Some say that raising a kid is akin to guerrilla warfare; now, imagine the drama sixfold! Here’s the chaotic yet blissful parenting tale of a couple from Wallasey, England, raising the world’s first recorded all-female surviving sextuplets.
Janet Walton and her husband, Graham, had been trying to conceive a baby for five years. In 1983, after having gone through the thirteenth round of fertility drugs, Janet was walking on air when she found that she was carrying more than one baby.
In the 1980s, sextuplets were extremely rare. So imagine all the excitement and nerves the Waltons felt when the doctor broke the surprising news.
The next day, the mom expecting sextuplets didn’t show up for work at the bank, but rather, she was admitted to the hospital, where she stayed for the rest of her pregnancy.
Finally, on Nov. 18, 1983, Janet delivered the world’s first all-female sextuplets, weighing between 2 pounds 1 ounce (approx. 1.2 kg) and 3 pounds 8 ounces (approx. 1.6 kg) via cesarean section. The babies, named Hannah, Luci, Ruth, Sarah, Kate, and Jennie, soon made headlines across the nation for being the first-ever surviving sextuplets.
The babies were brought home in the first week of January 1984, and immediately, the Waltons’ lives were turned upside down. Throughout the day, they had to constantly feed the girls and change their nappies.
It was a difficult task bringing up six girls all at the same time. “When they were teenagers and growing up it was more of a mental strain and worrying about them all the time,” said Graham.
Like most siblings, the sisters have had arguments and frictions. “We have had lots of doors slam in our house, loud music, untidy bedrooms... we have been through it all, six times over,” Janet said.
Thankfully, even though there was a “bit of friction” every now and then, all the girls remained amazingly close. And despite the arduous workload, the house was filled with fun and laughter. “I love the noise and the buzz of a big family. We would be totally lost without them,” Graham said.
“Looking back, I don’t know how we managed; honestly I don’t,” said Janet. “We lived through those early years in a blur… And the only regret is that there wasn’t enough time to enjoy them as much as we’d have liked.”
Now, more than three decades later, the girls are all grown up, each carving a career in different fields. Kate works in human resources, Hannah is a primary school teacher, Luci is an airline crew member, Ruth works in PR and reception, Jennie owns a candy shop, and Sarah holds a job at a medical center.
“The girls have grown into lovely young women and I am so proud of them all,” Janet said.
In October 2014, the Waltons welcomed their first grandchild when Sarah gave birth to Jorgie Louise. “There’s nothing quite like being a grandma, is there?” said Janet, who was planning to devote her time caring for her beloved granddaughter.
“She was perfect, so tiny. She weighed 7lb 6½ oz at birth. Sarah was only 2lb 5oz at birth, so her little girl was three times as big as her mom,” Graham said of his granddaughter. “Whenever I see little babies, I wish I could go back and do it all over again,” the doting grandfather added.
It seems like Janet and Graham have welcomed more than one grandchild, as per Luci’s latest photo posted on social media. In the picture, three kids are seen sitting on the lap of three different sisters. What a beautiful family!
