Henry Bryant is only a few days old, but he has already entered the history books.
The 2.9kg infant was the first baby born in Australia from a transplanted uterus, arriving into the world via caesarean (C-section) at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women on December 15.
His birth came less than a year after his mother Kirsty Bryant, 30, underwent extensive uterus transplant surgery.
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Bryant needed an emergency hysterectomy after suffering a major haemorrhage following the birth of her first child, Violet, in 2021.
Her mother Michelle, 53, donated her uterus to Bryant in January so she could carry another child.
The groundbreaking medical feat was made possible as part of a research trial funded by donations through Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women Foundation.
Following the uterus transplant, the first undertaken in Australia, Bryant underwent fertility treatment at the hospital and fell pregnant three months later.
She said Henry’s arrival was beyond anything she thought possible.
“After my hysterectomy I desperately wanted another child and I felt like there weren’t many options for somebody in my situation,” she said.
“To hold this baby in my arms is a dream come true.”
Gynaecologist Rebecca Deans and Swedish surgeon Mats Brannstrom performed the original uterine transplant and continued to support the family through to birth.
“(Henry) arrived with a healthy cry and totally oblivious to the fact he’s entered the history books,” Deans said, adding that the birth was a career highlight.
“To see this medical breakthrough creating a new life is quite extraordinary,” she said.
“It’s been an emotional day for everybody who has worked so hard towards this end goal.”
The hospital has been approved to conduct six uterine transplant surgeries as part of the clinical trial, which is expected to run over the next three years.
Since Bryant’s surgery, two more women have undergone a uterus transplant at the same hospital, and one of those women is now pregnant.