A ‘miracle’ baby boy is the first child in the UK to have been born through a womb transplant from a deceased woman.
The incredible birth took place at the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in London last December where Hugo Powell became the first baby in the UK to have been born from a womb transplanted from a deceased donor.
There are only two other such cases of this having happened in Europe.
Hugo’s mother, Grace Bell, was born with a rare condition known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH), which means the womb is underdeveloped or missing.
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Speaking to PA, she said: “It’s simply a miracle. I never, ever thought that this would be possible. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
She added: “When I was 16, I was told that this would never be possible.”
Grace lives with her husband Steve Powell in the south of England, and their newborn son.
Recalling Hugo’s birth by c-section, she continued: “I remember there was lots and lots of people in the room running around. I was holding Steve’s hand at the time…
“I remember trying to peek over the drapes, and Hugo finally got put in my arms, and this being the moment that everyone has been working so hard to achieve.
“It just felt quite unreal at the time because this has been a long journey for us both.
“I remember waking up in the morning and seeing his little face, with his little dummy in, and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream. It was just incredible.”
Hugo’s middle name is Richard, after Professor Richard Smith, who is the clinical lead of the charity Womb Transplant UK.
Smith played a pivotal role in the couple having a child and was present at Hugo’s birth.
The professor remarked that finding out the baby was named after him ‘brought a tear’ to his eye.
He added: “That did make me cry, straight up. It’s been quite emotional, very emotional.”
It was a womb transplant that enabled Grace to fall pregnant with Hugo as she underwent the operation in 2024 before undergoing fertility treatment in the months that followed.
Steve said: “For my part, it’s more just been the emotional support. We are in it together - and making sure Grace didn’t feel alone in this whole process.
“I appreciate she's the one that had gone through the transplant, put a body on the line and got to the point of where we are today.”