A mum in Tennessee has just given birth to a baby girl, who developed from an embryo that was frozen 24 years ago.
Credit: CNN
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Baby Emma Wren Gibson was born on 25 November, weighing in at 6lb 8oz (2.95kg) and measuring 20" (50.8cm) long. She had developed from an embryo that was originally frozen on 14 October 1992 - the oldest to ever successfully result in a live birth, according to researchers.
Her 26-year-old mum, Tina Gibson, was just one-and-a-half years old when the egg was frozen - meaning they're pretty much about the same age. In a parallel universe, the two could have been best mates.
Gibson and her 33-year-old husband, Benjamin, had been unable to conceive their own child naturally, as he suffers from cystic fibrosis - a genetic order primarily affecting the lungsthat can cause infertility.
They had initially wanted to go for adoption, and even fostered several children. However, it was Tina's dad that told them about embryo adoption - where you're implanted with an embryo and you carry the baby.
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"I just came home one day, I looked at Benjamin, and I said, 'I think we need to submit an application for embryo adoption'," Tina told CNN.
"On a whim, we filled out an application and submitted that night."
Tina said that trying to pick their embryo was 'overwhelming', and that there were so many to pick from.Their first choice wasn't even viable, so they had to go for their second.
Credit: National Embryo Donation Center
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She also said that when you go through them, there's no indication of how old the embryo is - meaning they had absolutely no idea that their embryo was decades old.
The embryo they eventually selected was frozen on 14 October 1992 - and it wasn't thawed until March this year, when it was all ready to be implanted into Tina's uterus.
Bejamin said: "Emma is such a sweet miracle.
"I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago.''
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"I just wanted a baby," Tina added. "I don't care if it's a world record or not.
"We're just so thankful and blessed. She's a precious Christmas gift from the Lord.''
According to the University of Tennessee Preston Medical Library, it is believed to be the longest-frozen embryo to be born and to survive - the previous record was thought to be a 20-year-old frozen embryo.
Featured Image Credit: National Embryo Donation Center