I love having babies. It's the most wonderful thing
SHE'S got 13 children, another on the way and says she wants more.
When Sara Foss gives birth to her 14th child next April, the 39-year-old has one big wish – to get pregnant again.
"I want twins," she said. "It's my biggest wish and I'm going to keep trying until I do it.
"I love having babies. It's the most wonderful thing in the world. I love all my children."
Sara was just 16 years old when she fell pregnant with her first baby, Patrick, in 1986.
She was thrilled to become a mum but hated giving birth and vowed never to have any more children with her long-term partner, Stephen Smith.
A decade later, Sara changed her mind and gave birth to her second son, Stephen, now 13.
"Something inside me snapped after that," she smiled. "Because I started having babies. I just couldn't stop. I've had a baby nearly every year since then.
" It's fantastic. I got over my fear of labour and just started having the kids. They're all brilliant. They don't give me any bother. They're fantastic."
Malachai, 12, was followed by Peppermint, 11, Echo, 10, Eli, nine, Rogue, eight, Frodo, seven, Morpheus, five, Artemis, four, Blackbird, three, Baudelaire, two, and nine-month-old Voorhees.
"The only problem with having all these babies is that I never know what to call them," smiles Sara. "I've given my children some very different names. I like that.
"I've called them names that mean something to me and my partner. Sometimes people are shocked to hear what they're called, but I'm not bothered."
Sara has no idea what she's expecting this time but says she's already thought of a few good names.
She's twice been in trouble with Derby Register Office for taking too long to register the baby's birth and its name – but not this time.
Sara's hoping for a girl but is remaining mum on what she might call her.
"I'd like to even the numbers up a bit and have another daughter, but I'm not really bothered," said Sara. "As long as it's OK and I don't have to have another caesarean, I won't mind at all.
"I just wanted two, that's the disappointing part of this pregnancy," she smiled.
"But I suppose there's always next time. I'm going to keep trying that's for sure."
Sara's and 40-year-old Stephen's three-bedroomed council house in Derby is bursting at the seams – but she's not complaining.
She loves her house and doesn't want to move anywhere bigger because the children are settled in school and she likes the area.
Patrick, aged 23, has left the nest now but that still leaves a staggering 14 more bodies crammed into the little semi.
"We have a lot of bunk beds and cots," said Sara. "All the furniture in the bedrooms is on wheels so we can move them at bedtime.
"Baudelaire sleeps in a travel cot and a couple of the lads use an air bed which we inflate when they're tired.
"It's a squash and a squeeze, but it's cosy.
"We've been here for eight years. It's home."
Sara has a rigid routine which starts at 4am when she gets up to make 10 lots of sandwiches for everyone's lunchtime pack.
After that two-hour chore, she prepares for breakfast – but says she gives herself a head start by setting the table the night before.
"When the children start to wake up, I'm ready for them," she said.
"I've put my make-up on, that's job number one, and I'm ready to sort out what everyone wants to eat.
"It doesn't take too long actually. Everyone mucks in and then they all get ready for school."
It's Stephen's job to drop the kids off at school before he goes to work – building canal boats at Shardlow Marina. At 3pm, he leaves his waterside job and dashes back to pick up all the children.
"I can't do the school run because of the little ones," said Sara. "I don't have a triple buggy and we only have one car.
"I stay at home with them and get the house in some kind of order while Stephen does the running around."
Sara admitted she's a cleaning freak and spends hours tidying up, washing windows, mopping floors and tackling her ever-growing ironing pile.
On average, she says she uses the washing machine around 10 times a day.
She says she struggles to sit still and relax.
"Obviously I always have loads to do but even when I'm straight I can't put my feet up," she said. "I've been known to take down curtains at midnight and wash them through.
"I have to have a tidy house. What would people think if they knocked on the door and saw us living in a pig sty.
"They'd say we were a scrounging, low-life family who begged from the State. They'd say I was a slapper for having so many children and that I couldn't even be bothered to keep the house looking nice. And that's so not true."
Sara claims weekly tax credits of £800 and family allowance which totals £1,000 a month but says Stephen's wage also goes a long way to supporting his family.
They spend a staggering £600 at the supermarket each week and fill four trolleys with shopping.
"You should see the kids trying to push them around the store," she said. "We pile them high and even then we might have to go out and buy more stuff."
Despite the cash she receives, Sara said there's never much left over. Her annual uniform order and school shoe bill hits the £2,000 mark.
And the family holiday to Butlins costs just as much because they have to hire a mini bus to get everyone to Skegness.
She's still reeling after blowing a staggering £5,000 at Toys R Us buying the children what they'd like from Santa.
"I had blisters after that trip, I can tell you," she said. "I went in high heels and that was a big mistake. We were in the shop for hours. Stephen had to do several trips home to bring back what we'd bought.
"I'd been saving all year so we'd have enough money to get all the presents. It was really hard work. I just hope Stephen will offer to wrap everything because I definitely don't want to do it.
"I had to save really hard to get all their presents. I put money away every week for stuff. I save up each month for a new washing machine because it usually only lasts a year."
It's only in the last couple of weeks that Sara has been well enough to start preparing for the arrival of her latest baby.
She's been desperately ill in hospital after suffering from acute morning sickness and dehydration.
"I've been hooked to a drip and everything," said Sara. "I've been so poorly I had to send for my sister to come over and help.
"I've never been so ill during a pregnancy. It's been just horrible. I can't believe it myself. I've had so many babies but I never dreamed that I'd suffer so much with this one. You would think I'd be so used to having babies by now, but no.
"Thankfully, I feel better now and I'm back home with my children. That was the hardest part, being away from the little ones.
"I worried about Stephen, too, and had to ring him once or twice to make sure he'd remembered to switch the oven off after tea."
At 20 weeks' pregnant, Sara is now enjoying her pregnancy and is thankful she's not piling on the pounds.
She says she's not had to bring out her maternity clothes yet and that's good news.
"I don't want to get too massive because I'm still having to race around looking after the little ones. I'm looking after three children under the age of three every day – not to mention all the others when they come out of school," she smiled.
SHE'S got 13 children, another on the way and says she wants more.
When Sara Foss gives birth to her 14th child next April, the 39-year-old has one big wish – to get pregnant again.
"I want twins," she said. "It's my biggest wish and I'm going to keep trying until I do it.
"I love having babies. It's the most wonderful thing in the world. I love all my children."
Sara was just 16 years old when she fell pregnant with her first baby, Patrick, in 1986.
She was thrilled to become a mum but hated giving birth and vowed never to have any more children with her long-term partner, Stephen Smith.
A decade later, Sara changed her mind and gave birth to her second son, Stephen, now 13.
"Something inside me snapped after that," she smiled. "Because I started having babies. I just couldn't stop. I've had a baby nearly every year since then.
" It's fantastic. I got over my fear of labour and just started having the kids. They're all brilliant. They don't give me any bother. They're fantastic."
Malachai, 12, was followed by Peppermint, 11, Echo, 10, Eli, nine, Rogue, eight, Frodo, seven, Morpheus, five, Artemis, four, Blackbird, three, Baudelaire, two, and nine-month-old Voorhees.
"The only problem with having all these babies is that I never know what to call them," smiles Sara. "I've given my children some very different names. I like that.
"I've called them names that mean something to me and my partner. Sometimes people are shocked to hear what they're called, but I'm not bothered."
Sara has no idea what she's expecting this time but says she's already thought of a few good names.
She's twice been in trouble with Derby Register Office for taking too long to register the baby's birth and its name – but not this time.
Sara's hoping for a girl but is remaining mum on what she might call her.
"I'd like to even the numbers up a bit and have another daughter, but I'm not really bothered," said Sara. "As long as it's OK and I don't have to have another caesarean, I won't mind at all.
"I just wanted two, that's the disappointing part of this pregnancy," she smiled.
"But I suppose there's always next time. I'm going to keep trying that's for sure."
Sara's and 40-year-old Stephen's three-bedroomed council house in Derby is bursting at the seams – but she's not complaining.
She loves her house and doesn't want to move anywhere bigger because the children are settled in school and she likes the area.
Patrick, aged 23, has left the nest now but that still leaves a staggering 14 more bodies crammed into the little semi.
"We have a lot of bunk beds and cots," said Sara. "All the furniture in the bedrooms is on wheels so we can move them at bedtime.
"Baudelaire sleeps in a travel cot and a couple of the lads use an air bed which we inflate when they're tired.
"It's a squash and a squeeze, but it's cosy.
"We've been here for eight years. It's home."
Sara has a rigid routine which starts at 4am when she gets up to make 10 lots of sandwiches for everyone's lunchtime pack.
After that two-hour chore, she prepares for breakfast – but says she gives herself a head start by setting the table the night before.
"When the children start to wake up, I'm ready for them," she said.
"I've put my make-up on, that's job number one, and I'm ready to sort out what everyone wants to eat.
"It doesn't take too long actually. Everyone mucks in and then they all get ready for school."
It's Stephen's job to drop the kids off at school before he goes to work – building canal boats at Shardlow Marina. At 3pm, he leaves his waterside job and dashes back to pick up all the children.
"I can't do the school run because of the little ones," said Sara. "I don't have a triple buggy and we only have one car.
"I stay at home with them and get the house in some kind of order while Stephen does the running around."
Sara admitted she's a cleaning freak and spends hours tidying up, washing windows, mopping floors and tackling her ever-growing ironing pile.
On average, she says she uses the washing machine around 10 times a day.
She says she struggles to sit still and relax.
"Obviously I always have loads to do but even when I'm straight I can't put my feet up," she said. "I've been known to take down curtains at midnight and wash them through.
"I have to have a tidy house. What would people think if they knocked on the door and saw us living in a pig sty.
"They'd say we were a scrounging, low-life family who begged from the State. They'd say I was a slapper for having so many children and that I couldn't even be bothered to keep the house looking nice. And that's so not true."
Sara claims weekly tax credits of £800 and family allowance which totals £1,000 a month but says Stephen's wage also goes a long way to supporting his family.
They spend a staggering £600 at the supermarket each week and fill four trolleys with shopping.
"You should see the kids trying to push them around the store," she said. "We pile them high and even then we might have to go out and buy more stuff."
Despite the cash she receives, Sara said there's never much left over. Her annual uniform order and school shoe bill hits the £2,000 mark.
And the family holiday to Butlins costs just as much because they have to hire a mini bus to get everyone to Skegness.
She's still reeling after blowing a staggering £5,000 at Toys R Us buying the children what they'd like from Santa.
"I had blisters after that trip, I can tell you," she said. "I went in high heels and that was a big mistake. We were in the shop for hours. Stephen had to do several trips home to bring back what we'd bought.
"I'd been saving all year so we'd have enough money to get all the presents. It was really hard work. I just hope Stephen will offer to wrap everything because I definitely don't want to do it.
"I had to save really hard to get all their presents. I put money away every week for stuff. I save up each month for a new washing machine because it usually only lasts a year."
It's only in the last couple of weeks that Sara has been well enough to start preparing for the arrival of her latest baby.
She's been desperately ill in hospital after suffering from acute morning sickness and dehydration.
"I've been hooked to a drip and everything," said Sara. "I've been so poorly I had to send for my sister to come over and help.
"I've never been so ill during a pregnancy. It's been just horrible. I can't believe it myself. I've had so many babies but I never dreamed that I'd suffer so much with this one. You would think I'd be so used to having babies by now, but no.
"Thankfully, I feel better now and I'm back home with my children. That was the hardest part, being away from the little ones.
"I worried about Stephen, too, and had to ring him once or twice to make sure he'd remembered to switch the oven off after tea."
At 20 weeks' pregnant, Sara is now enjoying her pregnancy and is thankful she's not piling on the pounds.
She says she's not had to bring out her maternity clothes yet and that's good news.
"I don't want to get too massive because I'm still having to race around looking after the little ones. I'm looking after three children under the age of three every day – not to mention all the others when they come out of school," she smiled.
