World's first surviving septuplets graduate high school

  • PHOTOS FROM BIRTH TO GRADUATION: Mum Bobbi McCaughey in hospital before the babies' births in 1997.
    PHOTOS FROM BIRTH TO GRADUATION: Mum Bobbi McCaughey in hospital before the babies' births in 1997.  Photo: Dateline
  • Brandon, Kelsey, Alexis and Joel after birth.
    Brandon, Kelsey, Alexis and Joel after birth.  
  • The babies at 5 months.
    The babies at 5 months.  
  • The septuplets were transported in modified prams.
    The septuplets were transported in modified prams.  
  • The family appeared on <i>The Oprah Winfrey Show</i> for the babies' first birthday.
    The family appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show for the babies' first birthday. 
  • Bobbi and Kenny with the septuplets and their oldest daughter, Mikayla, as the toddlers turned 2.
    Bobbi and Kenny with the septuplets and their oldest daughter, Mikayla, as the toddlers turned 2.  
  • The family went through 170 litres of milk a month - luckily it was donated by a local dairy.
    The family went through 170 litres of milk a month - luckily it was donated by a local dairy.  
  • The family met George Bush during his presidency.
    The family met George Bush during his presidency.  
  • The septuplets - clockwise from left: Brandon, Alexis, Joel, Nathan, Kenny Jr., Kelsey and Natalie - with their parents ...
    The septuplets - clockwise from left: Brandon, Alexis, Joel, Nathan, Kenny Jr., Kelsey and Natalie - with their parents Bobbi and Kenny Sr. on the TODAY before their 18th birthday. Photo: Today Show/NBC
  • The family now.
    The family now.  
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  • PHOTOS FROM BIRTH TO GRADUATION: Mum Bobbi McCaughey in hospital before the babies' births in 1997.
  • Brandon, Kelsey, Alexis and Joel after birth.
  • The babies at 5 months.
  • The septuplets were transported in modified prams.
  • The family appeared on <i>The Oprah Winfrey Show</i> for the babies' first birthday.
  • Bobbi and Kenny with the septuplets and their oldest daughter, Mikayla, as the toddlers turned 2.
  • The family went through 170 litres of milk a month - luckily it was donated by a local dairy.
  • The family met George Bush during his presidency.
  • The septuplets - clockwise from left: Brandon, Alexis, Joel, Nathan, Kenny Jr., Kelsey and Natalie - with their parents ...
  • The family now.

Watching a child graduate from high school is a special moment for any parent.

But Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey had seven times the reason to be bursting with pride during the graduation of the class of 2016 at Carlisle High School in Iowa, USA.

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The McCaugheys are parents of the world's first surviving septuplets, three girls and four boys, born in November 1997. Last month they watched on as all of the siblings  - Kenny, Kelsey, Natalie, Brandon, Alexis, Nathan and Joel - graduated from the local high school, the Des Moines Register reports.

The septuplets now, at 18.
The septuplets now, at 18.  

Alexis, who has cerebral palsy, finished high school at the top 15 per cent of the graduating class. She and sister Natalie earned a place in the National Honour Society.

Speaking to the Des Moines Register when the septuplets turned 18 last November, Mrs McCaughey said she was looking forward to the upcoming graduation.

"Everything is the last," she said. "The last marching band performance. The last cross country meet. The last choir concert. It's sad to see things end, but there will be a lot of firsts coming. You have to get to the lasts to get to the firsts.

"You always think, 'What could I have done differently?' But I think they are all ready for the next step. They all turned out pretty well."

The McCaugheys were already parents of one daughter when they discovered were pregnant with seven babies in early 1997. 

Mrs McCaughey had taken the fertility drug Metrodin due to a malfunctioning pituitary gland which prevented her from producing enough of the hormones to stimulate ovulation.  

Doctors recommended she undergo a selective reduction in order to give some of the babies the best chance of survival but she declined the offer, saying the pregnancy was "in God's hands".

The septuplets arrived nine weeks early weighing between 1.05 and 1.5kg. Two of the children, Alexis and Nathan, were born with cerebral palsy, but are doing well after surgery and treatment.

The family received a congratulatory phone call from then US President Bill Clinton when the septuplets were born, and appeared on Oprah Winfrey's show when the children were a year old.

They often struggled financially to cover Alexis and Nathan's medical bills and pay for braces for some of the children, but the family received many generous donations over the years, including a house, a van, and two year's worth of free nappies and several free holidays.

One of the offers, a free education from Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri, is being taken up by two of the septuplets now they have graduated high school.

The other siblings plan on joining the military or going straight into the workforce.