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First Ever 5-Organ Transplant Recipient Gives Birth

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Mar 14, 2013 09:57 AM EDT

A medical first happened this past Wednesday as Fatema Al Ansari gave birth to a baby girl. Ansari, who is from Qatar, is reported to be the first-ever woman to give birth after receiving a five-organ transplant back in 2007 in Florida. Her baby girl, Alkadi Alhayal came into the world via caesarean section and weighed in at four pounds and seven ounces. Ansari, 26, and her husband, Khalia Alhayal stated that they were overjoyed with the new addition to their family, who slept soundly throughout the entire press conference.

Ansari was just 19 when doctors found a blood clot in a major vein located in her intestines. Ansari immediately needed a transplant as the surrounding organs started to fail. At the Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, she received a new stomach, liver, pancreas, and small and large intestines. After years of recuperating, Ansari felt healthy enough to attempt to have a child. She was pregnant before her diagnosis but had to terminate the pregnancy as a result of it. The couple decided to try in vitro fertilization, and Ansari remained healthy throughout the entire pregnancy to have a successful birth.

According to the National Transplantation Pregnancy Registry and data from the Intestinal Transplant Association, there have been 600 recorded five-organ transplant recipients since 2011, and Ansari is the first one to give birth successfully. Ansari's obstetrician, Dr. Shalih Y. Yasin stated that there have been record of births from two-organ transplant patients in Europe, but never five. She also stated that for a five-organ transplant to be healthy enough for a baby is a miracle. Ansari's doctors believe that she is healthy enough for baby number two.

The couple plans on going to Qatar soon.

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