Woman delivers baby from womb donated by her mother

GOTHENBURG, Sweden (WPVI) -- A Swedish woman has given birth from a transplanted womb donated by her own mother.

As a result, three generations of the same family are now linked by a single uterus.

The birth took place 9 months ago, but the family is just now telling its story.

The woman lost her own womb to cancer in her 20s, and thought she'd never have a family of her own.

Then her mother agreed to donate her womb.

"She has done the most amazing thing that some woman could ever do for another one. And she's also my son's grandmother, so it's indescribable," said the new mother.

The revolutionary procedure was carried out by womb-transplant pioneer Dr.Mats Brannstrom at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.

Doctors waited a year to make sure everything was working properly.

The new mother had healthy ovaries and underwent IVF to make embryos using her eggs and her husband's sperm.

After four attempts to transfer embryos into her womb, she became pregnant.

There were no complications, and the baby was delivered via C-section as planned.

The baby's grandmother recalls the moment she heard that the womb she'd donated had resulted in a baby for her daughter.

"It was very emotional," she said. "I cried tears of joy because it was such a big thing, and I still get emotional when I think about it."

"We try to look at him as an ordinary boy like everyone else. It's the thing that me and my mother went through that's really unique," the new mother remarked.

The little boy is happy, healthy, and very active.

The new mother is one of just 4 women who've had a baby with a transplanted womb.

Grandmom says she knows she's part of medical history now, but sometimes still can't grasp how big this event was.

Not only was a single uterus bridging three generations, said the doctor, but the organ was being used to best effect medically.

As for the new mother, she and her husband are contemplating a second child.

Transplanted wombs are intended for a maximum of two pregnancies before being removed.