Couple with 18 Children!

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.

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 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.

Eight of the girls, from 20-years-old to two-years-old, share a bedroom, their bunk beds and close quarters apparently not an obstacle to finding private time and the occasional moment of quiet solace. But, with all of the children still living at home - even the four attending college - it is only a matter of time until romantic relationships change the careful balance. Their old-fashioned way of life sees youngsters in the Christian community 'courting' before marriage. No physical contact or affection is allowed until marriage, the courting process an open but strictly conducted affair.

 

'Courtship... for us, the whole idea is exciting,' explains Kelly. 'The idea of seeing your children finally grown up and put into practice what you've been trying to teach them and prepare them for their whole life. And the thought of grand babies and their future and their happiness - it's an excitement.'

The programme shows a very nervous 22-year-old Zach clutching a bunch of red roses and asking a family friend if she would like to start courting. 'My heart is drawn to yours,' he mumbles, red and flustered, in front of a host of siblings who then applaud.

The Bates family does everything on a grand scales. Their 4,000-square-feet home in Lake City, Tennessee, has five bedrooms.  The family's laundry has five washers and three driers and rails of clothes that stretch the length of the loft room, holding hundreds and hundreds of shirts, pants and T-shirts - not to mention an eye-wateringly large mountain of underwear and socks. The family gets around in two vans - one 15 passenger and one seven seater, and the kitchen table seats the whole family. Every meal's preparation is a finely honed exercise - although the home seems to function on a perennial level of organised chaos.

The Walmart food shop, responsibility of 18-year-old Lawson, is an every-second-day occurrence and each time totals more than $250. The home is a strict no TV and no internet zone, the children instead whiling away time by practising their (many) musical instruments. Violins, pianos, guitars, singing - all of the children are talented. So talented, in fact, that they often travel to put on concerts at old peoples' homes, reports ABC News.

Laundry: The daily washing consists of at least three loads at breakfast, lunch and dinner

The larger the family, believes Kelly and Gill, the more they can reach out and help others. 'I talked to so many parents [whose] children are lonely. That's not a problem. It's very fulfilling,' says Kelly. It certainly seems to mean more hands on the deck in terms of keeping the hectic home in order, and the amazingly stress-free looking parents maintain that they have all the time together they want. 'We now have more time together than we had when we had one or two,' says Gil. 'Our children will come home and say Dad, are you taking Mom out?'