Pregnancy and childbirth are memorable times for any parent, especially in cases where records have been set, such as a baby born only slightly longer than a fork or nine babies born at once…
The Live Science website has compiled some of the most astonishing recorded pregnancies and births.
The “Shortest” Baby
A tiny baby born at just 24 cm long. According to the Guinness World Records, this is the “shortest” baby ever recorded.
Her name is Nisa Juarez, weighing only 320 grams. She was born prematurely on July 20, 2002, at about 25 weeks gestation. The little girl was discharged from the hospital five months later, on December 6, 2002.
Nisa Juarez was born only 24 cm long and weighed 320 grams. (Photo: Live Science)
So who is the longest baby ever recorded?
According to the Guinness World Records, in January 1987, a large mother named Anna Bates gave birth to the longest baby ever recorded in her home in Ohio, USA.
The baby measured 71.12 cm from head to toe and weighed nearly 10 kg. The baby was not given an official name and was only referred to as “Babe,” passing away 11 hours later.
The Mother with the Most Children
Valentina Vassilyeva, a woman who lived in the 18th century, is known as the first wife of a Russian farmer named Feodor Vassilyev. The Guinness World Records recognizes her for giving birth to 69 children in her lifetime.
Valentina had 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets. She also holds the record for being the mother of the most sets of twins and quadruplets.
Her husband later remarried and had an additional 18 children with his second wife, meaning he had a total of 87 children (though there is no way to verify if he is the father of all of them).
Valentina Vassilyeva gave birth to 69 children in her lifetime. (Photo: BBC).
The Mother with the Most Triplets
Mrs. Maddalena Granata (an Italian) had 15 instances of triplets throughout her life. According to the Guinness World Records, she lived from 1839 to 1886, but there is not much additional information about her pregnancies.
It is reported that she gave birth to as many as 52 children.
It is reported that Maddalena Granata gave birth to 52 children. (Photo: fimela.com).
The Youngest Premature Baby
The record for the youngest surviving premature baby belongs to Curtis Means. According to the Guinness World Records, Curtis Means was born just 21 weeks gestation and weighed only 420 grams.
His mother, Michelle Butler, gave birth to him in July 2020. At that time, he had less than a 1% chance of survival. Despite the odds, Curtis Means celebrated his second birthday in July 2022.
Curtis Means faced several health complications due to being born prematurely, including hypertension, which required medication, and initially had to be fed through a tube every three hours.
The record for the youngest surviving premature baby belongs to Curtis Means. (Photo: Live Science)
The Youngest Premature Twins in the World
The world record for the youngest surviving twins was set by sisters Keeley and Kambry Ewoldt in Iowa, USA.
Their mother, Jade Ewoldt, gave birth to the twins at just 22 weeks and 1 day in 2018, which was 125 days early. The babies weighed 490 grams and 379 grams at birth.
Keeley and Kambry Ewoldt were born at just over 22 weeks and survived miraculously. (Photo: Guinness World Records).
The First Test Tube Baby
Louise Brown is the first “test tube baby.” She was born on July 25, 1978, to mother Lesley Brown. Louise was conceived outside her mother’s womb on November 10, 1977.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, since Louise’s birth, over 1 million babies have been conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Louise Brown with her parents. (Photo: Live Science).
Regarding in vitro fertilization, the oldest mother to use this method is Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara. In 2006, she broke the world record and became the oldest mother to give birth at 66 years and 358 days old.
Notably, Maria admitted to lying about her age to undergo in vitro fertilization at a private clinic in the USA.
The Oldest Frozen Embryos in the World
The twins created from frozen embryos on April 22, 1992, were born on October 31, 2022, after being preserved in liquid nitrogen for over 30 years.
This case surprised everyone, as both children were born alive.
The twins who hold the record for the oldest embryos are the children of Rachel Ridgeway and Philip Ridgeway (from England). They named their children Lydia and Timothy.
Lydia and Timothy Ridgeway were born from the longest-frozen embryos (from April 1992). (Photo: ionigeria)
The Ridgeway family. (Photo: National Embryo Donation Center).
