Adding another family member and becoming a parent is one of the most life-changing experiences – so imagine welcoming seven newborns all at once.
That’s what Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey did many years ago now. Fortunately, their sons and daughters lived healthy lives and ultimately became the first-ever septuplets to all survive.
From babies to young adults, here is their story.
Meet The Incredible Parents
Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey felt super blessed at the arrival of a healthy baby girl in 1996. Given that Bobbi had to battle with complications with her pituitary gland, which can cause problems with fertility, the couple believed their newborn daughter to be a miracle baby.
They decided to name her Mikayla Marie. They weren’t planning on having just one child, so they started to consider having their next.
Pursuing Fertility Treatment
Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey knew about the difficulties in conceiving Mikayla, and that’s why they decided to seek fertility treatment for their next child.
Upon seeking medical advice, the doctor prescribed Metrodin, a medication that helps with ovulation and is required to be taken by a woman to conceive a child. With making plans for their second baby, Bobbi started taking the medication.
Planned For One, Got Seven
When Bobbi and her husband went for a scan to their doctor, they were hoping that everything would turn out fine, and they wouldn’t be getting any surprises. However, the scan turned out to be life-changing as it revealed that Bobbi was pregnant with not one but seven babies.
It was big news for them as they were not only looking at a big family of 10 but also because the pregnancy posed a great danger to the health of Bobbi and the babies.
A Tough Decision
As multiple births can pose a danger to the health of both the mother and the babies, Bobbi’s body was under immense strain from carrying not one but seven fetuses. Due to the risk to Bobbi and her unborn babies, the doctor recommended the couple to consider a process called “selected reduction.”
In this process, those fetuses are protected, which are most likely to make it to full term. Hence, it is like aborting babies who have fewer survival chances.
Taking The Risk
Bobbi and Kenny fully understood the risks involved in the pregnancy that poses a lot of dangers to mother and babies’ health, but they didn’t want to choose one of their babies above another. So, they gave it a long thought and decided to proceed with the pregnancy.
It was a tough decision because only about 40-50 births in the world have resulted from a pregnancy involving seven babies. There is a possibility that they drew some confidence from the fact that although many septuplets have not survived birth or infancy, at least one more set of septuplets had survived beyond infancy.
Getting Lots of Attention from Everyone
As Bobbi and Kenny made the big decision to keep all seven babies and not opt for selective reduction, the news spread like wildfire, and everyone across the country wanted to know more about them.
While some found the story of septuplets fascinating, some people weren’t supportive of keeping all seven babies. However, Bobbi and Kenny had made up their minds, and they were confident that everything would work out for the best.
Getting Help
People who knew the McCaugheys, and those who didn’t know them at all, everyone was eager to offer them help. It was understandable because the birth of seven children at once was undoubtedly an extraordinary event.
For instance, Kraft stepped forward to give the family a year’s supply of “mac n cheese.” They were also given boxes of diapers, and some offered help as babysitters or nannies. Amazingly, a 5,000 square foot house was also donated to the family.
More Gifts
As if getting a 5,000 square foot house wasn’t showing the people’s generosity, someone stepped forward to donate a brand new van to the family.
The van was big enough to fit all of the babies comfortably. Moreover, someone donated a year’s supply of groceries to the family.
Exciting and Scary Times
As weeks and months were leading up to the birth of seven babies, it was scary, thrilling, and stressful times for the family. The doctors were concerned that the stress of the deliveries could lead her to early labor.
Bobbi tried her best to keep calm, and though the couple was worried that things might not work as planned, they knew that staying positive was their best bet at that time. They tried their best to remain as positive as possible.
Delivering The Babies
The couple received the news that they would need to be at the hospital at just 31 weeks. They were told that the babies would be delivered by caesarian section.
Although Bobbi and Kenny were a bit surprised, they trusted the doctors. On November 19th, 1997, Bobby gave birth to seven babies in the space of just SIX minutes.
A Family of TEN
The couple was happy to welcome four boys and three girls. Everyone was relieved to find out that the septuplets were healthy. All now the parents needed was to name their babies.
The heaviest of the babies was named Robert, while the other boys were named Kenny Robert, Brandon James, Nathan Roy, and Joel Steven. The beautiful girls were named Alexis Mary, Natalie Sue, and Kelsey Ann. It must be a lot to remember the names of seven babies. Here is a challenge for you: try remembering all the names by the end of this article.
A Team Effort
It wasn’t only Bobbi and Kenny’s effort in bringing seven babies into the world; there were the dedicated efforts of the hardworking hospital staff as well.
The doctors, nurses and maternity staff were happy that they were part of making American history. A few days after the birth of septuplets, all the team gathered to take a memorable group photo.
Waiting To Get the First Pictures of Babies
As Bobbi and Kenny were asked by the doctors to come to the hospital nine weeks before Bobbi’s due date, the news channels didn’t know about it.
When the news channels finally became aware that the births were taking place at the Lowa Methodist Hospital Center in Des Moines, they started camping out to get the first pictures of the newborns.
Spending Extra Time Under Observation
The doctors at the hospital wanted to ensure that the babies and the mother were healthy before discharging them. Therefore, Bobbie and her seven babies had to spend three months and ten days in the hospital after the delivery.
When the news broke out that the couple and babies were leaving the hospital, the cameramen and journalists gathered around to get a snap of the septuplets. As the McCaugheys headed for their home, there were a lot of smiles, cheers, and even a few tears.
Getting Police Security
The police had to set up a security post outside the home of the McCaugheys as they wanted to ensure that the couple reached their home without facing any trouble whatsoever.
The babies were first brought back to the couple’s old home, but they would be moving into their new home pretty soon.
Exciting Times
While the couple took care of their seven babies in their old home, their new home was getting ready. Once their new home was organized, a ceremony took place in which they were handed over the keys to their new home.
The ceremony involved the chairman of Clarke Companies, Lloyd Clarke. He gave the keys to the couple in the garage of the house. There was excitement in the air as the couple entered their new home.
Getting Countrywide Media Attention
Initially, the couple thought that only local reporters were interested in covering their story, but they didn’t know that their incredible septuplets had caught the attention of some big magazines as well.
In December of 1997 (just a month after the septuplets were born), Bobbi and Kenny featured on the front cover of Time Magazine.
A Complete Interview
After the news magazine, ABC News PrimeTime was able to get full access to the family for a complete interview and news feature.
Given that most of the coverage involved reporters retelling what others had already written, the interview with ABC covered other aspects as well.
There Was Also Criticism
While most of the news coverage was positive, there were some negative reports, as well. Some people called the family irresponsible for having too many children.
Some even criticized the couple because they thought that the amount of waste generated by having so many babies could play a role in damaging the environment. But it didn’t matter to the couple as they were happy with their babies. They felt blessed to have seven babies.
