7 of the strangest pregnancies in the world
The strangest pregnancies in the world
Pregnancy is a remarkable time for any parent, but some of these record-breaking pregnancies take it to a whole new level —from a tiny baby who was slightly longer than a dinner fork when they were born, to a woman delivering nine babies at once.
We’ve pulled together a collection of some of the most mind-boggling pregnancies and births on record.
MOST BABIES BORN TO ONE MOTHER
A woman who lived during the 18th century and is known only as the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev), a peasant from Shuya, Russia, gave birth to 69 babies in her lifetime, according to Guinness World Records. However, she didn’t go into labor 69 times, as she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets. Her husband remarried and had 18 more children with his second wife, meaning he had 87 children (although there is no way to verify that he fathered them all).
MOST PREMATURE BABY
The record for the most premature baby to survive is held by Curtis Means, who was born after only 21 weeks in the womb and weighed just 14.8 oz (420 g), according to Guinness World Records. His mother, Michelle Butler, gave birth to him in July 2020, and he was given a less than 1% chance of survival. Despite these odds, Curtis celebrated his second birthday in July 2022. He experienced some health complications due to his early delivery, including hypertension, for which he is medicated, and he initially had to be fed via a tube every three hours to keep his calorie intake up.
MOST PREMATURE SET OF TWINS
The world record for the most premature surviving twins was set by a pair of Iowa twins, Keeley and Kambry Ewoldt, who were born to mother Jade Ewoldt at 22 weeks in 2018 — 125 days premature. The babies weighed just 17.3 oz (490 g) and 13.4 oz (379 g) respectively upon delivery.
FIRST TEST TUBE BABY
Louise Brown, the first “test tube baby” — a test tube baby is a baby conceived outside of the mother’s womb by in vitro fertilization and implanted later — was born on July 25, 1978 to mother Lesley Brown. The world record states that she was externally conceived on Nov. 10, 1977.
Since Louise’s birth, over a million babies have been conceived via IVF, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. IVF has also become safer, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, with reported instances of hemorrhage, infection and hyperstimulation (an excessive response by the body to IVF drugs) reduced as well.
MOST SETS OF TRIPLETS BORN TO ONE WOMAN
Maddalena Granata, from Italy, gave birth to 15 sets of triplets over her lifetime. She lived from 1839 to 1886, according to Guinness World Records, but not much else is known about her or her pregnancies.
OLDEST HUMAN EMBRYO CARRIED TO TERM
Twins created on April 22, 1992 by in-vitro fertilization were born on Oct. 31, 2022 after being preserved in liquid nitrogen for over 30 years. The twins, who hold the record for being the oldest embryos carried to term, were born to a British couple, Rachel and Philip Rideway, who named the children Lydia and Timothy.
OLDEST MOTHER TO SUCCESSFULLY CARRY A PREGNANCY TO TERM
Maria del Carmen Bousada Lara received IVF treatment in California after lying about her age and telling the clinic she was 11 years younger than she actually was. In 2006 she broke the world record for the oldest mother to give birth at age 66 years and 358 days. She told the clinic that inseminated her that she was 55.
From the most babies born to one mother to the shortest baby brought to term, these are some of the most notable record-breaking pregnancies.