A Tennessee woman successfully birthed the longest known frozen human embryo, according to the University of Tennessee Preston Medical Library Tuesday.

Benjamin, 33 and Tina Gibson, 26, of Eastern Tennessee, welcomed their daughter Emma Wren Nov. 25. Emma was cryopreserved or "frozen" Oct. 14. 1992, at the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC) in Knoxville, before being transplanted to her mother’s uterus through a frozen embryo transfer earlier this year.

The process resulted in nearly 700 pregnancies, according to a news release. Dr. Jeffrey Keenan, a medical director of the NEDC delivered the baby.

"Emma is such a sweet miracle," Benjamin told WATE, an ABC affiliate in Knoxville. "I think she looks pretty perfect to have been frozen all those years ago."

The embryo was thawed Mar. 13, by Carol Sommerfelt, embryology lab director at the NEDC. The time span makes Emma the longest known frozen embryo to result in birth, according to research staff at the University of Tennessee Preston Medical Library.

"It is deeply moving and highly rewarding to see that embryos frozen 24.5 years ago using the old, early cryopreservation techniques of slow freezing on day one of development at the pronuclear stage can result in 100 percent survival of the embryos with a 100 percent continued proper development to the day-3 embryo stage," said Sommerfelt.

"I will always remember what the Gibsons said when presented with the picture of their embryos at the time of transfer; 'These embryos could have been my best friends,' as Tina herself was only 25 at the time of transfer," Sommerfelt added.

Sommerfelt said Emmas’s birth was "pretty exciting considering how long the embryos had been frozen."

The Gibsons married seven years ago and desired children, but faced trouble conceiving. They made peace with their chances of conception and planned on adopting before they sought in vitro fertilization.

"My husband has cystic fibrosis, so infertility is common," Tina told CNN. "We had decided that we were more than likely going to adopt, and we were fine with that."

Emma was born healthy, weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 20 inches long.

"We're just so thankful and blessed. She's a precious Christmas gift from the Lord," Tina said. "We're just so grateful."

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