#30. A Beautiful Surprise
Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey already had a daughter and wanted her to grow up with a sibling, so they started trying to have another baby.
When the pregnancy test came back positive, they couldn't have been happier. What they didn't know is that it was more than just one baby that they were expecting.
#29. How Many?!
The happy couple went to their monthly ultrasound to check on the baby. Then, the doctor told them that they weren't expecting not one, nor two, nor three, but seven babies all at once.
They initially just stood there in shock, not being able to believe what they were hearing. Could the doctor be making a mistake? Was it even possible to conceive 7 babies at once?
#28. Preparation
The doctor checked again and confirmed that they were having septuplets. Once they finally understood what was going on, they began preparing for the arrival of all the babies, which would be extremely difficult.
Obviously, this meant they would need seven items of everything, and Bobbi would have to make sure she was in perfect health. How would they even manage?
#27. Praying To God
As the months went by, Bobbi got bigger and bigger, so big that her pregnant belly could almost touch her knees. Not only was she in pain physically, but she was very worried about the babies' welfare.
They would need a lot of money to take care of eight children, so they prayed to God every night to guide them through this journey, as they were very religious.
#26. The Risks
Having one baby can already take a huge toll on a woman's body, and the child needs regular monitoring to make sure he or she is doing well in there.
But having seven kids at once is very dangerous to both the babies and the mother, so the doctors asked the McCaughneys to make an incredibly difficult decision.
#25. The Procedure
The doctor suggested "selective reduction", a controversial procedure in which a few embryos are removed from the uterus so that the mother will carry fewer babies.
While it sounds like an awful thing, its purpose is to keep the mother safe and ensure that at least a few of the embryos survive instead of potentially losing them all. Now, the McCaughneys had to decide.
#24. Going On
Despite the medical advice, the couple decided to continue with the pregnancy as it was. At this point, news that a woman was pregnant with septuplets went viral and people were already giving their opinion on the subject.
Some thought they were making a mistake, while others agreed with their decision. However, in spite of the comments, they couple was confident in their decision.
#23. The Backlash
In a time where no social media existed, people sent letters. The McCoughneys got letters from all over the country showing their support and wishing them the best, but they also got a lot of hate mail.
Some people thought they were selfish for going through with the pregnancy despite the doctor's advice, and taking the backlash took a toll on them.
#22. The Upside
Despite the few negative comments coming their way, the couple received an enormous amount of support from their community, which gave them further strength.
Because they were struggling financially, people came together and bought them a large van, got them a nanny, and even bought them a house big enough to fit them all.
#21. Complications
Bobbi had felt relatively well during her pregnancy until week 28 came. She started feeling sick and as though the babies were trying to come out, even though they still needed two more months in the oven.
Two weeks later, Bobbi had to be rushed to the hospital. These type of pregnancies usually result in premature births, so doctors thought it was time to bring the septuplets into the world.
#20. Things Go Well
Everyone expected the birth of the children to be total mayhem, but it was not like that at all. Even though it was a premature birth, every baby was delivered smoothly.
They were very tiny and had to be kept on close watch to make sure that they were OK, but keeping an eye on seven babies is no easy task, let me tell you that!
#19. Meet The Babies
The McCaughneys welcomed three girls and four boys into the world that day. They were named Kenny Jr., Alexis, Natalie, Kelsey, Nathan, Brandon and Joel.
They were all very tiny, weighing around 3 lbs 4 oz each, so they had to stay at the hospital for months before they could be sent home. Leaving their babies at the hospital would not be easy for the couple.
#18. Going Home
Although the couple could visit their babies at the hospital, they could not stand being apart from them. After three long months, the babies were discharged and their happy parents brought them home.
They had received the best care at the hospital and were now very healthy children waiting to be spoiled by their parents. For the parents, it was a dream come true.
#17. Breaking A Record
Their challenges weren't over yet. Two of the babies had been born with cerebral palsy, which could bring them problems in the future, but they were otherwise healthy babies.
If all children made it through infancy, they would be the first set of septuplets to do so. And they did! This brought them an outpour of media attention and messages from people.
#16. Attention
The McCaughneys were invited to appear in many shows and do several interviews. The most important interview they had was with Oprah Winfrey, where they brought their adorable babies for everyone to see.
While it all seemed perfect on TV, things were very complicated behind the scenes, and the couple had a lot on their plate. This should come as no surprise, as raising one kid alone is difficult enough!
#15. A Lot Of Planning
Their household was chaos. The McCaughneys were changing about 52 diapers per day, and the babies needed 42 bottles to grow strong each day.
This already consumed most of their time and money, so they had to plan they finances very carefully. Somehow, they managed to limit their grocery expenses to $300 each month.
#14. A Helping Hand
Despite all their passion and care, the couple could not handle all these children alone. Thankfully, people in their community were very helpful and many people volunteered to help them every once in a while.
As a matter of fact, they had a total of 35 volunteer helpers coming and going every day to care for their babies, which made things a lot easier.
#13. Reality TV
There was a time when reality shows about big families were a thing (John and Kate Plus Eight, hello?), but the McCaughneys didn't want anything to do with it. They knew that, even though the money would be great, it would hurt their children in the long run.
They did, however, allow the media to check in on them every once in a while as a thank you to all the people who followed their story and helped them out. In other words, there wasn't a single American who hadn't heard about their story!
#12. The Documentary
Cameras came into their home only once a year for a whopping 13 years to make a documentary about their lives. The production aired on TLC when the children turned 13.
Seeing the kids all grown up was a shock to everyone, to say the least. If the household was crazy when they were babies, imagine a house full of teenagers!
#11. Never Giving Up
So, how are the children doing today? The two kids who had cerebral palsy, Alexis and Nathan, always had to use a walker to move around, but that never stopped them from chasing their dreams.
In fact, the two practice walking every day, and they don't feel any different from their other siblings. Alexis, especially, is doing something incredible in her own time...
#10. Pageant Queen
To increase her self-confidence, the McCaughneys made Alexis enter pageants for children with special needs. She loved them from the very beginning and even won several of them.
In 2013, she was crowned Teen Miss Dream Made True, and she uses her platform to inspire children with special needs to chase their dreams and be confident.
#9. Being Independent
It was important for their parents to stimulate the children's individuality, so instead of homeschooling them, they brought them to school and had them put into different classes.
This allowed them to make their own friends and live their own lives apart from their siblings, which made them discover what made each of them special.
#8. Going To High School
The kids started high school in 2012, and this time, they didn't have enough classes for them to all be separated. This meant that they would be in the same class together!
This was a shock to all the other kids who had never seen septuplets in their lives. It was difficult at first, but they all loved spending time together at school.
#7. Different Interests
Despite having shared a womb once, all kids are completely different. Alexis is the nerd of the family, while Kenny Jr. is known as the jokester who makes everyone laugh.
Brandon and Kelsey are the athletic ones who love being outside. Despite their different interests, they love hanging out all together as the big family they are.
#6. United By Music
Despite their different personalities, there is one thing they all love: music. Musical talent is in their genes, and they all loved to make music from a very young age.
They first sang together as a choir, but in high school, they all joined the school band, playing different instruments and singing. Seeing all these twins making music is amazing.
#5. Another Milestone
Even though they were born many years ago, the McCaughney septuplets are still making history for who they are. They are still the longest-surviving septuplets ever, and they still marvel doctors around the world.
Multiple pregnancies tend to be extremely risky, and the children usually are born with many issues, so the fact that they are all healthy is a true miracle.
#4. Eight Teenagers In The House
Life in high school is hard for everyone, but imagine having to deal with eight over-emotional teenagers all at once! Bobbi and Kenny always kept their cool and tried their best for their family to live in harmony.
There were many difficult moments along the way, especially whenever the kids didn't get along, but they all made it and graduated high school in 2017.
#3. Mikayla
The septuplets always got all the attention, but don't forget that they had an older sister: Mikayla. How did she survive with seven younger siblings?
As it turns out, she loved being a big sister and helping her parents out. She studied art at Arizona State University and is now married with a child. And where are the septuplets now?
#2. Going To College
Who would've thought that pushing seven children into the world would have so many perks? And who would've thought that they would grow to be so adored by the rest of their community?
The kids were so beloved by their community that the State of Iowa actually offered to pay for their education from primary school to college, which is a lot of money. But only six children decided to take the scholarship, and one of them took a different path.
#1. The End
Brandon was the only one who decided to join the military instead of going to college and he is now engaged. Now the septuplets are 20 years old, and while most of them are still in college, Kenny Jr. has his own carpentry business.
They are always in touch even though they are miles apart, and they all still live in Iowa as a big, happy family. Who knows what more destiny has in store for them!