This couple has a unique distinction – they are the first British couple to have ten boys in a row!
They could have broken that record with their newborn, but after 15 years, this large family has been blessed with a baby girl!
Alexis Brett was 22 when she first gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. Now 39, Alexis and her husband, David Brett, of Dingwall, Ross-shire, Scotland, are proud and excited parents to Cameron, who weighed 7 lbs 2 oz on her arrival on August 27.
“We’re over the moon. I’d been expecting to hear we were having another boy but when I found out it was a girl, my face was a picture. I was shocked but delighted. Now she’s here with us, it’s a fantastic feeling.”
As with their other children, the couple initially wanted to be surprised with the gender of the baby. However, this time they decided to get a gender scan at a private clinic. “Curiosity did get the better of us,” said Alexis.
“When the results came in the post, Harrison opened the envelope because I was too nervous. When we realized it was a girl, we were amazed. It sounds silly because it’s a 50:50 chance, but we were surprised anyway.”
Cameron joins the 10 other boys – Campbell, 17, Harrison, 16, Corey, 14, Lachlan, 11, Brodie, nine, Brahn, eight, Hunter, six, Mack, five, Blake, three, and Rothagaidh, two.
Alex and David deny that they have always wished for a girl. “We’ve been asked a lot whether we’ve had so many children because we were hoping for that elusive girl. But I can honestly answer no. Cameron wasn’t planned, but I was happy all the same, and if another boy had been on the way it wouldn’t have bothered me.”
She added, “I’m an only child myself and I’d never planned to have a large family, but now that I do, I love it. I always joked I wouldn’t have a clue what to do with a girl anyway but that’s all changed now, of course, and I have to admit that we’re having a lot of fun buying pink things for the first time.”
Having such a remarkably large family certainly has its challenges, but the couple has learned to manage.
“Of course, we do get comments about the number of children we have. But it doesn’t bother me what people think. We’re well used to it. Some people think we must be on benefits, but we’re not. David has a good job which means we don’t even qualify for full child benefit.”
David makes three trips to the supermarket each week to keep their two double-fridges and pantries well-stocked.
Their usual grocery run totals £300 ($370) each week and usually includes nine large boxes of cereal, 16 loaves of bread, 50 pints of milk, seven liters of fruit drinks, 100 packets of chips, 30 apples, 25 bananas, two kilograms of pasta, and two tubes of toothpaste!
Meals are served in two stages, since the kitchen table cannot fit everyone, with the youngest children eating first.
They have a huge clothes bill, since they usually need to buy three pairs of new shoes every few weeks.
Traveling together is also a bit difficult. According to David, “It’s difficult for us to have a holiday as one big group –that hasn’t happened for years.”
Cameron’s arrival is already having a huge impact on her many siblings. David said, “She’s already having a good influence on the boys. They have generally been much better behaved around her, trying to keep quiet in case they wake her up. They also want to help with holding and feeding her. It’s been great.”
Alexis, on the other hand, is concerned about learning to braid hair, and is excited about choosing cute and girly outfits for her only daughter.
But are the Bretts done adding to their large family? “There’ll be no more. I said that last time, but this time I absolutely mean it,” Alexis joked.