A mum who had nine children in six years is now expecting her tenth child.

Amanda Sellers, 29, had always wanted a big family and convinced her husband, Chris, 33, to have a large brood when they started dating in January 2013.

After a quick romance, Chris proposed in May that year, and the pair were married by July.

The couple, from Roanoke, Virginia, US, started trying for a baby straight away.

Chris – who already had Logan, 12, and Ryan, 11, from a previous relationship – wasn’t too keen on expanding their family, but changed his mind when they welcomed Liam, now eight, in February 2014.

Amanda went on to have twin girls, Mya and Mia, now seven, in May 2015 and twin boys, Asher and Brycen, now five, in January 2017.

However, growing their family didn’t stop there.

They went on to have Eli, three, in November 2018, and Emma, now two, in July 2020 – and the couple are now expecting their tenth baby in January.

To get their family from pillar to post, they use a 15-seater Transit van. However, they homeschool their children, which likely makes the school run a lot less stressful.

Amanda plans the meals each month and does a food shop costing around £1,000, spending an additional £350 per month topping up the fresh supplies each week.

‘I’ve always wanted a large family and as many children as possible,’ said Amanda.

‘When I had Liam, having three kids was hard, but after that it felt the same. Having the three young kids is much harder than having 10 children in my eyes.’

Amanda says the kids ‘all get along and are very outgoing’.

‘I try and teach them all to be independent so they can help out with chores and be able to sort their own breakfast and lunch,’ said the mum.

Her husband Chris added: ‘I was apprehensive at first of having a big family but now I wouldn’t change it for the world.

‘If you’d have told me then that I’d have nine children and one on the way I would have said you were crazy.

‘We’re trying to build a healthy bond with the kids. I don’t think we could ever have too many children that we wouldn’t have time or love for.’

When they welcomed their first child together, the couple lived in a three-bed house and also took in Chris’ children.

‘This was the biggest adjustment,’ Amanda recalled.

‘I thought: “If I can do three young children, I can do anything.”‘

Now the pair have welcomed nine children together over six years and couldn’t be happier with their family life.

‘There wasn’t a year I wasn’t pregnant from 2013 to 2020,’ Amanda said. ‘I think 2021 is the only year I haven’t been.’

To manage the house, the kids help out with chores, and the parents teach them to be independent as soon as they are old enough.

Amanda explained: ‘Most of them know how to put the wash on, or make a peanut butter sandwich.

‘I set a 10-minute timer most days to get them to all tidy up. It can be chaotic at times but so can any household.’

The older children each have designated task to maintain upkeep, while Chris works from home to help out during home-schooling time.

‘They all get on with their work,’ Amanda said.

‘And then once a day I’ll check what they have been doing with each of them.’

With so many kids, Christmas and birthdays could prove expensive, but they have a strict budget of £45 for each child’s present.

This festive season will also see the family getting ready for their next arrival.

‘I’m very happy with our family size,’ Amanda said.

’10 is a great number. We think this might be our last baby but we’re keeping an open mind for more.’

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