On November 19, 1997, Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey became the proud parents of seven new children. Bobbi and Kenny had a daughter, Mikayla, but they struggled to conceive children due to Bobbi’s malfunctioning pituitary gland. It was a condition she was born with. They decided to use fertility drugs to help them conceive (Mitradin). They were originally advised by medical staff to have ‘selective-reduction’ but it wasn’t a path they were willing to consider.
News of the unusual pregnancy spread across the country. The McCaugheys received unexpected support from their community and the whole country. They received a new van, diapers, groceries for a year and even a new home. Bobbi and Kenny would need all the help that they could get.
The babies arrived a few weeks early and were delivered by C-section, just 6 minutes apart. Kenneth Robert, Alexis May, Nathalie Sue, Nathan Roy, Kelsey Ann, Brandon James and Joel Steven would stay in the hospital for another three months before they were strong enough to go home. Bobbi and Kenny lived in Carlisle, Iowa, and would meet President Clinton and Bush and be featured with their children in Time magazine.
In 1996 Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey welcomed baby Mikayla Marie to their family. It was a happy, and joyous day. Bobbi, from birth, had a fertility challenge as a father as he had a pituitary gland that did not work optimally. Welcoming one child to your family is a miracle itself. How would you feel about having seven?
Falling pregnant with Mikayla had been a challenge for Bobbie, and Kenny. To increase their chances of having a baby, they decided to seek expert fertility advice. Bobbi started taking Metrodin, a medication that helps to promote ovulation. Bobbi and Kenny were very excited about having a second child.
Bobbi went to see her doctor, who told her that she was pregnant, but, not with one baby. No, she was carrying seven babies! Bobbi was thrilled to be pregnant was but her health was also at risk, for a multiple birth pregnancy. This wasn’t one, or two, or even three babies – but seven!
Bobbi’s doctors advised her to think about selective reduction. By reducing the number of embryos she was carrying, she would greatly increase the survival of those that remained. This would be the best option for assuring that she had a healthy pregnancy and carried her babies to full term.
Bobbie and Kenny were not prepared to lose any more babies and decided against the selective reduction process. They were going to go ahead, despite the risk, and hoped to keep all their babies healthy. It was the only choice that they felt they could live with and was right for them.
The news of their unusual pregnancy soon spread. They were in the public eye and their story caught the attention of local and national, media. The local community was very interested in Kenny and Bobbi and wished them all the best. Their private journey and pregnancy became public news.
Bobbi and Kenny lived in a small home and were expecting 7 children! (5000 sq, feet.) Members of the local community and people from all over, heard about the McCaughey family. Donations were made, to help the future parents, from far and wide. Bobbi and Kenny received diapers and offers of nanny services. They could not be have been happier with the extra help.
To their absolute delight the family, the family were blessed with a wonderful gift – a brand new van! A normal car would never be big enough for them. They were also blessed with a year’s supply of groceries. There were going to be many mouths to feed in their new family.
Bobbi and Kenny were over the moon with happiness, but, it was also an extremely anxious time. Anything could happen, from day to day. They were living on the edge of their nerves as they counted down the days until the babies were born.
The babies arrived early! They were born 9 weeks before their due date! The newest members of the McCaughey family were welcomed into the world, six minutes apart, on November 19th, 1997. They were delivered via c-section, and a miracle of nature.
There were four new boys, and three new girls, in the McCaughey family. They almost used a whole book of baby names! See if you can remember them! They welcomed: Kenneth Robert (Kenny Jnr, the heaviest); Alexis May; Natalie Sue; Kelsey Ann (the lightest); Nathan Roy; Brandon James; and Joel Steven.
Little Lexi was born with a muscular disorder which meant that feeding her was a challenge. Two of the babies were fed using feeding tubs. Little Natalie suffered from digestive issues as she had extreme acid reflux, which meant that she was in pain when feeding.
For the staff, on the delivery team, it was a very proud day, too. They were making history, successfully delivering seven babies, and entering the history books. They gathered together the next day to pose for a photograph to record the miracle day’s work in their careers.
The media had been camping out, waiting for the extraordinary birth story to break. As Bobbi had gone into labor early, they were unprepared. Soon, they rushed to Des Moines, Iowa, to break the news of the septuplet birth which had taken place at the Methodist Hospital Center.
Three months, and ten days, after their birth, the babies were strong enough to go home. The media captured the tears of joy, the beaming smiles, and delight of the family, as they left the hospital in their new van. The whole country had been following their journey and celebrated the happy news.
The whole community rallied to support the new family, ensuring that they could arrive home safely. The local police kept a close eye and set up a post outside their home to make sure that their arrival home would be undisturbed. In fact, there was another move that the family would be making, soon.
The Chairman of Clarke Companies, Lloyd Clarke, presented Kenny with the keys to a new 5500 sq ft home. It was a day of joy and excitement as they celebrated their new home for their family of ten! Clarke gave Kenny the keys to their new home in the garage of the new house.
Bobbi and Kenny were interviewed by ABC News Prime Time, the first station that covered their miracle story, and many media organizations spread the news. Time Magazine, in December 1997, put them into the public spotlight by featuring them as the main cover story.
Amongst the delight and happiness of the public, there were also those who expressed negative views. Bobbi and Kenny were told that they had ‘too many kids’ and that this was irresponsible and could ‘hurt the environment.’ Bobbi and Kenny did not let the negative critics rob them of their joy and happiness with their new family.
The McCaughey’s decided the best decision, for their family, was to take their children out of the public spotlight. Annually, they would make a public appearance, on the children’s birthday, but limit their public exposure as much as they could. They had been warned about the dangers by the Dionne quintuplets.
Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1934 to Elzire Dionne, the quintuplets had been overexposed to public attention and had been paraded around like a tourist attraction, from a young age. They were raised in an unhealthy environment and did not want the McCaughey children to have the same experience.
Two of everything! Adjusting to home life with a new baby is a challenge enough for any parent. Seven new family members mean a lot of washing, cooking, and cleaning. Bobbi and Kenny needed to do about 17 loads of laundry every week, to stay on top of everything. From washing machines to dryers, they needed two of everything.
How many diapers would seven babies need for one day? Around 52! The babies were drinking 42 bottles of milk and going through diapers very quickly. Financially, this was a huge cost to the family and they needed to make a new plan quickly.
Looking after 7 babies was an impossible task for Bobbi and Kenny to do by themselves. They needed help from volunteers to manage daily life. On any given day, they had help from as many as 70 different people, assisting them to cope – from changing diapers to feeding and taking care of the babies.
Even the construction workers building the McCaughey’s new home helped out and held the new babies. Everyone wanted to help in any possible way that they could. The photograph of the construction crew with the McCaughey septuplets is one of Bobbi’s favorites.
Bobbi’s sister, Michelle, was not only an aunt, but helped to mother the children too. Bobbi and Kenny were very grateful to their family members, especially their sisters, for coming to their aid. They needed help from their family and the public too, to take care of their new family.
Most little girls play with baby dolls. Little Mikayla was 8 years old, and the eldest sister, and helped her parents to take care of the babies, too. Mikayla helped her Mom and Dad to feed her siblings and play with them, and with anything else that she could manage. Big sister Mikayla helped to raise her brothers and sisters.
The McCaughey family needed to trim their budget fast, any way that they could. Buying in bulk is one way to do this and, so, they started shopping for the best deals that they could find. Bobbie once bought 60lb of hamburger meat because it was greatly discounted. They spent, on average, $300 a month, on groceries, cutting costs wherever they could.
Neighbours and the local community knew about the septuplets but seeing seven babies in their adapted strollers was still a sight to behold. Two, four-chaired strollers belonging to the same family was enough to make people stop and watch the futuristic stroller train go by.
The McCaughey’s needed to save money wherever they could and started growing their own vegetables. It was one way to put fresh vegetables on the table that could help to reduce their grocery bill. It is more work but something that they needed to do.
Like any other family, babies need to go for check-ups and to see their pediatrician on a regular basis. Raising seven babies, including their doctor’s visits needed more planning and organizing. Looking after the septuplets was more than a full-time job.
Babies and toddlers often have the own language – called cryptophasia – especially when there are twins or triplets. They communicate with each other and can understand. As the children developed they adapted and acquired English speaking skills like any other children.
Every year, Bobbi and Kenny not only celebrated their children’s birthday but it was a chance to give thanks to God for their miracle. It was a day to celebrate and praise God for the happiness that their children had brought into their life and that keeping their babies had been the best decision.
The McCaughey family and their miracle birth was news at the White House, too. The president of America, Bill Clinton, called to congratulate them. George Bush, the next American president, would meet the children, too.
The State Governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, also came to see the children. Everyone celebrated the septuplet birth. The Governor was delighted and kissed little Kenny on the cheek.
Bobbi and Kenny were on a tight budget and had to be practical. Birthdays were celebrated with one birthday cake, showing the number of candles for the year. So, when the children turned four there was one cake, with four candles – not seven cakes, or one with twenty-eight candles. Sharing was an important family value for Bobbi and Kenny.
Every child has their own personality, and the McCaughey clan are no different to any other family. Kenny Junior was known as the joker, little Natalie and Joel loved reading, and Brandon is the most headstrong. All the children have their own characters, and likes, and dislikes.
When the septuplets turned eight, Bobbi and Kenny agreed that the Ladies Home Journal magazine could use them for a feature story. They were on the cover of the magazine, celebrating their miracle birth story.
In 2001, the McCaughey clan met President Bush. The children were still young then and had no idea really that they were meeting a president. It was a great occasion for the family and they dressed up for the historical event and met the U.S president. Like any children, some were excited, and to others, it was all a bit too much.
For many families with big sets of children, reality television is a way to earn an income. The McCaughey family were not interested in putting their family into the public eye in such a dramatic way. They decided early on against entertaining such ideas and wanted their children to grow up in a normal family environment.
When the siblings turned thirteen, they made a public appearance on the Today Show. Ann Curry hosted a special feature on the septuplets and the teenagers blew out candles on special birthday cakes presented to them. It was a spectacular sight enjoyed by the nation.
The children attended Carlisle High School, in Carlisle, Iowa. 2012 marked the beginning of the septuplets high school years which would be very successful. They received a lot of attention from their first day at school, from teachers, and students.
Seeing seven siblings going to class together or eating in the cafeteria was a daily sight. They even, all, joined the high school band and were all musically talented. They played together at football games and high school events.
While the siblings may all have been musical, they also had a diverse range of skills and talents. Some were good at athletics and participated in cross-country; others were more academic and entered speech contests. They had their own hobbies and interests, too.
Preparing meals as the children grew older was easier for the family. There were many young cooks on hand to assist. Meals were buffet style and no longer endless bottles or food for toddlers. The children could help with chores and help Bobbi and Kenny to run their home.
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