16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, all survived but two; How the wife of a Russian peasant broke Guiness World Records for most children born to a single mother
The Guinness World Record for most children born to one mother goes to Valentina Vassilyev, the wife of a Russian peasant Feodor Vassilyev. She birthed total number of 69 babies in her lifetime.
She lived to be 76 and between 1725 and 1765 she had 69 children (16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets).
READ ALSO
KPMG, Deloitte Indicted In Exam Cheating Scandal, Fined $27 Million
Robbers Attack Married Man Who Lodge With ‘Side Chick,’ Shoot Three In Lagos Hotel
Ogun Journalist, Daud Olatunji, Wife Welcome Triplets 13 Yrs After Wedding
FACT CHECK: Did Kaka’s ex-Wife Say She Divorced Footballer For Being ‘Perfect?’
67 of them survived infancy with the loss of one set of twins.
Modern Science And Concern About 69 Kids In a lifetime
If you take modern science into account, a woman could, in theory, become the mother to more children than we ever thought possible.
Mrs Vassilyev would have been pregnant for 18 years in total
In the UK, only around 1.5% of pregnancies lead to twins, and as for triplets, it’s a vanishingly small three ten-thousandths of a percent.
First, let’s consider the mathematics of the Vassilyev report. Would she have had enough time for 27 pregnancies in the 40 year-span that is claimed? Initially, the answer appears to be yes, especially if you take into account the fact that triplets and quadruplets are usually birthed after shorter-than-average terms.
Mrs Vassilyev would have been pregnant for 18 years in total
Some rough calculations: 16 twins times 37 weeks; seven triplets times 32 weeks; four quadruplets times 30 weeks. Add it up, and Mrs Vassilyev would have been pregnant for 18 years of the 40 years – half of the time, or two-decades-worth of craving pickles and ice cream.
But whether that would be possible in reality is another matter.
Platforms Africa
