Even one child can be a bit of a handful.
Now imagine you’ve got 15 kids running around, with a 16th on the way.
That’s life for Patty Hernandez, 38, and her husband Carlos, 37, who live in a five-bedroom house in Charlotte, North Carolina, with their 15 children – all with names started with the letter C.
And yes, Patty is pregnant with her 16th child.
The mum-of-15 never thought she would have such a large family, but doesn’t use contraception and says she loves being pregnant, having spent a decade of her life carrying a child.
Here’s the full list of the couple’s offspring. Ready?
Carlos Jr, 12, Christopher, 11, Carla, nine, Caitlyn, nine, Cristian, eight, Celeste, seven, Cristina, six, Calvin, five, Catherine, five, Carol, four, Caleb, three, Caroline, three, Camilla, two, Charlie, one, and Crystal, four months.
Another baby girl will join the brood in May 2021, with another C name to honour her dad, Carlos, a cleaner.
You’ll notice a lot of children on that list with the same age – that’s because six of the 15 are sets of twins.
Patty said: ‘People ask me all the time, “are they all yours?”
‘Everybody’s amazed when they find out how many kids I have, especially because I’m such a petite person.
‘I never thought I’d have so many babies.
‘It is a bit more stressful and difficult with a newborn.
‘The babies are always crying and I have to take care of them. But it is a blessing, we enjoy it.
‘We have left everything to God so whatever God wants to give us we will be happy.
‘We don’t use contraception.
‘It’s always crazy at our house.’
The couple spend a whopping $500 (£375) a week on groceries and diapers and are shopping for a new vehicle as they have outgrown their 16-seater bus.
Despite admitting that raising so many children can be stressful, the mother-of-15 is happy to have more kids.
Patty has spent over a decade pregnant having given birth to 15 babies since 2008.
‘I’m so happy when I’m pregnant,’ says the mum.
‘Around three months after I have a baby I usually get pregnant again.
Patty added that having so many children creates a lot of housework but she is already training the older children to chip in.
‘Right now I have a thousand clothes to wash – that’s at least five hours of folding clothes every two days,’ she said.
‘I do laundry at least four times a week.
‘When the kids play, they often leave toys on the floor so I need to clean that up too.
‘I try to give them a daily routine to clean up after themselves. They have their own chores.
‘The older one makes his own pancakes sometimes, but most of the time I am the one doing the cooking.’
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: Mum gives up ironing after discovering £15 steamer from Asda
MORE: Creative mum buys and revamps caravan completely for less than £2k, saving £3k
MORE: Mum tricks son with fake McDonald’s using recycled packaging and his own toys
