The World’s First Surviving Septuplets Made History — You Won’t Believe Their Lives 20 Years Later!

A couple couldn’t have any children, and then a miracle happened and they had a daughter. But they would never believe what would happen when they tried for a second child and received septuplets instead. The road to this unique birth was anything but easy. This is a story about faith, miracles, and what true love means even in the face of the most difficult times.

Here is the story of the first surviving septuplets: where are they 20 years later?

Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey fell in love, got married, and decided to start a family. The only problem was that Bobbi was born with a malfunctioning pituitary gland, and as a result, she suffered from fertility problems. In 1996, they were blessed with a baby girl, and they named her Mikayla Marie.

After Mikayla had grown up a little, Bobbi and Kenny decided they were going to try again for another baby. A specialist advised that they explore the options of fertility treatment. The proposed option was the use of Metrodin, a drug that stimulates ovulation, which in turn helps a woman fall pregnant. The couple didn’t know what to expect from the fertility treatment.

When they went to their doctor for a regular scan, they received results that would completely blow their minds. The specialist said they weren’t having a baby—no, they were having seven. It was the first time that the McCaugheys had ever heard the word septuplets.

Although there was huge excitement surrounding the news, there was suddenly the revelation that it could be dangerous for both Bobbi and for the babies. One expert explained to the couple that they might need to look into the possibility of selective reduction, a process that eliminates some of the embryos in order to save others. With so many emotions and options coming at them from all angles, Bobbi and Kenny needed to make a decision. After considering all the dangers around keeping all seven embryos, they decided that they were going to risk it all and have all seven babies. They were going to have septuplets.

Even though Bobbi and Kenny were sure about their decision, others were not. Many people from the public criticized the couple, telling them that it wasn’t their choice to decide to keep all the babies. Nevertheless, the couple fought on and moved forward.

When the news spread across their hometown of Carlisle, Iowa, the community started to offer their help. No one had ever heard about anyone giving birth to seven babies, so they realized that the McCaugheys would need all the help that they could get. Donations poured in: endless supplies of diapers, free nanny services, a year’s supply of mac and cheese, and even a van to fit the whole family into. They didn’t know how to show just how grateful they were for all the gifts they got; they were truly overwhelmed by it all.

Then they received a gift that they could have never expected: a huge 5,000-square-foot house just for them. And just when they thought that was it, they got a year’s supply of groceries.

Understandably, the days before the huge birth were filled with anxiety. They realized the risk of going through with such an irregular birth, and they couldn’t help but feel nervous every now and then. But even then, they were more excited and hopeful than anything else. As Bobbi was nearing her due date, preparations for the septuplets were fully underway.

Unexpectedly, on November 19, 1997, Bobbi was rushed to the hospital. There were still nine weeks to go until she was supposed to give birth, but the septuplets were ready to come into the world. Without a doubt, Bobbi had to undergo a cesarean birth, and all babies were born within six minutes of each other.

From a small family of just three, the family was suddenly made up of ten. There were three boys and four girls, and their names were Kenny (Kenneth Robert, the heaviest baby), Alexis May, Natalie Sue, Kelsey Ann (the lightest baby), Nathan Roy, Brandon James, and Joel Steven.

Name tags, anyone?

It was absolutely mind-blowing that all the babies survived, but there were some issues at first. Lexi was born with a muscular disorder that caused her pain and difficulty when she ate. Her sister Natalie suffered from acid reflux, which also caused her pain while she ate. Hearing of the birth of septuplets is one thing, but being one of the hospital staff to help deliver the babies is another. Two days after the birth of the McCaughey septuplets, the entire team of hospital staff got together for a memorable picture.

There was a scramble among journalists to get to the hospital when they heard that Bobbi had gone into early labor. The parking lot of the Iowa Methodist Hospital Center in Des Moines was littered with journalists who camped out there. It was turning into a rather big story.

The camera crews and journalists would have to wait a lot longer than they anticipated. It took three months and ten days for Bobbi to eventually get the green light to leave the hospital. The couple didn’t walk out of the hospital alone; rather, they were accompanied by a team to protect them from eager reporters. Once they managed to safely get to the new van and out of the hospital parking lot, it was up to the police to ensure that they stayed safe outside of their house. Police officers ensured that they weren’t bothered, and that lasted until they got their new home.

Finally, the day came when the McCaughey family could move into their new house. It wasn’t a basic move to the 5,500-square-foot house; there was a special ceremony, too. Gathered in the garage of the house, Clark Company’s chairman, Lloyd Clark, happily gave the house keys to Kenny as everyone smiled with excitement.

In December 1997, Bobbi and Kenny got quite a surprise when Time Magazine contacted them about doing a story on them. Suddenly, they realized that the septuplets weren’t just famous in their town, but across the country. Although there were many reporters and news agencies reporting the septuplets’ story, many of them hadn’t actually covered the story themselves. ABC News Primetime was officially the first TV station to feature their story, while the rest of the reporters were essentially just copying whatever they heard from there.

With all the coverage they were getting, the McCaugheys were bound to receive some negative feedback. Some people accused them of harming the environment by having too many children. Despite these negative remarks and accusations, Bobbi and Kenny could not be brought down.

Bobbi and Kenny had become caught up in all the hype of their miraculous birth, but it was high time they decided to start leading as normal a life as possible, and that included staying private. They decided they would come out into the public eye for the children’s birthdays and not anytime else. It was the Dionne quintuplets who helped them reach that decision.

The Dionne quintuplets warned the McCaugheys about the dangers of overexposing their children to the public. They themselves were born in 1934 in Ontario, Canada, and grew up in a difficult environment. The children were exploited and became something of a circus attraction for the public, which severely harmed them.

Bobbi and Kenny decided to focus on the kids and their day-to-day needs. It was a time for the parents to learn about the different challenges they had to face. Laundry was a major project that took up a large part of every single day. In fact, on a weekly basis, they were doing around 17 loads of laundry, and just to keep up with the work, they needed to buy two washing machines and two dryers.

If that’s what the daily laundry was like, can you imagine what the daily diaper count was? On average, the septuplets were using up about 52 diapers every single day, and they were drinking about 42 bottles. Bobbi really had a physically draining experience with the septuplets. She needed to personally pump breast milk for all the babies, meaning that she had to provide four to five gallons of milk a week, and this lasted until the babies were three months old.

Potty training for a child can be done in a short space of time if you do it right. The McCaughey parents did it right with Mikayla, their eldest, and she was ready to go in four days. But potty training seven children at the same time was a completely different ball game, and they accepted that it would take at least a couple of months.

It goes without saying that just two parents would never manage to care for the septuplets and their one-year-old daughter alone. Volunteers made up of friends, family, and other Good Samaritans came to help with cleaning, changing, playing, and looking after the babies. The volunteers who came to the family’s aid were not always what they expected; even the construction workers touching up the McCaugheys’ house were keen to help, taking turns holding the babies and looking after them.

Of course, the impact of the public’s help was incredible, but when it comes to family, it’s simply incomparable. Bobbi’s sister Michelle played with one of her sister’s babies, becoming an aunt to seven babies in a matter of moments. Even though there were around 70 volunteers who came to help, there was one special youngster who made it her duty to help, too. Mikayla Marie, their first child, would help feed her younger siblings and play with them.

The help the McCaugheys received was a complete blessing, but there were other challenges they were facing with eight children under the age of two years in the house. One of those issues was financial strain, so the couple made a plan to buy in bulk, which reduced their monthly grocery spending to around three hundred dollars.

Even though the neighborhood where the McCaugheys lived grew used to the idea of septuplets being around, it still kept them amazed each time they saw them. Each time someone took the septuplets out for a stroll in their limousine-like strollers, people’s heads turned in wonder.

Buying in bulk was just the start of their cost-reducing plan; the next step was creating their very own vegetable garden. This was a game changer that allowed them to grow, pick, and eat their own vegetables.

It was the parents’ duty to constantly take the children to the doctor for checkups. This wasn’t like bringing up an ordinary child; this was bringing up seven children all of the same age, all at the same time. The septuplets were constantly under observation.

We are all aware that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but we didn’t know that it also happened to be the McCaughey babies’ favorite meal, too.

Do you believe that babies have their own language? Well, the truth is that they actually do, and it’s called cryptophasia. This language is used by babies who are twins, triplets, or, in our case, septuplets. The septuplets communicated with each other in a language that no one else understood.

Each and every one of the birthdays the septuplets celebrated was a special day. They weren’t just birthdays; they were an opportunity to thank God for giving Bobbi and Kenny an incredible gift that they could never have expected. Each year the children reached their birthday, it was a call for celebration. However, their birthdays weren’t just celebrations; they were also an opportunity to thank God for being healthy and happy. Each year was another sign that the McCaugheys made the right decision by keeping the babies.

Bobbi and Kenny found themselves with challenges they would have never expected to face. One of those challenges was keeping up with the septuplets’ wardrobes. While their ages were all the same, their clothing sizes were not. As the McCaughey septuplets grew more and more, there was a need for more and more clothing. Of course, it was impossible for their older sister Mikayla to provide them all with hand-me-downs. But then Carter’s, a children’s clothing company, stepped in and said they would provide clothing for the septuplets until the kids turned five.

As the children were growing up, the excitement and hype around them never died down. They knew that their news had truly spread when the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, called Bobbi and Kenny to wish them well. In the coming years, they would also meet President George W. Bush.

The phone call with President Clinton will always stick in Bobbi’s head just because of something he said to her. He earnestly said:

“When these kids all go off to school, you’ll be able to get a job running any major corporation in America. You will be the best-organized manager in the United States.”

She’ll never forget that call.

It wasn’t just heads of state that wanted to meet the septuplets; the governor of their state was interested, too. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad was thrilled to personally meet the McCaughey septuplets, and the kids were just as thrilled.

Apparently, for a birthday, you have to have a birthday cake, and for a birthday cake, you have to have candles. But when the McCaughey septuplets reached their fourth birthday, they only had one cake with four candles. Why? Well, Bobbi and Kenny wanted to teach their children the importance of sharing and being happy with what they had.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the septuplets each had their own personality. In their own way, each one brought something unique to the dynamic of their family. Kenny Jr. was the one the family thought of as the clown, while Joel and Natalie were the bookworms. Brandon was the bravest and, funny enough, the most stubborn. One of the children who really stood out was Kenny Jr.—he was what they called the pint-sized explorer, and he was everywhere he shouldn’t be. Kenny Jr. was by far the most mischievous one of the septuplets.

Together, Bobbi and Kenny had their own way of defining each child, and this is how they put it: Alexis is sweet and perceptive; Joel is quiet and reflective; Kelsey is the sporty fashionista; Kenny Jr. is the go-getter; Nathan is determined; Brandon is outgoing and athletic; Natalie is the high-achieving perfectionist.

Bobbi and Kenny realized that with so many children comes tremendous responsibility, but they needed to ensure that their marriage remained strong. That was done by designating a specific night each week to be their date night.

Who said that you can’t find time in a busy schedule to do something special with your kids? Bobbi and Kenny made this happen when they took Mikayla and the septuplets on a special trip to Disney World in Orlando.

Ladies’ Home Journal lucked out when the McCaughey parents agreed to have their children featured on the front cover of their magazine. The piece was written about them on their eighth birthday and served as an encouragement to other parents.

Later, in 2001, the septuplets had the honor of meeting President George W. Bush. The kids weren’t really sure who he was, but he definitely knew who they were. The meeting called for special outfits, with all the boys matching and all the girls matching, too.

As the kids grew up, some television networks pitched the idea of turning their family into a reality show. Bobbi and Kenny didn’t like the idea at all; they just wanted their kids to have a normal childhood, just like other children.

There were a few exceptions to the amount of media coverage Bobbi and Kenny allowed their kids to have. Their birthdays were an opportunity for the press to check in with the septuplets. One lucky reporter was Ann Curry from the Today Show, who made sure to check up on the kids whenever she could. On their 13th birthday, she produced a special feature and even made sure they got 91 candles for the milestone occasion.

When the day came for the septuplets to go to high school, everyone’s head turned. Nobody had ever seen a set of septuplets walking through the halls of Carlisle High School. However, it didn’t take long for them to make friends and fit right in.

Having a premature birth can sometimes cause complications, and in the case of the McCaughey septuplets, there were a few. Alexis and Nathan were both born with cerebral palsy, which meant that the children had trouble walking. But cerebral palsy was not going to stop the two of them from doing great things. Even if they had to use walkers to move around, Nathan pushed himself to walk and moved closer and closer to his goal every day. He said:

“I taught myself how to walk because I really wanted to learn. It’s just been getting better and better.”

Alexis had cerebral palsy to a more severe extent, but she hasn’t let that hold her back in any regard. She earned the title of Teen Miss Dreams Made True in 2013 and has left a lasting impression on everyone she meets.

Before anyone could blink, it was their sweet 16th birthday. Excitement was running high since they had started taking driving lessons, edging closer to adulthood. But driving lessons were expensive, so their dad decided that it was a good time to teach his kids a valuable lesson. Kenny believed that their children needed to learn the value of money and understand that it didn’t grow on trees. His son Kenny Jr. told NBC News from his own personal experience:

“We were taught if we want something, we have to work for it.”

Despite having an incredible birth story and a unique upbringing, as teenagers, they were just regular teens. Love was in the air for some, they were all finding jobs to earn themselves some money, and a few were already getting behind the wheel.

When the septuplets turned 18, life seemed very different—for their parents, that is. Each parent wanted to offer life advice to the septuplets, and then they realized how challenging it is to do so for so many children all at once.

In May 2016, the septuplets graduated from high school. Kenny and Bobbi found it surreal to see their babies graduating, since everything seemed to have passed by in a blur.

Like any high school graduates, the children all went off to find their calling. Alexis and Kenny Jr. went to school at the local Des Moines Area Community College. And did we mention that Alexis finished at the top of her high school class?

Brandon enlisted in the U.S. Army, proving that he truly is the brave one of the lot. It had always been his dream to become a soldier, and that dream from when he was only three years old finally came to life.

Kenny Jr. is a very hands-on person and made sure to put his skills to good use. When he discovered that he loved carpentry, he threw himself into it with full passion, and he has already added several fine projects to his repertoire.

The McCaughey children were blessed with two special scholarship offers from different institutions. The State of Iowa announced that the septuplets could study at any state university of their choosing, while Missouri’s Hannibal-LaGrange University offered all of the children full scholarships to study at their institution. Nathan, Natalie, Kelsey, and Joel all took up the offer at Hannibal-LaGrange.

Here’s another McCaughey child who excels at what she does: Lexi found her calling in early childhood education, and that’s the path she chose. On occasion, she shares her experiences with the world through her social media accounts.

Oh yes, there’s a scientist in the McCaughey family, too. His name is Nathan, and he’s going to be the next Einstein—okay, don’t quote anyone on that one, but we’re sure he’s going to do great things.

What would a family of kids be without a musician? After all, they were all part of the school band, right? Kelsey is set to do amazing things after Hannibal-LaGrange.

And did we mention that there was only one scientist in the McCaughey family? Well, that would be mistaken. Apart from Nathan, there is also Joel, although it’s worth noting that Joel is studying computer science.

Natalie is heading for the stars, too, and she’s going to make sure other children reach them as well. Her passion and talent lie in teaching, and she is set on becoming an elementary school teacher.

As all the septuplets moved on to the next chapter of their lives, Bobbi and Kenny felt as if they weren’t quite ready for theirs. Going from a loud, bursting home to a quiet, empty house was by no means an easy transition.

We’ve talked about the septuplets and where they ended up, but what about their eldest sister? First, she studied at Des Moines and Arizona State University. Mikayla Marie has also fallen in love, gotten married, and experienced the miracle of childbirth herself.

Not a day goes by that Bobbi and Kenny don’t think about how fortunate they are to have their family. They could have so easily taken the advice of people who thought it was best to opt for selective reduction. But they don’t simply feel grateful for avoiding it; they are staunchly opposed to the procedure. If anyone were to ask the McCaughey parents about it, they say their answer would simply be:

“Well, come to our house and tell me which four I shouldn’t have had.”

It remains Bobbi and Kenny’s deepest conviction that having the septuplets was a direct gift from God. They felt so blessed by the journey that brought them their children that they even authored a book about it, appropriately titled Seven from Heaven.

It wasn’t just a book that chronicled their journey. Photographers Andrea Melendez, Holly McQueen, and Rodney White were granted the opportunity to document the septuplets, and to this day, those photographs hold precious memories for the entire McCaughey family. Year after year, the septuplets sat before the lens to capture their journey. Taking a look at the collage, could you guess who’s who? Running clockwise from the top left: Kelsey, Kenny, Natalie, Mikayla the eldest, Alexis, Brandon, Nathan, and Joel.

Years after first covering their story, Ann Curry returned to visit them in 2016. What a profound change it was for her to see the kids again, realizing just how far they had grown from the infants she once met.

There is one question so many people continue to ask: will any of the septuplets have septuplets of their own? Medical experts note that the likelihood is exceptionally low, as the fertility treatment that aided Bobbi is not something hereditary.

It has been over two decades since the McCaughey septuplets entered the world. In an interview, when Bobbi and Kenny were asked if they would change anything about their lives or the path they took, they answered with a bright smile:

“No.”

Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey leave us with a meaningful reminder about life: when you hold onto faith, you can receive far more than you ever dreamed—sometimes, seven times more.