First British baby wey dem born afta dem use transplanted womb from dead donor

One baby boy don bicom di first pikin for UK dem go born wit di use of womb wey dem transplant from one dead donor.

Dem born Grace Bell, wey dey her 30s without a viable womb, her little boy Hugo, wey be 10 weeks old now, na "simply a miracle".

Bell and her partner Steve Powell from Kent don pay tribute to di "kindness and selflessness" of di donor and her family for dia "incredible gift", while also thanking medical teams in Oxford and London wey support dia journey.

Di surgeons involved for di birth say "a ground-breaking moment", wey fit give hope to many more women wit a similar diagnosis.

'Incredible gift'

Dem born Hugo just bifor Christmas 2025, e weigh nearly 7lbs, for Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital for west London.

Bell na one of around 5,000 women for UK wey dey affected by one condition wey di name na MRKH syndrome. E mean say dem born her without womb and she no dey do periods but she get normal ovaries.

At di age of 16, doctors tell her say she no go fit carry her own child.

To get pikin, di couple only option na to hope for a womb transplant or do surrogacy.

Wen she receive phone call say pesin don donate her womb and transplant dey possible, Bell remember being "in complete shock" and "really excited".

But she also dey very aware of di donor family "incredible gift", wey go enable her carry and give birth to her own child.

"I think of my donor and her family every day and pray dem find some peace in knowing say dia daughter give me di biggest gift: di gift of life," Bell tok.

"A part of her go live on forever."

Bell womb transplant operation bin last for 10 hours and e take place for The Churchill Hospital for Oxford for June 2024, bifor di couple receive IVF treatment some months later - followed by embryo transfer - for The Lister Fertility Clinic for London.

Wen dem born Hugo, Bell say: "na simply a miracle.

"I remember I wake up for morning and see im little face, wit im little dummy in, and e feel like say I need to wake up from a dream.

"E just dey incredible."

Bell successful womb transplant from a deceased donor na just one of 10 of dat kain transplants wey happun for one UK clinical research trial.

Dem don already do three, but dis na di first baby dem go born.

For early 2025, dem born baby Amy through di first living womb donation for UK. Her mother receive her older sister womb for inside one transplant operation for January 2023. Her sister bin don already get two children of her own.

Five oda womb transplants from close living relatives for UK dey planned.

Hope for women born without a womb

Dem born Amy for di same London hospital dem born Hugo.

Di medical team behind both births don dey build towards dis moment for many years.

Consultant gynaecologist Prof Richard Smith, from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, bin start to dey research womb transplantation more dan 25 years ago and e dey present for Hugo birth.

E say "plenty pipo" bin involve for di process - from di transplant operation to di embryo transfer and di delivery itself.

Bell and Powell show dia gratitude to Smith, wey also discover di charity Womb Transplant UK, wey name dia son Richard, as im middle name.

Di couple fit decide to get second baby, afta which surgeons go remove di transplanted womb.

Dis na to save Bell from taking a lifetime of strong drugs tso dat di body immune system no go attack di transplanted organ.

Transplant surgeon and joint team leader Isabel Quiroga say she dey "delighted" by Hugo birth and called am breakthrough for organ transplantation for di UK.

"Very few babies have been born in Europe as a result of dia mothers receiving a womb from a deceased donor," she tok.

"Our trial na to discover weda dis procedure go fit bicom an approved and regular treatment for some of di increasing number of women of child-bearing age wey no get a viable womb."

Smith say di birth show say girls and young women wey dem don tell say dem no go fit born pikin sake of say dem no get womb, now don get hope of carrying dia own child.

Baby wey dem born following di transplantation of a womb from a deceased donor no dey get any genetic links wit di donor.

Experts don perform more dan 100 womb transplant operations around di world and dem don born more dan 70 healthy babies as a result.

Donating a womb for transplant no be like donating oda organs, like kidneys or heart - dem dey allow am only through a special request to potential donors' families wey don already agree to donate dia relative organs.

For UK, unless you you don decide to opt out of donating your organs, e dey assumed say you agree to be an organ donor wen you die.