

Buttigieg, who served as mayor of South Bend from 2012 to 2019, made history this year as the first openly gay Cabinet member to be confirmed by the Senate. Last year, after narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, he became the first gay presidential candidate to win a primary contest. At 39, Buttigieg is also the youngest person to lead the Department of Transportation.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.

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