> > > >Couple with 18 children reveal they're now praying for more... despite having >no health insurance > >By Daisy Dumas > >Last updated at 11:21 PM on 24th August 2011 > >Kelly Bates has had 18 children. She has had no twins, no C-sections and 14 >drug-free births and has spent more of her adult life pregnant than not. > >But, even with the unimaginable logistics of raising a family that could field >two sports teams, the 44-year-old mother from Lake City, Tennessee, is praying >for two more baby boys. >Kelly told ABC News' Nightline: 'It feels more normal to me to be pregnant >than not be pregnant. I'm happy holding a baby.' > >Family affair: All 20 of the Bates family live under one (large) roof in Lake >city, Tennessee > > >The roll call so far stands at: Zach, 22, Michaella, 21, Erin, 20, Lawson, 19, >Nathan, 18, Alyssa, 16, Tori, 15, Trace, 14, Carlin, 13, Josie, 12, Katie, 10, >Jackson, nine, Warden, eight, Isaiah, six, Addallee, five, Ellie, four, >Callie, two, and, last but not least, Judson, who is just 11-months-old. > >The Bates are on track to hit to their good friends - reality TV show stars, >the Duggers' - tally of 19 children. >The two families see each other regularly - their combined total of 37 >children making for busy holidays together. > >Parental control: The couple told Nightline that they are paying for more >babies to add to their family of 20 > > >It was never the Bates' intention to produce a family that, according to 2010 >Census data,is over seven times larger than the average Tennessee household >size, they say. > >But Gil and Kelly are evangelical Christians who do not believe in using birth >control, instead putting their lives - and their home size - into the hands of >God. >According to the programme, which airs tonight, Gil and Kelly Bates are intent >on seeking medical care to help them even the score to 10 girls and 10 boys. > >'We both came to the conclusion that we just want to trust God with how many >children we have. We never really thought we'd have 18. We thought we'd have >maybe one or two - maybe three,' says Gil. >The path to having such a large family has not been entirely without >intervention, however. >Two miscarriages before the births of her last two children made Kelly opt for >hormone therapy to strengthen her uterus wall and the mother has just suffered >another miscarriage. > >The family that sings together: With no TV, no internet and no texting, the >family relaxes by playing music together and often perfoms. Kelly and Gill >stand together on the far left > >Dormitory: Eight girls share one room, after not wanting to sleep separately > > >The couple see no contradiction in wanting medical help to add to their >already enormous family, but not to limit its size. > >'We just want to trust God,' said Kelly. 'But at the same time, if there's >already a life living, we don't want to deny medical help to a baby that's in >trouble.' >Gil says the children wanted more young sibling so much that they have been >praying. 'Some of them said, 'Can we fast if the Lord would give us more >children?' >'They fasted and prayed.' >And, despite wanting more children, the Bates do not have health insurance for >their last ten children. > >'When there's a medical emergency, we just go to the doctor and America's been >the greatest health care in the world,' said Gil. >'When you walk in the emergency room, I don't care what your status of living, >they give you the best care possible.' > >A Christian clinic looks after pre-natal care, while 'negotiations' with >insurance companies has helped in medical emergencies - such as birth >complications with Addallee - in the past, said Gil. > >And, in spite of health issues and potential medical bills, Kelly and the >family continue to pray for more babies. > > >Another day, another meal: All of the children have different chores in a >finely balanced system of 'organised chaos' > >Meal break: After breakfast, the children attend home-schooling with their >mother, the older children using computers for learning > >__._,_.___ > >. > >__,_._,___ > > > >
