HENRY IS OUR MIRACLE BABY

In an Australian first, Kirsty birthed her son, thanks to her own mum's donated uterus

Kirsty Bryant gazes down at the cherub-faced baby cradled in her arms, a surge of overwhelming love coursing through her.

"Henry is perfect," she whispers softly, her heart swelling with gratitude for the miracle that brought him into her life.

Born on December 15, Henry is the embodiment of Kirsty's deepest desires and dreams. His arrival marked a milestone not just for Kirsty and her 32-year-old husband Nick but for medical science, as he is Australia's first baby born to a mother with a donated uterus.

GROUNDBREAKING

"I think it's the best thing ever that I now carry the womb that I grew in," Kirsty, 31, from Coffs Harbour, tells Woman's Day of the uterus donated by her mum Michelle Hayton, 55, just 11 months before she gave birth."On the morning of the transplant surgery I said, 'Thank you so much, Mum."

The operation was complex and lasted a marathon 16 hours, with mother and daughter in parallel theatres.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to fully repay her, but two nights before Henry was born, Nick and I told her that we were naming our baby 'Henry Nicholas Michelle Bryant,' and she burst into tears," says Kirsty.