How Are They Doing Now?
When Bobbi McCaughey gave birth to not one, but seven children back in 1997, the McCaughey’s became one of the most famous families in the world.
But as the years passed, how did life end up treating these seven miracle children? They turned 21 a few years ago, which makes us wonder; how are they doing now? Let’s check-in and see how they're doing growing into adulthood...
A Small Family
Twenty-three years ago, their situation was unprecedented. And, despite being fully aware of the challenges ahead, they couldn’t feel happier or more blessed. They took each day in stride and kept looking forward in spite of the bumps in the road.
Over two decades and countless ups and downs later, their large family is now the subject of awe and admiration of an entire nation. But many today still wonder, as they did then, was it the right decision?
Dreams
All Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey wanted to do was start a family. After getting married, they began trying to conceive but their efforts kept failing. After a long period of disappointments, they went to the doctor to figure out what was wrong.
They received disheartening news: Bobbi had fertility problems due to a medical condition she was born with. Still, the couple remained hopeful, and eventually, their prayers were answered. Miraculously, Bobbi was pregnant.
Wanting More
In 1996, Bobbi gave birth to a daughter they named Mikayla Marie. She was the apple of their eye and the couple couldn’t be happier. But Bobbi and Kenny had always known they wanted a big family, so they definitely didn’t want to stop trying.
This time, though, they decided to get the help of a fertility expert so they didn’t have to go through what they did when conceiving Mikayla. They had no idea this decision would turn their lives upside down.
Second Pregnancy Surprise
For the second pregnancy, Bobbi was advised to take fertility medications to stimulate her ovulation.
After getting pregnant, thanks to the medicine, Bobbi headed to her routine checkup and received some news she wasn't expecting to get, she wasn't going to have just one more baby...
More the Merrier
She was having seven of them! Or at least she was told that there were seven embryos rapidly growing inside of her.
With fertilization medicine, it is common for women to have multiple embryos and some don't continue to full term but it is highly rare for them to have seven AND for all the embryos to become babies!
Unexpected News
Doctors told the McCaugheys that a septuplet pregnancy would be risky for both Bobbi and the babies. They gave them the option to have a selective reduction to give the rest of the embryos a better chance to survive and develop correctly.
After much thought, the couple declined. They decided to put their faith in God and keep all seven babies. But there were a lot of challenges ahead.
A Flood Of Support
Bobbi and Kenny had no idea how they were going to support eight children. Luckily for them, the media soon caught wind of their extraordinary pregnancy and many people and organizations stepped in to help.
They received a lot of in-kind donations, like a van that would fit the entire family as well as a year’s worth of groceries. Their babies were famous and hadn’t even been born yet - though they did arrive earlier than planned.
The Babies Are Coming
On November 19, 1997, nine weeks before her due date, Bobbi went into labor. Given the nature of her pregnancy, she was forced to give birth via a cesarean section. The babies were born six minutes apart without any big complications, making them the first septuplets to all survive after birth.
That said, they were premature, so they had to remain in the neonatal unit at the hospital for three months. Once they were discharged, Bobbi and Kenny received more surprises. After a birth that required 40 doctors and nurses, Bobbi and Kenny welcomed seven children into their loving arms. They were Nathan, Brandon, Natalie, Alexis, Kelsey, Joel, and Kenny, Jr.
Raising Seven Babies
Raising seven babies and one toddler was quite the handful and they ran through supplies very quickly!
The couple was going through 52 diapers each day and the babies were drinking 42 bottles each day! Money had started to become tight, and Bobbie and Kenny wondered how they would get by.
Cutting Costs
The family had to start really conserving money. They decided to grow their own vegetables whenever possible and buy in bulk.
They planned so carefully that they ended up spending only about as much as a family of four would over the course of a month.
Famous Babies
After their birth, the media went wild talking about the septuplets and sharing their story. Every news outlet wanted to cover the story and discuss them.
They even had a chance to meet President Bill Clinton and go on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." With this level of fame, the McCaughey Family had all eyes on them; they received thousands of letters. However, some of them were far from pleasant.
Expressing Their Opinions
While most fans wrote letters to the family proclaiming their happiness for them, the septuplet family also received letters that accused them of exploring the children and being selfish and inconsiderate.
Then, some people started taking drastic measures to meet one of the most famous families in the world.
Strangers At The House
The family had started to receive visitors to the house, and the majority were complete strangers! They would stand there, eagle-eyed, and ask to hold one of the seven babies.
It was getting to the point where Bobbi didn’t feel safe in her home. She was worried a random intruder would appear. But fortunately for her, the community around the McCaughey Family was more than supportive.
A Loving Community
The community in Carsile, where The McCaugheys lived, was totally respectful to the septuplet family. They respected their privacy and even helped with donations for the McCaughey's.
The McCaughey's received a 5500 ft² (511 m²) house, a van and diapers for the first two years, nanny services, clothes, and even guaranteed college scholarships to any state university in Iowa!
The Septuplets Turn 2
In 1999, NBC News checked up on the septuplets to see how their terrible two's were turning out to be.
Bobbi mentioned that she takes naps during the day now to save some energy to take care of them all. Kenny discussed how he dealt with going from a car salesman to a public speaker.
Sweet Dreams
Around the time they appeared on NBC News for the 2-year check in the family also released a special lullaby album called Sweet Dreams. It was to celebrate their two year birthday.
Word Music created this vocal folio based on the recent recording. It features 16 songs, including titles by Cindy Morgan, Steve Green, and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Media Check In's
Although they never did their own reality show, they did like the media check-in with them from time to time.
From NBC News, The Today Show, and even TLC’s documentary special, America’s Septuplets Turn 13, they all allowed the country to see how the kids had grown.
Septuplets Head to High School
In 2012 it was a big year for the seven children, all of them were headed to high school.
The septuplets headed to Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Iowa. And just like that, four years flew by and all seven of them graduated high school too!
The Septuplets Turn 21
When they turned 21 back in 2018, five of the seven septuplets went on The Today Show to have a sort of check-in interview with everyone.
They said that everyone is still close but they're all becoming more individuals and living on their own.
School Life
On The Today Show, the five siblings - Nathan, Kelsey, Alexis, Natalie, and Joel appeared on the show.
They said that the five of them were attending college. They were offered a scholarship to Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri shortly after their birth. But for two of the septuplet, they had a lot of struggle to overcome.
Overcoming Struggle
Two of the septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. It was clear that Alexis and Nathan would require the use of walkers to get around as they grew up.
Nathan was very determined, however, and did not accept this diagnosis.
Nathan
Nathan taught himself to walk without the assistance of his walker. He explained that wanting to learn was all it took to discover the motivation he needed.
He attended school with his four brothers and sisters, and graduated in Spring 2020.
Brandon
Brandon ended up not going to college but enlisting himself in the military instead. His mom said that he was always the most athletic of all the septuplets.
As of 2018, he was still in the military and engaged to be married.
Natalie
Natalie is still attending college. She is very active in the cross-country running team there. She met Shawn Geralds on the team, who recently graduated from HLGU.
The two of them actually ended up getting married this past May.
Kelsey
Kelsey is majoring in public relations at the college, perhaps she was inspired by all of the media attention the septuplets have received throughout the years? She is excited that she attends college with her siblings but knows they're all individuals, too.
“We are all so very different from each other, and all of our talents are in very different things," she revealed in an interview with Herald Whig.
Alexis
Originally, only Joel, Nathan, Kelsey, and Natalie enrolled at HLGU in their freshman years.
Alexis attended Des Moines Area Community College for two years before she joined her four siblings this fall at HLGU. She graduated with everyone else in 2020.
Pageant Girl
Although she attended community college first, Alexis was a very successful student, graduating in the top 15% of her class.
She also entered many beauty pageants for children with special needs, winning the Teen Miss Dreams Made True pageant in 2013.
Joel
Joel also attended college with the four others. He majored in computer information systems along with his brother, Nathan.
He graduated in spring and is excited about what the future has in store for him.
Kenny Jr.
Kenny Jr. originally attended Des Moines Area Community College with Alexis. He is now a trim carpenter in Iowa.
No word on if he is still rocking those braces, but this photo was from 2015 so hopefully not.
Bobbi and Kenny
The parents Bobbi and Kenny have come a long way. They are both public speakers. Both are also now staunchly advocates against selective reduction and discuss it at public speaking events.
They do not plan on having any more kids but are excited to welcome some grandchildren into the never-ending family.
Selective Reduction
The parents are against the selective reduction, even declined it when Bobbi was pregnant with all seven of them saying they would "put it in God's hands".
Selective reduction is practice of reducing the number of fetuses in multiple pregnancies for safety.
Sold the Home
In 2018, Bobbi and Kenny decided to sell their home because it's now an empty nest.
But they didn't just sell it to anyone, the two of them sold their seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home to Ruth Harbor, a Des Moines nonprofit that provides housing and support to young mothers of unplanned pregnancies.
The Future for the Septuplets
With five of the septuplets graduating in spring, and the other two seem to be pretty content with their current careers, we're happy that these incredible kids are doing good.
It seems like nothing is going to get in the way of these septuplets and achieving their dreams!