Meet Courtney Rogers. She is 37 and she is expecting her 12th baby in March next year. Yes, you heard that right. Wondering what's the calling behind planning such a huge family? Well, buckle up because that'll be hard to digest!
Though being a happy mom and wife, Courtney had many difficulties to cope with in her life. And you'll be surprised to find out that the reasons for that are not because she has so many souls to feed.
Love at First Sight?
Hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Courtney met her pastor husband Chris Rogers in 2008. A mutual friend introduced the two, and they have pretty much been inseparable ever since.
Shortly after their first meeting, they soon kicked off their romance only to get engaged and married within a few months. Of course, at the time, the two didn't know what the future held for them.
The Family Grew
Shortly after getting married, the couple welcomed their first child together. Of course, it was the happiest moment in their life. A year and a half later came the second bundle of joy. Soon enough, they were a family of 5 only to grow further in the upcoming years.
The family soon became huge. No one realized how soon time passed! Now that she's finally pregnant with her 12th baby, Courtney finally speaks sincerely about her experience with pregnancy.
The Tribe
Courtney confesses that she'll miss being pregnant as she always enjoyed the process. She and Chris have now been married for 13 years. During this time, there has hardly been a moment when Courtney has not been pregnant.
In these 13 years, the couple has had 11 children - Clint, 11, Clay, 10, Cade, 8, Callie, 8, Cash, 6, six-year-old twins Colt and Case, Calena, 4, Caydie, 3, Coralee, 2, and Caris, nine months. And now they are set to welcome another one soon ...
Close In Age
"We're so excited as we had wanted 12. I'm very thankful that it’s happening, and the kids are still going to be close in age," Courtney said.
With the new baby in line, of course, all their dreams have come true. But at what cost? Read on to find out the truth.
A Smooth Sail
"I love it and I love being a stay-at-home mom. The new baby will be here right around when my oldest turns 12, in March next year." continued Courtney.
All she hopes for is a smooth sail as Courtney's eleventh pregnancy had turned out to be a complete nightmare, especially during the last few days.
The Eleventh Pregnancy Nightmare
During the birth of her 11th baby, Caris Audey, Courtney has to go through an unprecedented nightmare ... Nothing can be much more terrifying!
Caris was born on 28th November 2020, however, her birth was anything but smooth. Almost one from a nightmarish movie. So what really happened?
An Unforeseen Emergency
Caris was born through an emergency C-section. Although she was the heaviest of all babies, Caris, unfortunately, had to spend 15 days in the NICU.
'I was more scared for Caris than for any of her brothers and sisters,' explained Caris. It turned out that her concerns were not without reason.
Nine Days Past Due Date
“My youngest, Caris, had a scary beginning, so we're a little bit nervous, but we also know we're going to have a different delivery plan this time around," continued Courtney.
“She was also nine days past her due date. We kept waiting and she just didn't want to come." However, the mother's intuition inside Courtney kicked in ...
Mother's Intuition
Taking a cue from her previous pregnancies, Courtney decided it was time to go to the hospital. Sometimes, intuitions are a good thing!
There was something wrong this time around and Courtney was unable to let this eerie feeling go away! Therefore, she packed up her things that it was time to leave ...
A Few Hours Pass
So, she packed her stuff and set for the hospital. She was induced during the night and also had an epidural. Therefore, the pain was comparatively very less.
However, despite waiting for a few hours, she didn't feel the same as she had with the other kids. There was something wrong ... something very very wrong.
Time to Get Down to Business
Finally, when Courtney was 10 cm dilated, the doctors decided it was time for her to start pushing. But things didn't go as smooth as she had planned!
When Courtney got to that process, she just couldn't feel the baby inside of her. She couldn't feel the baby inside the birth canal. With every passing minute, she was getting restless ...
A Horrifying Situation
After conveying the same to the medical professionals, a consensus was made to rush Courtney into the emergency room. Things were getting worse and worse...
It was then that the doctors uncovered a horrifying situation, one that could have deeply threatened the baby's life. Time was of the essence here.
Deeply In Distress
It was later revealed that Caris wasn't getting enough oxygen. Therefore she was deeply in distress. What would happen to her baby? Is it going to be okay?
In order to avoid the situation from further escalating, Courtney had to immediately undergo a C-section. Otherwise, things could've gone very bad!
No Permanent Damage
Once Caris was born, the little child had to spend 15 days in the NICU. Doctors wanted to ensure that there was no permanent damage to her brain because of not receiving oxygen.
Courtney revealed that numerous tests have ascertained that Caris' motor function is right in place and thankfully, there is no sign of any permanent damage. However, Courtney believes only time could solve this riddle ...
All's Well That Ends Well
Additionally, she acknowledges that Caris might have a few delays in comparison to her siblings but as long as she's safe, that is all that matters to the family.
"Thankfully they didn’t really find any damage – they just saw some small areas of concern and think hopefully, with her being so young, the areas of the brain will grow over that. They said the worst-case scenario would be that she might have some delays." And what might those be?
Will Adapt Fine
'Of course, at this age, you don’t know – it could be motor delays, it could be speech, or she could be absolutely fine. It’s just one of those things you won’t know until time goes on.' said Courtney
Therefore, this time around, Courtney is extra careful with number 12 due a few months ago. When asked if she's want the new baby to be a boy or a girl, Courtney had a fun reply!
The Gender of the New Baby
“We’re hoping to find out the sex of the baby in the first week of October. My husband would like a girl - that way we'd be completely even with six boys and six girls," continued Courtney.
“But I would like another boy, because it's been so long since we've had a baby boy. Either way, one of us will get our wish!” Well, only time could tell.
Not An Easy Task.
Despite putting on a brave face, feeding twelve souls plus two adults do come with a hefty price tag. "One reason my kids wanted us to have 12 is because of the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen. They’ve been wanting me to have another one and kept asking for, ‘Just one more, Mom, just one more," explained Courtney in an interview.
In order to cut down on their expenses, the family has decided to stop eating out and stop buying unnecessary stuff. Even when Christmas is around the corner, the couple let go of buying gifts for each other, so that they could have great things for the kids.
A Small Home
Despite living on a 12-acre plot with chicken, sheep, and all sorts of farm animals, their home was quite small to accommodate their growing family.
With a three-bedroom house and soon 14 people to share that space, now that's a big task! One that is almost impossible ...
Working on Expanding Their House
However, soon the couple is hoping to expand it into a seven-bedroom and four-bathroom house in order for two kids to share one room.
“My husband's been working on it and it should be done by Christmas,” Courtney said. “We'll have seven bedrooms, four bathrooms - so two kids to a room.” When it comes to studies, the couple prefer home-schooling their kids and the reason for this goes back to their early childhood.
Coming from Big Families
Both Courtney and Chris came from big families. Courtney is the eldest of her 6 siblings and has a 12 year age gap with her youngest one. While Chris ...
“My husband is the eldest of 10, so before we got married, he joked about having as many as his mom had," shared Courtney. Well, it came true for them!
Home-schooling
Since both Courtney and Chirs have been home-schooled, therefore they believe in the same for their kids as well. "I love having them with me all the time and seeing them learn and knowing what they are learning," said Courtney.
"I can adapt the lessons to each child and I don't have to make them sit for hours all day. I love how it's flexible and the kids can run around outside or feed the lambs between lessons." Wondering who plays the role of the teacher in the house?
The Tutor
Courtney stated in the same interview, "I'm more like a tutor. I'll set the children to work to do and they will come up to me and ask me questions about it. I've often got a baby in my arms, or I'm changing a nappy and I'll have four kids queuing up to ask me a maths question."
Of course, she gets all the help from her husband of 13 years but she's more than happy taking care of all the little details when it comes to her kids' education.
The Family Instagram
Of course, raising a family of 14 is not an easy task, therefore Courtney teaches local kids at the church school as well. Anything to keep the family going!
However, for Courtney what matters is the health and well-being of her family, who she loves documenting on her Instagram channel. And she hopes to continue doing this for as long as she could ...
Hate Comments
Talking about the negativity and hate comments, Courtney feels that it's always going to be there. However, she does not care about those things even a bit as there as many people to support her.
“Most people are supportive. “We get some rude comments, as there are always going to be people that don't like big families. But now we're used to it, it doesn’t bother us. There are always going to be people who have a different opinion to you," she exclaimed.
The Final Pregnancy
Courtney is hoping for her 12th and probably the last pregnancy to be a smooth sail. She has taken a lesson from her last delivery, therefore, she hopes to go for a C-section this time as well.
However, she realizes that her age no longer allows her the physical or mental strength to continue giving birth. Therefore, number 12 is going to be the final one for her!
No More Now
“Due to my age and health, most likely this will be my last one. We wanted to get to 12 and I really don't want to go on having any more C-sections," continued the mother.
“It's going to be as I turn 38, so physically, I don't know if I'll be able to have any more. I'm sad, but I'm glad also that we have time to mentally prepare – rather than all of a sudden a doctor saying, ‘You can't have anymore." So, will she be sad on letting go of something that has been a part of her life for the last 13 years?
Sad But Content
Well, the answer is a resounding yes! Courtney continues, “I'm still going to be sad, because I like babies. Once they all start getting older, it will be tough for us."
“But for now, we’re focused on welcoming baby number 12 and becoming the real-life Cheaper by the Dozen family," she concluded. Afterall, a healthy baby matters the most!
A Happy Family
Well, as long as the babies are healthy and the parents are happy, who are we to judge! To each his own ... and that's what the family believes in!
So, what did you think of this story? Don't forget to comment down below and share this amazing story with your friends and family!