After 30 years, parents finally get to see their twins who were created from frozen embryos.

The fact that Rachel Ridgeway, a mother of six, is only three years older than her kids makes her very happy.

Three weeks ago, a set of twins were born, and they are now believed to be the oldest embryos ever to result in a successful live birth.

Three decades after Rachel and Philip frozen embryos for their children Timothy and Lydia in April 1992, Rachel was pregnant.

The children were born to anonymous biological parents who underwent in vitro fertilization and donated any extra embryos to a facility called the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC).

They were among thousands of embryos stored in liquid nitrogen by the Christian charity, which only helps married heterosexual couples who have been together for at least three years.

Like the Ridgeways, many people who live in poverty have turned to the NEDC for help since its founding in 2002.

Philip, a devout Christian, said, ’I was 5 years old when God gave life to these embryos.’ Given that Rachel was only three years old when they were conceived, he said, their delivery was all the more miraculous.

The father said, “It’s mind-boggling to think about.” Virtually everyone we’ve discussed this with has had trouble conceptualizing it.

In December of 2019, the Ridgeways addressed the NEDC with their four children ranging in age from two to eight.

In order to conceive their three older children, Rachel and her husband took the fertility medicine Clomid.

In 2020, they hoped to welcome their fourth kid into the world. Together they decided to “adopt” a frozen embryo from the NEDC in Knoxville, Tennessee.

To save money, Rachel and I decided to adopt embryos instead of getting fertility treatment. We aimed to take that route on purpose.

Their fourth kid, who is now two years old and arrived unexpectedly a few months later.

On the other hand, they were adamant about expanding their family. A review of their plan was in order.

Philip claims that their religious beliefs were the driving force behind their actions. The 35-year-old woman stated, ‘We’ve always said,

‘Let’s have as many babies as God wants to give us.’’ ’If that’s God’s will, we’re not finished yet,’ they said.

The Vancouver, Washington, couple picked out their embryos in December 2021 from the ’special consideration” section of the NEDC.

As Rachel put it, ‘These embryos are generally thrown out since their donors have a history of specific genetic disorders.’

Many parents who enter the procedure are curious about what their child may have, but ‘we realized that these youngsters are rarely looked at,’ Rachel said.

It didn’t matter to us if they were considered perfect, the mother said. The 34-year-old claims that the twins’ biological father died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (often known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).

There’s a potential it’s a genetic trait that children may or may not inherit,’ Rachel said. ‘But that didn’t matter to us.’

Philip told Insider that unlike other prospective parents, they weren’t concerned with the embryos’ ages.

Two were made and three were shipped. On October 31, 2022, at the age of 38 weeks, Rachel gave birth after a very trouble-free pregnancy.

Tim weighed in at a healthy 6 pounds, 7 ounces. Lydia was the smallest of the group at at 5 pounds.

The birth of the twins was verified by the University of Tennessee’s Preston Medical Library.

Former record holder is 2017-born Molly Gibson. Embryo “Molly” was frozen and stored for a total of 24 years.

The Ridgeways told Insider they had no intention of making a name for themselves with the 30-year-old embryos.

The couple has reached a consensus on how to raise their children. We want adoption to be a part of the twins’ story, Rachel said. To paraphrase, ‘We want it to be a normal part of their existence.’

They would learn about their history from their parents and grandparents when they were old enough to comprehend it, she said.

Rachel elaborated, ‘They will always be aware that they are adopted.’ ‘It is important that they know how much of an individual they are because of their embryo adoption.’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *