Unexpectedly Expecting
The McCaughey family of Des Moines, Iowa was hoping to expand their family after they had given birth to their first child Mikayla Marie on January 3, 1996. And after years of hoping for a child they decided to have fertility treatments done. After weeks of treatment, Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey then went to the hospital for a routine checkup when the doctors discovered Bobbi was pregnant.
The resulting Ultrasound Test did not only show just one embryo, but seven embryos!!! The Metrodin medications she had received for the fertility treatments had assisted her to stimulate ovulation. While twins and other forms of multiple births are quite common for those undergoing fertility treatments, septuplets are extremely unusual.
The Shock Of Seven
The news was hard to take for the couple, and the husband Kenny McCaughey could hardly believe the shocking news at first. Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey definitely had got much more than what they asked for, and they were expecting seven children.
Multiple births definitely are not common especially when it involves giving birth to seven children and the reality of giving birth to septuplets begins to set in for the couple.
Keep reading to find out what's up with the septuplets now:
Watching And Waiting
After all the troubles Bobbi and Kenny went through to conceive their first daughter, Mikayla, The couple were concerned about conceiving seven the second time around .With Bobbi growing faster than she had in her previous pregnancy.
Soon, when the expectant mother of seven, Bobbi was in a sitting position, her pregnant belly was very low. “It was scary, you know, watching the stretch marks go ever so higher and wider and just thinking, how much longer can this body keep going?” Still, no one could have guessed just what she’d go through.
Praying Parents
As the joy, the elation, the slight concern, and nervousness continue to set in, the McCaughey’s took to prayer to guide them through their rare situation. While carrying one baby causes a significant amount of changes and aches for an expecting mother, Bobbi McCaughey was carrying seven. The Physical challenge of the pregnancy on Bobbi became an issue.
There were also concerns about the financial responsibilities that will be required from such a septuplets to be born, tensions began to grow with the McCaughey family. Unsure of what the future would hold.
High-Risk Pregnancy
Giving birth to so many babies was both risky to Bobbi and to all the 7 babies. The information was a bit hard for Bobbi to swallow, so she was offered an alternative. She was told about the option of selective reduction.
The McCaughey family was quickly thrust into the limelight and when the mainstream media caught wind of their story, everyone rushed to cover it and bring the family’s tale to their readers and viewers. Everyone had an opinion on the family, especially when it came to Kenny and Bobbi’s decision on selective reduction
In God’s Hands
The doctor explained to the couple the selective reduction option that they will have to terminate a number of the embryos in order to give the others a definite chance of survival, which meant taking away several lives.
The religious couple and devoted Christians who attend Baptists church decided to decline the selective reduction option and instead chose to keep all the seven babies, saying it was “in God’s hands.” They thought that if all the seven fetuses could make it, they didn’t want to take that away.
Prenatal Debate
The parents received plenty of media attention from the press and became under scrutiny due to their decision to neglect the selective reduction process. Many were supportive on their decision while some criticise them saying they were being selfish for not taking the selective reduction route, as it meant that there would be a better chance of all the remaining babies to live healthy lives.
“In the beginning, for every ten letters we would get that were happy for us, we’d get one letter accusing us of exploiting the kids and being selfish to waste the world’s resources on a family this big,” Bobbi explained.
Incredible Outpouring
The amazing news of the McCaughey continues to grow and was widely spread, and it seemed like everyone wanted to help in some way. The family became a national sensation and they were amazed when they started receiving an incredible amount of donations.
The McCaughey family received different kinds of donations. Some of these included a 5,000 square foot house, nanny services, a year’s worth of free macaroni and cheese from Kraft, diapers, a large van they never expected and another organization planned to donate a year’s supply of groceries for the family. Everyone wanted to help the McCaughey family and the gifts and donations kept coming even though their septuplets hadn’t even been born yet.
Rushed To The Hospital
The couple were worried about the upcoming birth and in weeks leading to the pregnancy due date they spent a lot of time with doctors, discussing the best way forward and what the expectations and chances were and after consulting with their doctors, it was determined that a C-section would be the best route to go.
On November 19, 1997, Bobbi was 30 weeks into her extraordinary pregnancy with septuplets. She was 55 inches around the waist when she was suddenly rushed to the hospital for a quick delivery.
Going Into Labor
With the help of Doctor Paula Mahone and Karen Drake along with 40-member team of medical specialist in the delivery room, Bobbi gave birth to the septuplets on November 19, 1997, 9 weeks before Bobbi’s due date after being rushed to the hospital.
The birth took place via cesarean section as expected, and all the seven babies were delivered within six minutes of each other. The newborn babies ranged in weight from 2lb 5oz up to 3lb 4oz, however all appeared healthy enough once the cesarean delivery was over.
Seven Little Bundles Of Joy
All the seven babies had successfully made it through childbirth and appeared healthy .The septuplets were made up of four boys and three girls. The couple already had already picked a list of names - and in order of their birth, they were: Kenny Jr. (who was the heaviest baby), Alexis, Natalie, Kelsey (was the lightest baby), Nathan, Brandon, and Joel.
The tiny newborns were premature and with weight ranging from 3 lbs 4 oz to 2 lbs 5 oz. They would be needing special medical attention, and as such were placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. It was a rare child birth, and therefore it took a while for the babies to be healthy enough to go home.
Heading Home
After three months and 10 days of intensive care at Iowa Methodist Hospital Center in Des Moines, where the septuplets were born, they were discharged from the hospital. Camera crews and reporters swarmed to the Hospital, all hoping to get the story of the amazing septuplets back to their headquarters.
Unfortunately, as often happens with premature babies, not all of the McCaughey newborn babies were healthy as both Alexis and Nathan were born with cerebral palsy, which is a group of conditions that can affect both movement and coordination. Both Alexis and Nathan will find it difficult to walk unaided but were healthy in every other way.
Making History
After the world’s first surviving septuplets were born, even though medical experts had warned its possible not all the babies will survive. The family garnered even additional media attention.
They went on to feature in Time magazine and Newsweek and was on the covers of most magazines and newspapers at the time. The U. S president at the time Bill Clinton, even called them up to congratulate the new parents and they later met George W. Bush. to mark their first birthday. They also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show at the time.
Endless Diapers
Taking care of the septuplets at once became a challenge for Bobbi and Kenny as they all required a significant amount of food and maintenance, and the babies were also getting through 52 diapers every single day.
Not only that, but the septuplets were also drinking 42 bottles every day. With the lots of responsibilities of feeding the babies, changing diapers and caring for them. The parents will soon develop a strategy.
Feeding The Family
McCaughey family found life difficult trying to support eight growing children, and it became quickly apparent to the couple that if they didn’t exercise frugality, they would not be able to afford to feed, clothe, and raise their big family.
They became more conscious about their spending then resorted to buying everything they could buy in bulk. With careful planning, they would spend only about as much as a family of four would over the course of a month. And with their careful money management, they were able to achieve the feat and were able to spend only about $300 on groceries each month. Bobbi even managed to buy 60 pounds of hamburgers, simply because they were at a discounted price.
Resourceful Remedies
Taking care of the large family became something the couple were furious about, due to the lack of sleep and the need to work to cater for the family, the McCaughey however was fortunate enough to have about seventy volunteers to help them with many offering help on a daily basis including family members and neighbors. They had folks from everywhere around the community and beyond.
Buying in bulk was not the only part of their solution to cutting down costs. They also cultivated the garden at the backyard of their house and grew fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables, and it kept them from having to buy many of their fresh produce and fruit items at the store.
Rejecting Reality TV
The family decided to keep out of the public eye by the time the septuplets had reached the age of 10, the family made the decision to turn down most of the media’s interview requests. , they wouldn't want to share their lives with strangers.
With the fame and media attention the McCaughey had experienced, they had received a letter from the famous Dionne quintuplets, who urged the parents to avoid the pitfalls of fame that they had experienced in the public eye. Which they obliged to and they kept a private life as much as possible.
Keeping Up With The McCaugheys
Avoiding being constantly in front of camera and consistent involvement with the media was something the Family of 10 achieved. But there was exceptions such as birthdays, as Bobbi would always post an update on how the children were doing.
Although the McCaughey generally avoided media attention, they would let the media check in every few years to see how the family was doing. Every year the family allowed for a Dateline birthday special that provided a brief glimpse into their extraordinary lives.
Milestone Movie
This was the case when the septuplets turned 13 in 2010 and became teenagers. TLC’s documentary special, America’s Septuplets Turn 13, allowed the country to see how the kids had grown.
Ann Curry hosted the TLC production that documented their lives. The documentary titled America’s Septuplets Turn 13 aired on December 28, 2010 a month after the septuplets blew out their collective 91 candles on their 13th birthday.
Pushing Through
Two of the septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, were born with cerebral palsy which had a negative effect on their coordination and movement for most of their time as childhoods. And as such they needed walkers to move around.
Nathan however didn't want to settle and rely on walkers for mobility so he started to push himself and tried more to walk without an aid. “I taught myself how to walk because I really wanted to learn. It’s just been getting better and better,” he said.
Pageant Winner
Alexis has also not let her disability slow her down, despite still using a walker. She may suffer from cerebral palsy, but she hasn’t let her ruin her life and as such she started taking part in beauty pageants specifically for children with special needs.
And In 2013, she won the Teen Miss Dreams Made True award in Carroll. She also did extremely well in high school, finishing in the top 15% of the class and she has been a role model and motivational leader all along.
Becoming Individuals
The septuplets were home schooled by their parents in kindergarten, the McCaughey’s had homeschooled the septuplets in kindergarten and they had taught them the basic essentials of life and the value of hard work. As some of them had to get part-time jobs in other to make up for their extra needs.
The septuplets later went to school and were even placed in different classes, where they made their own friends and developed individually as a person.
High School
It must have been difficult for the McCaughey to send all the seven children to high school together at once. In 2012, all seven of the siblings attended Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Iowa.
They became a centre of attention at their high school from day 1, that even their teachers and classmates find it hard to remember all of their names. However, the McCaughey septuplets all did well in high school and proved themselves as individuals. Hence 2012 became a milestone in their lives and one to remember.
Independent Aspirations
Even though the septuplets learned and grew up together they had their own unique personality and traits.
Kenny Jr. was recognized as the joker, Kelsey and Brandon were known to be good in athletics. While Alexis is known as the bookworm, of the 7 kids Brandon was seen as the bravest and the most stubborn. The amazing 7 would go on to show their unity as band mates.
From Womb Mates To Bandmates
The McCaughey septuplets wanted to be involved in majority of the activities in high school and as such formed a musical band together and they did made an amazing band together and would perform together during halftime at football matches.
The McCaughey kids also engaged themselves with other activities while in high school, and some were in choir, drama group, while some chose to be a soccer player.
112 Candles
When the septuplets turned 16, they all hit the headlines again. After trying to keep a more private life throughout the majority of their lives, they could not keep the focus of media away on them turning 16.
Now all grown ups who wanted the best things of life, It was around this time that their father told them all they could get jobs, especially if they wanted good things for themselves like phones and cars.
Home Life
The septuplets enjoyed their teenage life with some were learning to drive, others had fallen in love and were in relationships. Their parent on the other hand had joy seeing them grow and have always come across as a pretty perfect family despite their struggles.
The proud parents were always happy about how far they've come when interviewed. “It’s fun to see the work pay off,’ Bobbi said when asked about them.
The Septuplets’ Elder Sister
With all the media attention and focus on the McCaughey septuplets, people wondered what had become of the McCaughey eldest child, Mikayla. As she was rarely seen on the headlines, she however seems not to fancy the headlines and instead established herself in a more private way.
Mikayla went to study at both Des Moines Area Community College and Arizona State University before she got married and had her first child. Over the years, she had managed to be a good elder sister and stayed close to her septuplets siblings, and even made all her 3 sisters her bridesmaid on her wedding.
Group Graduation
The septuplets turned 18 and blew out 126 candles to celebrate their birthday on November 19, 2015. And around that time their High school graduation was right around the corner and they now have decisions to make about their futures and choose a career path with their guidance of their parents though.
The McCaughey couple couldn’t help but express their feelings when their beloved septuplets graduated from Carlisle High School, Carlisle, Iowa, in May 2016 “It’s sad to see things end, “Bobbi said, “but there will be lots of firsts coming.” The graduation of the first surviving septuplets from High School was once again on the pages and headlines of magazines.
College
Among the gift that was given to the McCaughey was an open invitation to go to any state school in Iowa with free tuition, Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri also offered the septuplets full scholarships, while the State of Iowa offered scholarships to any state university of their choice.
Natalie, Nathan, Kelsey, and Joel took the Hannibal-LaGrange University scholarship and went on to study their preferred course of study While Kenny Jr. And Alexis decided to stay in Iowa with their parents and further their education at DesMoines Area Community College and Brandon chose a different career path entirely.
Military Man
Brandon chose a different route, different from his siblings and enrolled in the U.S. Army right after high school. And it's not surprising to his family as he has been interested in the military since when he was young.
The hard work later paid of for Brandon and he achieved his ultimate goal when he became a United States Army Ranger. And became an expert in pistol shooting and carbine shooting.
Goals And Dreams
The celebrated septuplets of the McCaughey's are now 20 years old and have managed to make history as the first surviving septuplets. They are now realizing their dream in their respective careers even though the septuplets may never be able to completely distance themselves from their collective legacy, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing their individual lives.
With Kenny Jr. launching a carpentry business and had shown his potentials when he built a kitchen table and two benches for their eldest sister, Mikayla when she gave birth. Brandon is in the military and engaged, Alexis a childhood educator. While Kelsey is studying music and Natalie is studying to be a teacher, Joel and Nathan are scientist and have passion for computer science.
Always Connected
There will soon be distance among the McCaughey septuplets after growing up together and spending so much of their lives together, everybody wondered how they would deal with the distance the will grow between then when they go their different ways.
They septuplets expressed they were happy to each have their own space but admitted they’d miss each other, and The McCaughey sisters do create a unique way of meeting up often.
Enjoyed Their Upbringing
The seven siblings reflected on their bringing up after 20 years of growing up and were grateful to their parents in a recent interview.
“You’re never alone,” Kenny Jr. told reporters. “There’s always someone to talk to and hang out with. That’s what I think is the best.” Meanwhile, Kelsey had similar sentiments. “I don’t think there’s a worst part,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed it all.”
Future Families
There were questions regarding the offspring of the surviving septuplets. Doctors couldn't tell whether they will have multiple births themselves. And the response from medical practitioners was that there was little chance that they will have multiple births.
The condition surrounding their existence was due to the fertility treatment their parents opted for, and was not a natural cause and as such the probability will be low.
No Regrets
The McCaughey family looking back had no regrets about not adopting the selective reduction option, and are always thankful for all the seven kids.
After all these years, the couple wouldn't have chose otherwise and are against selective reduction as Bobbi said. “Well, come to our house, and tell me which four I shouldn’t have had!”
Their Own Callings
The McCaughey parents have had time to follow their dreams after years of tending to their eight wonderful kids. As the septuplets and their eldest sister are each exploring their lives and enjoying their individual freedoms. Their parents as well get busy with theirselves.
Their father Kenny now has time to fulfill his dreams of purchasing a motorcycle and rode around the country. He wld'nt have to worry about diapers to change, who would blame him!!
Empty Nesters
As any parent could imagine, it was difficult for the McCaughey to see all their kids leave the house at once after years of getting glued to their children and having to look after them .They now have to adjust to a new way of life.
The couple began to adjust and the reality of the fact that a large family of 10 had been reduced to just the two of them with a house that large began to set in, nonetheless they have new concerns for their children as they’ve gone off into becoming adults.
Downsizing
About 20 years ago when the McCaughey family welcomed the septuplets, they received their 5,000-square-meter, seven-bedroom, five-bathroom house as a donation from the Clark Company for the large family. They decided to put up the house for sale which was worth approximately $370,000, as it was too large for just the two of them.
