TIME

The miracle birth that made history

THOUSANDS OF WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD ARE BORN WITHOUT A UTERUS. A TRANSPLANT IN TEXAS OFFERS THEM HOPE
The first two babies born in the U.S. to moms who received uterus transplants were delivered in November 2017, left, and February 2018 at Baylor University Medical Center

ON AN AFTERNOON IN NOVEMBER, A couple hosted a birthday party for their 1-year-old son. As family and friends gathered around the child to sing “Happy Birthday,” his parents addressed a milestone that reached well beyond the room.

“It was emotional,” recalls the mother. “It took a lot more than a nine-month pregnancy to get him, and we wouldn’t be where we are without everyone’s support.”

Many parents will tell you their child is miraculous. But the mere existence of this particular boy, who just a month earlier had taken his first steps, brings the miracle somehow closer to literal—and not just for this family. The boy’s birth was historic, the first time a baby had been born from a transplanted uterus in the U.S., and offered hope to women around the world who thought they’d never carry a child.

“We didn’t just do this for our family. We did this for families down the road,” the mother says.

When she was 16, the now-mother visited her doctor, concerned

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