The world's 'oldest' baby has just been born - and he's already 31 years old

The world’s ‘oldest’ baby has just been born and technically he’s already 31 years old - no, really.

Thaddeus was born on 26 July to Lindsey Pierce, 35 and her husband Tim, 34, who live in Ohio, and while he may look like any other newborn, he was actually frozen as an embryo all the way back in 1994.

Another couple, Linda Archerd, now 62, and her husband were undergoing IVF back in the nineties when they were struggling to conceive.

They had four embryos frozen, and through the process, got to welcome their daughter, who is now 30.

The other embryos ended up not getting used after Linda and her husband got divorced, so, she decided to put them up for adoption.

As the embryos were so old, it proved more difficult to find an agency that would take them, as they’re less likely to be successful. Eventually they found Rejoice Fertility Clinic, set up by Dr John Gordon, specifically to help place less-favorable embryos with potential families.

Rejoice Fertility Clinic

“We are in awe that we have this precious baby”, Lindsey told MIT Technology Review, and has confirmed that despite a ‘rough’ birth, she and Thaddeus are doing well.

“We didn’t go into it thinking we would break any records,” she added. “We just wanted to have a baby.”

What's more, is that according to embryo donor, Linda, the tot looks just like her first daughter as a newborn.

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) works by replicating the process of an egg and sperm successfully marrying together outside of the body, before being implanted into the uterus. It's long been a popular method of conception, particularly for those who would struggle to conceive otherwise.

Prior to Thaddeus’ birth, the oldest embryos that have been used successfully were 30 years old, and welcomed twins in Oregon, USA, in 2022.

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