Get back to biology class Stace :)

[MayBMore]

Hey peeps, I'm just perusing around here and having a dumb blonde thought so thought I might aswell share. Feel free to laugh I can take it

Just wondering something. Us ladies are born with about 1-2 million oocytes (eggs - just googled that), then by puberty 300,000 are still there ...way more than enough for our short lives. Then we ovulate every month for years and years, so how come we usually only end up having 2/3 children (sweeping generalisation but you know what I mean). I know there are all sorts of other factors there obviously like birth control, finding a partner, life-style, illness and how difficult it is to actually conceive. But I was just taking a step back for a min and looking at the bigger picture....

It's like nature gives you loads of chances to find the right time, which makes it all the more beautiful really. My next thought was - just imagine, in an (unrealistic) ideal setting if you knew that you're sole mission was to make as many babies as possible, was perfectly healthy and had a loving partner who wanted the same for life...how many bambino's could one couple physically make during those fertile years?

I think I remember seeing a woman in the paper a few years ago with 14 children which really freaked me out to be honest! Haha

Hope you're all having a lovely evening x

 

[MayBMore]

I just found this - copied and pasted from a yahoo forum:

"MOST CHILDREN (by one women) per Guiness book of world records
The greatest officially recorded number of children produced by a mother is 69 by the first of the 2 wives of Feodor Vassilyev (b 1707-fl. 1782), a peasant from Shuya, 150 miles east of Moscow. In 27 confinements she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets. The children, were born in the period c. 1725-1765."

Wowzers! She must've been a hottie! haha

 

[MayBMore]

Also this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_the_most_children

 

[redbear]

I can honestly say for me I had one baby, and thought I want loads, then I had another close in age (14 months) now ive a two year old and a 10 month old, I don't want any more, not for a loooonnng time if at all, I suppose we could have one every year until menopause, but who in the right mind would, I think 5 and above sounds like a lot to me and the maximum I would ever go. But like I said im happy with just two and even if I where rich etc I couldn't cope with three atm, its mentally hard work. xx

 

[MayBMore]

I know hun!! I was thinking I'd really love another one (I only have 1 baby girl at the moment and unsure if it's safe for 2 yet-waiting to see a consultant beforehand ..I have a thread over in labour) but reading this list is just nuts! 3/10/20/60 babies!! I'm amazed actually just reading through it now...just an anthropological observation, there are a lot from Britain! Or maybe they collected the stats and lots more are unaccounted for..wow tho! x

 

[KatR]

I love this post, so Stacey.
I think if I could I would have lots and lots of babies but only if I could be home with them and my sole role was to be a mum and wife. I guess we wavered our "rights" to have big families when women came with the idea of working themselves (thanks suffragettes ). Where I love to work I don't think it is viable to have it all if you have a lot of children.

 

[Blueflower]

Yes I suppose in the past and in developing countries women had a baby every year from late teens until menopuase but a lot of them would die sadly.
I'm glad we can choose when we have children (to some extent!) and they usually survive, so we don't need all those chances!

 

[Applecrumble]

Do you think she would be able to remember everyone of the 69 names or birthdays! Christmas must if been an expensive nightmare :-0

 

[redbear]

They got oranges for Christmas back then I bet they had trees of them just for Christmas. How would you think of all those names. Watching call the midwife and seeing how they struggled with unplanned pregnancies (no contraception) makes me feel thankful we have the choice today. xx

 

[Blueflower]

It does seem strange that we start off with billions of eggs but only one gets released every month, several hundred get discarded each month and then they start running out in our 30's!