Helping Hands
People who knew the family, and those who didn’t decided to offer help to the McCaugheys. After all, the birth of seven children at once is an extraordinary event in any family.
Kraft gave the family a years supply of “man n cheese,” they were given boxes and boxes of diapers, some offered themselves to help around the house as a nanny or a babysitter, and amazingly enough, a 5,000 square foot house was donated to the family. The family was amazed at the kindness and generosity of people they knew and even more so from those that were complete strangers.
Taking The Risk
Despite fully understanding the risks involved in such a complicated pregnancy, and having a healthy daughter in Mikayla, Bobby and Kenny decided they didn't want to choose one of their babies above another and wanted to proceed with the pregnancy as naturally as possible.
There have been only around 40-50 births in the world that have resulted from a pregnancy involving 7 babies. Although many septuplets have not survived birth or infancy, at least 3 sets of septuplets, and survived beyond infancy.
Lots Of Attention
Once their decision had been made, to keep all seven babies, news started to spread of this unusual pregnancy. People in the media and across the country found the story of this small family and their septuplets fascinating.
Not all people who heard the news were supportive of keeping all seven babies, but Bobby and Kenny were confident in their decision that everything would work out for the best.
Running On Nerves
The months and weeks that led up to the birth were not only thrilling but scary and unsurprisingly stressful!
Bobbi had to do her best to keep calm and relaxed as the doctors were concerned that the stress of the upcoming births might lead her to early labor. In the back of their mind, Bobbi and Kenny knew things might not work out, but they tried to stay positive and believe everything would work out.
Meet The Babies
The McCaughey's welcomed three girls and four boys, making up the septuplets. With seven healthy babies, their parents now needed to name their brood.
The heaviest baby was named Robert, the other boys were named Kenny (Kenneth), Nathan Roy, Brandon James, and Joel Steven. The girls were named Alexis May, Natalie Sue and Kelsey Ann who was the lightest baby. That's a lot of names to remember!