The McCaughey septuplets (; born November 19, 1997) are septuplets born to Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey in Des Moines, Iowa. They are the world's first known set of surviving septuplets.
Background, conception and birth
Kenny McCaughey (b. 1969) and Bobbi McCaughey (b. 1968), While under treatment with ovulation-stimulating Metrodin for infertility, Bobbi became pregnant with seven babies. The McCaugheys declined selective reduction to reduce the number of infants, saying that they would "put it in God's hands".
The septuplets, four boys and three girls, were born prematurely at the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines on November 19, 1997. They were delivered by a scheduled Caesarean section, attended by a team of 40 specialists, all within six minutes.
The babies' names, birth weight, time of birth, and order of birth are as follows:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Baby order
!Time of birth!!Birth weight!!Name
|-
||1
|12:48 p.m.|| | ||| Kenneth (Kenny) or (Ken) Robert
|-
||2
|12:49 p.m.|| | ||| Alexis May
|-
||3
|12:50 p.m.|| | || |Natalie Sue
|-
||4
|12:51 p.m.|| | ||| Kelsey Ann
|-
||5
|12:52 p.m.|| | ||| Nathan Roy
|-
||6
|12:53 p.m.|| | ||| Brandon James
|-
||7
|12:54 p.m.|| | |||Joel Steven
|}
Two of the septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, have cerebral palsy. Both use walkers to get around, and in November 2005, Nathan had spinal surgery in order to improve his walking abilities.
Media and public response
The birth attracted significant media attention, both positive and negative, including a feature in Time magazine in December 1997. "Our neighbors never gawked. Here in Carlisle they gave us privacy. But we had complete strangers come around to the back door, knock, and ask if they could hold a baby."
The McCaugheys were the recipients of many donations, including a 5,500 ft<sup>2</sup> (511 m<sup>2</sup>) house, a van, nanny services, clothes, and diapers for the first two years. The State of Iowa offered full college scholarships to any state university in Iowa upon the children's graduation from high school. Hannibal–LaGrange University, in Hannibal, Missouri, also offered full scholarships to the children when they were born. President Bill Clinton personally telephoned the McCaugheys to congratulate them. The letter reads as follows: