Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

After 14 Boys, Michigan Couple Welcomes First Baby Girl To The Family

A Michigan couple whose large family attracted attention by growing to include 14 sons welcomed their first daughter nearly three decades after the birth of their first child. Maggie Schwandt was born Thursday, Nov. 5 at a hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jay Schwandt
/
AP
A Michigan couple whose large family attracted attention by growing to include 14 sons welcomed their first daughter nearly three decades after the birth of their first child. Maggie Schwandt was born Thursday, Nov. 5 at a hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Jay and Kateri Schwandt started dating their freshman year of high school in Gaylord, Mich. After graduating in 1993, the couple was wed and swiftly moved to Big Rapids, Mich., to attend Ferris State University. Before the Schwandts finished their undergraduate experience, they had three children; all boys.

Over the years the Schwandt family continued to grow, and astonishingly the trend continued, totaling 14 boys; until now. Jay and Kateri welcomed Maggie Jayne Schwandt, their only daughter, into the world Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

The Schwandts, both 45 years old, and their family of 16—14 boys, one girl and a male dog named Boomer—live on a 200-acre farm in Lakeview, Mich., just outside of Grand Rapids. The family has gained national attention over the years, not just because of their family's size, but because of the .02% chance of having 14 boys and zero girls, NPR previously reported.

The Schwandt family poses for a photo in 2018 at their farm in Lakeview, Mich. Standing from left are Tommy, Calvin, Drew, Tyler, Zach, Brandon, Gabe, Vinny and Wesley. Seated, starting at upper left are Charlie, Luke, mother Kateri holding Finley, father Jay with Tucker and Francisco in the foreground.
Mike Householder / AP
/
AP
The Schwandt family poses for a photo in 2018 at their farm in Lakeview, Mich. Standing from left are Tommy, Calvin, Drew, Tyler, Zach, Brandon, Gabe, Vinny and Wesley. Seated, starting at upper left are Charlie, Luke, mother Kateri holding Finley, father Jay with Tucker and Francisco in the foreground.

They recently debuted a TV show,14 Outdoorsmen, on MyOutdoorTV. However, 2020 and the arrival of Maggie Jayne shook things up for the Schwandts, which may require a new name for their show. "This year has been memorable in so many ways, for so many reasons, but Maggie is the greatest gift we could ever imagine," J. Schwandt told the Detroit Free Press.

Tyler Schwandt, 28 and the eldest son of the Schwandt clan, said his parents never thought they would have a daughter. "I don't even know if my mom owns any pink clothing—or anything," he said.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Dustin Jones is a reporter for NPR's digital news desk. He mainly covers breaking news, but enjoys working on long-form narrative pieces.