One couple recently welcomed what is being referred to as the 'world's oldest baby', as the mind-blowing science behind this medical marvel has left many stunned and amazed.
Human pregnancy takes roughly nine months from conception to birth, and while complications can shorten or lengthen this period by a month or so, it's extremely rare that anything stretches beyond these limits.
Thaddeus Daniel Pierce, who was recently born on July 26, 2025, breaks those boundaries significantly though, and many doctors are considering him to be the 'world's oldest baby' with an age of around 30 by the time that he was actually born.
How is Thaddeus Daniel Pierce the world's oldest baby?
Thaddeus Daniel Pierce is technically considered the world's oldest baby, despite it technically being just over a week since he was officially born.
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This is because of the way he was conceived, as his story originally began back in 1994 through the medical marvel of in vitro fertilization - more commonly referred to as 'IVF'.
This process allows eggs to be fertilized by sperm entirely in a laboratory setting, after which the embryo is transferred to a uterus in order to commence the pregnancy process.
The turnaround for this is obviously longer than a typical pregnancy, and there can be a lot of complications along the way, but Thaddeus' case is particularly noteworthy thanks the length of time that he remained in the embryonic stage.
Linda Archerd and her then-husband were the source of Thaddeus' embryo back in 1994, and he was one of four that were created - with another going to to be Archerd's 30-year-old daughter.
Following her divorce shortly after, Archerd decided to freeze the rest of the embryos and place them in storage, and later donated them to a Christian adoption agency that allowed her to choose the embryo's new parents.
Linda eventually matched with Lindsey and Tim, who had been trying to have a baby for years, and Thaddeus was then officially born in late July despite 'technically' being already over 30 years old.
Were there complications with Thaddeus' birth?
One of the biggest challenges that doctors faced with Thaddeus' birth was the defrosting process, as the embryo was stored using a 'slow-freezing' process that is no longer used due to the possibility of ice crystals.
Lab supervisor Sarah Atkinson described the process as 'cumbersome', and only two of the three remaining embryos were viable for Lindsey, with one obviously developing into Thaddeus.
Lindsey also described the process of Thaddeus' birth as 'rough' but added that they "are both doing well now" in the days following the miraculous event.
The previous record was also 30 years, with twins Rachel and Phillip Ridgeway being born in 2022 after they were frozen back in 1992, although Thaddeus' wait was just that little bit longer.