The history of the most famous seedlings on the planet

It is difficult even to imagine what kind of emotions Kenny and Bobby McCauhew experienced many years ago, when at the first ultrasound it turned out that they could become the parents of twins – seven twins!

In such a situation, the question naturally arises: is it possible to bear and give birth to so many children? Doctors more than once offered the couple to undergo a selective reduction procedure – or, more simply, to have a partial abortion. But Kenny and Bobby, for religious reasons, firmly refused such interventions. The fact that we managed to successfully bear and give birth to seven children at once is a real miracle. The babies were born in November 1997, 9 weeks ahead of schedule. The couple had four boys and three girls. Since this event was truly unique, the US President Bill Clinton personally congratulated the family.

Note that the couple also has an eldest daughter, and therefore Kenny and Bobby raised eight heirs at once.

Unfortunately, in families where twins are born, especially if there are more than three of them, infant mortality is very high. Doctors warned the couple that it was unlikely that all seven would be able to survive. But they succeeded. They not only crossed the difficult milestone of the first year, but they were all able to go to school, successfully graduated from it, five of them have already entered college.

At the same time, difficulties with health, unfortunately, did not pass by the large family. Two babies were diagnosed with infantile cerebral palsy. But the family did not give up, they made every effort to maintain their health, and now both children have a future. Alexis graduated from high school with honors and dreams of becoming a teacher. Nathan underwent a complex spine surgery, after which he learned to walk on his own. Now he is interested in molecular biology, with which he wants to connect his life.

How is a young mom’s day? These are feeding, laying the baby, walking, cleaning and preparing food. Now, let’s imagine the daily routine of the McCauhew family. Feeding so many children is really difficult. Bobbie admitted that cooking in the house is a continuous process, the stove and two microwave ovens are constantly heating, boiling, and steaming something. And two dishwashers endlessly wash pots, plates, pans. Two dishwashers? It may sound like an overkill for some, but in this family it’s just a necessity. As well as two washing machines, which every day are completely loaded with things and wash, wash, wash.

According to parents, when there is silence in the house, it is really scary. Imagine who and how can cope with ironing in a family of two adults and seven children ?! Walking in such a situation can be a real challenge. How many strollers are needed and how can a simple mother take all this away? In photographs from the family archive, we see a very unusual design in the form of interconnected strollers, but it is difficult to imagine their weight and maneuverability. I’m afraid this cannot be compared with the modern, familiar to us, transforming strollers for the weather or twins.

The head of the family worked in two shifts, but, of course, this was not enough. We all know how much money is needed to feed, clothe, and shoe children. Especially when there are eight of them and when two of them need constant treatment. A large family got on television, on a talk show with Oprah Winfrey. The diva of the TV air turned to the audience for help, any help! After that, charitable organizations gave the family the most necessary: ​​a house of 500 square meters, which could comfortably accommodate such a rather large family, as well as a minivan to be able to move around. In addition, the family was provided with a supply of diapers for two years and the necessary clothes for the babies.

Just imagine how tangible help this is for any young family. And the authorities of the state of Iowa, where the family lives, promised to provide children with a scholarship after entering any university and, as time has shown, they kept their word! The second resource that the family lacked so much was time and free hands. It is physically difficult to keep up with everything around the house and look after all the children at once. But people who saw the family on talk shows decided not to leave them without support. Volunteers constantly supported the family, helped around the house, walked with the children, fed them, and played. A real schedule was drawn up, according to which people came to the McCauhew home, ready to selflessly help. Even when the attention of media reporters faded and the family stopped inviting for filming and interviews, the volunteers did not leave them and continued to help.

As children grow older, it became easier to solve household issues. Children in a large family inevitably grew up very independent. According to the parents, they quickly began to help with household chores, cleaned the rooms themselves, and participated in the preparation of dinner. By the age of 12, the twins’ mother realized that she was ready to go to work. The decree, which had dragged on for such a long period, came to an end. And where do you think she went to work? She got a job in kindergarten! A woman who has eight of her children at home, who, it would seem, should dream of spending at least a little time away from noisy games, endless baby bottles, toys and pots, has become a teacher. Apparently parenting is Bobby’s real confession. The only rest that parents allow themselves is a weekly trip to the cinema or cafe. Only two of us, no children. The couple leaves the children with nannies and goes on a romantic little walk – this is their family tradition. Agree, you can’t blame them for this! Who among us does not dream of spending a couple of hours with a loved one together, and then, bored, return to our beloved child.

What future awaits this family is still unknown. This story has already become common property. Every mom or dad can easily imagine all the joys and difficulties that they had to face as their children grow up. But one thing is for sure: they will always have to set a big table for Christmas and prepare a lot of gifts. Just imagine how many grandchildren the McCoughhews can expect for the holidays in 5-10 years.