Ramsay Newsroom

New mum Atia Ali and her husband Kiba Aoci tried multiple fertility treatments for five years after Kiba was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and fibroids were detected in Atia’s uterus. 

Greenslopes Private Hospital Fertility Specialist, and Medical Director of Care Fertility, Dr Clare Boothroyd met the couple in late 2019 and recommended Atia undergo robotic surgery to remove the fibroid - which was causing her a great deal of pain. 

Just four months later, they were thrilled to learn they were expecting a baby - and it would be the first to be born at Greenslopes following robotic fertility surgery.  

“I felt that we had such a special bond with Dr Clare, she’s a very positive person and she gave us hope,” Atia said. 

“I used to look at all the baby photos in her office and think when will it be my baby up there and it’s just unbelievable. Now I’m just in a dream and it’s no longer tears of sadness, it’s tears of joy, I’ll be getting a photo of my baby to Dr Clare,” Atia said with a big smile. 

Proud dad Kiba agreed. 

“There was a time where we thought please God, let us have the experience of raising kids we want to experience this test, and we’re just so happy to see that it’s now happened and we have our beautiful daughter,” Kiba said. 

Atia and Kiba named their little girl Afsa Rahima, which means Clear Mercy in Sudanese. She was welcomed into the world via cesarean section on 1st February, 2021. 

Dr Clare Boothroyd said the robotic surgery was a great success for Atia, and after years of fertility treatment, it had allowed her to fall pregnant naturally. 

Dr Boothroyd performed the surgery using one of two da Vinci robots at Greenslopes Private Hospital. She trained extensively on the device and said it was absolutely the way of the future. 

“I really think it’s the most exciting development in technology for gynaecological surgery throughout my career. It makes difficult surgery easier, it can reduce a patient’s length of stay and can reduce their pain plus it can facilitate natural conception and reduce the need for IVF,” Dr Boothroyd said. 

“The magnification is good, the dexterity of the instruments allows meticulous placement of sutures which the uterus needs if it’s going to carry a pregnancy. Because that suture line is going to be stretched 40 times in pregnancy,” she explained. 

In 2021, Greenslopes Private Hospital is expecting to welcome three more babies whose mothers have undergone fertility surgery with the da Vinci robot.