Kristina and Galip had 20 babies through surrogacy in a single year so they could add to their brood.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on January 28, 2022. It has since been updated.
Kristina Ozturk always dreamt of having a big family. Today, she's 23 years old and has 21 children.
Kristina had her first child by natural childbirth when she was 17 and had 20 more babies through surrogacy in a single year. Russian-born Kristina met her husband, Galip, 57, during a holiday in Georgia, her first overseas trip. Galip also wanted a huge family and they were a match made in heaven. "So after we met, we started to put our dream into action," said Kristina, reported Newsweek. "I've dreamed about this since childhood. My husband also dreamed about having a big, happy family," she added. Kristina teases on Instragam that she wants to have more than 100 children: Will there be 105 children?"
They had originally planned to have one baby a year but realized their reproductive abilities wouldn't be able to fulfill their need of having the children immediately and decided to explore the option of surrogacy. They got in touch with a surrogacy clinic and decided to have 1 child within the span of 18 months. "The clinic in Batumi chooses surrogate mothers for us and takes full responsibility for the process. We are not personally acquainted with surrogate mothers and do not have direct contact with them in order to avoid problems after pregnancy," said Kristina.
The dynamic of the relationship is an evolving one, says Kristina. "Our romantic relationship has changed but then our whole lives have changed, not just the romantic part," she said. While the focus has been on the size of the family, Kristina is only focused on happiness. "I'm not sure if we will be the biggest family in the world, but we are planning to be the happiest family in the world for sure," she added.
Love at first sight
Kristina hails from Russia was a single mother on vacation when she met Galip. She describes the meeting as 'love at first sight.' Galip is a property and transport magnate hailing from Turkey. Galip was head over heels about Kristina as well. "She is so easy to be with, she always has a smile on her lips and yet at the same time is shy and mysterious." he said, before adding, "She was the kind of wife I always wanted for myself, an uncut diamond where I saw what a pure and kind heart she had." Kristina said she sees Galip as her 'mentor, guide and fairytale prince all rolled into one.'
The couple lives in Batumi and has 16 live-in nannies to take care of all the children. They are also aware of needing a bigger home. "For now we have three floors at home. In the future, maybe we will build more floors, maybe we will buy a bigger house. We don't have an exact plan, because right now we have enough space for everybody," added Kristina.
The couple is aware of the steep financial costs of having 21 children. They paid close to $10,000 for each pregnancy that invovled a surrogate mother. "It costs about $7,850 per week for essentials for all the kids. Sometimes [the costs are] a little more, sometimes a bit less." She added that nannies are paid close to $500 a week.
The couple hasn't decided on the number of children they want to have. "We just not ready to talk about the final number. Everything has its time," she said. While Kristina has 16 nannies, she's very particular about how they do their jobs. "I teach each nanny independently when applying for a job — no amateur activity is allowed, the upbringing of children is strictly according to my instructions." She also documents each child's day-to-day progress. "Each child has a diary that records ALL the details of his life — what we ate, how much we ate, how I slept, how I walked, how many went to the toilet, how many were crying, what changes happened with the body."
References:
https://www.newsweek.com/mom-22-kids-says-life-hard-millionaire-hubby-prison-1716220
Cover image source: Image source: Instagram/@batumi_mama
