`OLD NEWBORN' CALM IN FACE OF MEDIA FRENZY.Byline: Heesun Wee Daily News Staff Writer A San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. newborn, the result of an embryo frozen and forgotten nearly a decade ago, opened his tiny mouth and greeted the global media Tuesday with a yawn. International news crews descended on Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center to capture the first images of what some physicians are calling one of the world's ``oldest newborns.'' Cameras clicked. Videotape rolled. Reporters scribbled notes. But the ruddy face poking out of a sea of white blankets barely noticed. His parents have requested anonymity to maintain privacy, the same reason the name of the famous infant, born Monday, remains a mystery. He is expected to join his 7-1/2-year-old brother at home by Thursday or Friday, after a normal hospital stay for a healthy newborn. Analee Hodge of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. has been bringing babies into the world for 21 years. But the arrival of the healthy 8-pound, 15-ounce boy has raised new questions about how science and medicine will shape future families, she said. ``Everybody in the hospital is kind of startled star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. and amazed by it,'' Hodge said. ``He is the talk of the hospital staff. It's like, `Whoa!' '' But infertility specialists aren't as excited about the scientific uniqueness of Monday's birth. ``There's nothing special about this case,'' said Alan DeCherney, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology obstetrics and gynecology Medical and surgical specialty concerned with the management of pregnancy and childbirth and with the health of the female reproductive system. at the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. . ``We've been freezing embryos for 15 years and putting them back.'' Joseph Gambone, director of UCLA's Fertility Center, said the birth shouldn't lead to prickly debates about the ethical boundaries of medical science. He suspects few couples will follow in the San Fernando Valley family's footsteps because most want children several years - not nearly a decade - apart. ``There's not a big market for using frozen embryos more than five years,'' Gambone said. ``It's more of a medical curiosity than a medical breakthrough.'' The newborn is the result of embryos left over from an in-vitro fertilization performed in 1989. That procedure led to the couple's first son, born in 1990. They apparently forgot about their remaining embryos, stored at California Hospital Medical Center California Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) is a hospital in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is currently operated by Catholic Healthcare West. Services The emergency department at CHMC is certified as a level II trauma center for adults[1]. in Los Angeles, until last year. The laboratory moved to Good Samaritan Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital may refer to: In the United States:
Because the new baby and his older brother were conceived at the same time - back in 1989, in a lab - the two can be considered fraternal twins fraternal twins pl.n. Twins that derive from separately fertilized ova and that have different genetic makeup. They may be of the same or opposite sex. despite the time that has passed between their births, said Michael Vermesh, the couple's infertility specialist. |
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