DPA
Tel Aviv, Jun 18: An Israeli woman in her mid-40s has given birth to her 18th child in 21 years, accumulating a combined total of 14 years pregnancy, and she and her husband are planning their 19th, Israeli media reported Thursday.
The ultra-Orthodox couple have 12 boys and six girls. The most recent was born Wednesday, one week after the oldest child celebrated her 21st birthday.
"I cannot say I was as moved as I was with the first child, but each baby brings with it its own excitement and blessing," the woman explained.
She said, perhaps not surprisingly, that since she has been visiting the delivery room at Kaplan hospital, in the city of Rehovot, for 21 years, "I feel part of the staff."
Ultra-Orthodox Jews regard birth control as a sin.