A peep into the life of world’s first surviving sextuplets as they turn 18

Doctors were unsure if they were going to make it past their first few days, but now the McCaughey septuplets are celebrating turning about celebrating their 18th birthday. The children became internationally famous when they were born November 19, 1997 because they were the world’s first surviving septuplets. Kenny, Kelsey, Natalie, Brandon, Alexis, Nathan and Joel McCaughey, from Carlisle, Iowa were born after their mum took fertility drugs. Although two of the children have cerebral palsy, they are all healthy and doing well.

'I will always remember the day we found out there were so many,' Bobbi, their dad told the Des Moines Register. 'It wasn't like "yoohoo!" There were so many doubts. To a lot of people this might sound trite, but God determined the outcome.'

After the babies were born nine weeks prematurely in Des Moines in 1997, joining their big sister, Mikayla Marie, news crews swarmed their modest one-floor home. Amid the media frenzy, President Bill Clinton personally called the family to congratulate the family, Oprah welcomed them on her show and companies and strangers scrambled to help out the couple.

Among the donations, they received a 5,500 square foot home, a van, a year's worth of Kraft's macaroni and cheese, diapers for the first two years and full college scholarships for any state university in Iowa.
During the early months, the septuplets drank 42 bottles a day and went through 52 diapers.
But over the years, the media coverage has waned and the coupons for free food have run out, encouraging the family to be frugal.