Baby Girl Was Born from an Embryo That Was Frozen for 27 Years

A baby broke a world record by being born from an embryo that was almost three decades old. Her parents were amazed at the news, but it was about far more than the impressive record to them.

While Molly Gibson was born in 2020, she had been ready for her birthday since 1992. The baby girl's embryo was frozen 27 years ago, and last year, she was adopted. The proud parents were Tennessee residents Tina and Ben Gibson.

Molly's birth marks the longest-frozen embryo that was successfully birthed. This record was first held by Molly's sister, Emma. The sibling was also once just a frozen embryo waiting for a couple that was longing to become parents.

THE MOTHER IS OVERWHELMED

After five years of infertility, Tina and Ben looked to have a baby through an alternative method. Using an embryo was their preferred choice, and Tina is still overwhelmed by how lucky they were.

The mother said she was "over the moon" and added: "I still get choked up. If you would have asked me five years ago if I would have not just one girl, but two, I would have said you were crazy."

HOPES TO HELP OTHERS

The unbelievable expansion of her family was made possible thanks to embryo adoption. Tina's parents told her about the possibilities after they heard of the procedure on their television.

When explaining why they took their story to the media, Ben and Tina have a simple answer. They hope their experience will help and give hope to other parents who are struggling to have kids.

THE DONATION CENTER

The couple is thankful to the National Embryo Donation Center. The Christian non-profit is located in Knoxville and keeps frozen embryos that were disregarded by former in vitro fertilization patients.

Tina and Ben thus gave birth to a baby that is not genetically related to them. According to the donation center, over a million unused human embryos are stored in America, which can help so many parents who have fertility struggles.

THOUSANDS OF EMBRYO ADOPTIONS

Mark Mellinger, a director for National Embryo Donation Center, shared that infertility is common. He said:

"We feel honored and privileged to do this work."

The donation center has arranged over 1,000 embryo births and adoptions. They are believed to facilitate about 200 procedures each year. The parents can decide if they would like the process to be closed or open.

CHOOSING A DONOR FAMILY

If they opt for the open adoption, there can be some communication with the family that donated the embryo. Mellinger shared that couples can choose from hundreds of donor profiles that indicate various factors such as demographic history.

Ben and Tina didn't care about what the child would look like. The mother stated: "My husband and I are smaller people, and so we went through and narrowed it down by height and weight and looked for something similar to ours."

THE HAPPY FAMILY

Molly and Emma, who are genetic siblings, were both frozen in 1992. Emma was born after 24 years (a record at the time) until Molly overtook her in 2020.

Now, the little girls are inseparable, and their parents are thankful and happier than ever. While the youngsters keep their mother and father up all night, Tina expressed that it was "the best kind of exhausted," and she wouldn't trade it for anything.