The woman who gave birth to the world's first womb-transplant baby has revealed that she still cannot believe she is a mother – and hopes he will one day become a doctor.
The 36-year-old woman discovered at 15 that she had no womb and was told she would never carry her own children - but was one of nine women to receive a transplanted womb last year in a trial.
The Swedish parents, who want to remain anonymous, admitted that they had not yet worked out how they will tell their son that he made medical history when he is older.
Scroll down for video
Cute: Vincent, the first baby born to a woman who had a womb transplant, is cradled by his mother in Sweden
Newborn: The parents of the baby say they hope they can be an inspiration to others struggling with infertility
Medical breakthrough: After what they describe as a rollercoaster of a journey, the unnamed Swedish couple finally became parents last month, when the mother gave birth to a healthy but premature baby boy
The mother said: ‘We will show him all the articles that were written and tell him everything we went through to get him. Maybe he will be inspired to become a doctor.’
The couple hope they can be an inspiration to others struggling with infertility, but say that is not why they did it. The mother added: ‘We're the first to do this, but that's not the important thing.’
The couple named their son Vincent, which means ‘to conquer’, to celebrate a victory over their difficult journey to parenthood.
‘He doesn't really scream, but he makes these funny little sounds,’ the mother said, comparing him to a kitten.
Though his white wooden crib has a welcoming teddy bear and blankets, she said her son prefers to sleep between his parents in their bed.
The father said the couple will be forever grateful to the 61-year-old woman who donated her uterus, the mother of one of his best friends.
Explanation: The Swedish parents, who want to remain anonymous, admitted that they had not quite worked out how they will tell their son that he made medical history when he is older
Baby: The boy is soon to have company - with two more women who became pregnant after having transplants due in the next few weeks
Medical care: The happy couple named their son Vincent, which means 'to conquer', to celebrate a victory over their difficult journey to parenthood
Delighted parents: The father said the couple will be forever grateful to the 61-year-old woman who donated her uterus, the mother of one of his best friends
The woman - now the boy's godmother - made the offer after hearing about the difficulties the young couple was having in starting a family.
He doesn't really scream, but he makes these funny little sounds
Mother
‘What she did for us was so amazing and selfless that the words “thank you” don't seem like enough,’ the father said.
And the boy is soon to have company – with two more women who became pregnant after having transplants due in the next few weeks.
It could be the start of a new wave of babies born this way, say the Swedish doctors who pioneered the technique.
‘It means a lot to me that we are able to help patients who have tried for so long to have families,’ said Dr Mats Brannstrom, a professor of gynaecology and obstetrics at the University of Gothenburg, who led the project that brought about last month's pioneering birth.
Operation: Dr Mats Brannstrom and his team performing a womb transplant in Sweden
Trial: Specialist surgeons (from left) Andreas G Tzakis, Pernilla Dahm-Khler, Dr Brannstrom, Michael Olausson and Liza Johannesson attend a news conference at a hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden
‘This is the last piece of the puzzle in finding a treatment for all women with infertility problems.’
What she did for us was so amazing and selfless that the words "thank you" don't seem like enough
Father, speaking about woman who donated her uterus
Dr Brannstrom predicted there would soon be many more babies born to women who have received donated wombs in countries where doctors are studying the technique, including Australia, Britain, the US, Japan and China.
He said he has also started work on trying to grow a womb in the lab.
That involves taking one from a deceased donor, stripping it of its DNA and using cells from the recipient to line the structure.
He has started preliminary tests in animals and estimated it would be another five years before the technique can be tried on humans.
While that may sound like science fiction, the techniques that led to the birth announced last week also sounded outlandish just years ago.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2783995/Woman-gave-birth-world-s-womb-transplant-baby-speaks-joy-son-Vincent.html#ixzz3FV41ztRY
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
