A British couple has received his 21st child this month. Susan Radford (43) gave birth in 12 minutes to daughter Bonnie Raye. And now, together with her husband Noel (47), she has revealed what a typical day in the offspring family looks like.
The family lives in a private house with no less than 10 bedrooms in Morecambe near Lancaster. Father Noel runs a bakery and donates outside the child benefit – 194 euros per week – no support.
On the two oldest children – Chris (29) and Sophie (24) – after all the children still live at home: Chloe (23), Jack (21), Daniel (19), Luke (18), Millie (17), Katie (15), James (14), Ellie (13), Aimee (12), Josh (11), Max (9), Tillie (8), Oscar (7), Casper (6), Hallie (3), Phoebe (2) and Archie (14 months). His son Alfie died in 2014 after 23 weeks of pregnancy.
Every day 9 machines were turned and 4 rolls of toilet paper were used. The heart of the household is the kitchen. There pasta and stews are often prepared, with meat from the local butcher and vegetables from the greengrocer. The budget for this is € 340 per week. Breakfast includes 18 glasses of milk, 3 bottles of fruit juice and 3 boxes of cereal.
5 of the children go to high school and 6 to the same primary school at 10 minutes from home. Noel drives a minibus and because there are more than 9 passengers, he is allowed to use the bus lanes. The 4 youngest children remain at home with Sue. 1 of them goes to childcare in the afternoon.
Bad
Bathing is also a very ritual every day. That starts at 6 PM. The youngest children are in bed by 7 pm and the elderly by 9 pm. Sue and Noel themselves try to lie in bed at 22 o’clock, according to their own words because they can “sleep well”.
And that is certainly the case now that there is another baby in the house. The birth is also as exciting as with their first child, says the couple. “It is also always a good time to come home and see all the other children ready for their first hug,” says Sue.
The couple had not initially thought that it would go for such a large family. “We actually thought about 3 children”, says Noel. “It turned 21.”
811 weeks pregnant
And that would be the same now. “We both agree that we do not want children anymore”, adds Sue, who has been pregnant for a total of 811 weeks – that is more than 15 years. “Bonnie has made our family complete. The maternity clothes are now leaving. I will not miss being pregnant, because it requires more and more of my body.”
However, it is not the first time that the couple says that they no longer want extra children. After their 9th child, Noel underwent a vasectomy, but he abandoned it when the couple decided to expand the family anyway. Even after the birth of their 20th child, Archie last year, they said it would have been enough. Yet Bonnie Raye was born.
Doubts
The children also have their doubts. “They will never stop on an odd number”, says daughter Sophie. “I really thought Archie would be the last one, but a few months later, Mama told us she is pregnant again,” adds Chloe. “They may not be planning to have another child, that does not mean it cannot happen.”
“Well, we never get bored,” says Noel. “We have a house full of happy faces and we love to have the children around us. And they themselves also enjoy being part of a large family.” The couple already has 4 grandchildren.
