A woman in Tennessee, US, has beaten odds of one in 10,000 to be a proud mother of three sets of twins, and she and her husband currently have a grand total of 10 children.
Natalie and Allan's brood of 10 children
33-year-old Natalie Umphrey and her husband, Allan are thankful for their children, whom they refer to as God's blessings.
Natalie and her husband Allan
They already had three children when her fourth pregnancy turned out to be twins. She said she was surprised even though some her siblings and aunts are twins and triplets.
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She then had two more sets of twins, defying long odds and all of them being naturally conceived. Before long, they found themselves with a brood of 10 kids.
The children can be quite a handful
When Natalie and Allan first met in 2002, they hardly had 10 children in mind. Natalie says her intention was to have one or two children.
Two of the twins when they were still babies
Naturally, with such a large family comes greater responsibility, and Allan therefore has to work three jobs to maintain his family.
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Natalie, on the other hand, is a full-time student pursuing a doctorate in psychology. She makes time to attend to the needs of all her children.
Moving the kids around, such as to and from church and school, requires major planning
In addition, movements with all the kids, such as to and from school, needs careful planning, as it is easy to forget one or two especially in the midst of large crowds.
The family has to use a 12-seater minibus to ferry the kids around
The family also has to use a 12-seater minibus to ferry the kids around, as a normal family car would lack sufficient space.
Natalie says the older kids often step in to help organize the younger kids, especially in the mornings when they wake up earlier.
Allan with three of the kids
She adds that they have established a strict routine to keep things orderly and get things done on time. While it can get hectic sometimes, she says it's all part of the joys of parenting.
The first set of twins
Instilling a culture of discipline among the kids is one of their major concerns, as is teaching them to look out for each other as siblings.
Both Natalie and Allan are thankful for the experience and say the fact that the kids are close and love one another gives them joy.
Check out the video below to see another mother narrate her experience of having three sets of twins.