"I'm a mum-of-12 and spend $26k running my household – trolls tell me to shut my legs but I feel blessed"

A mum-of-12 who spends $26k-a-year on food and presents for her kids says trolls tell her “shut her legs” but she feels “blessed” to have a large family.

Britni Church, 35, hadn’t always dreamed of having a big family but now couldn’t be happier with her brood.

She fell pregnant aged 15 with her first daughter, Crizman, now 19, and went on to have Jordan, 17, Caleb, 16, Jace, 15, and Cadence, 13, with her ex-husband.

Britni had daughter Jesalyn, 11, with another partner before meeting and tying the knot with her now-husband, Chris, 32.

The couple welcomed their first child Silas, eight, three months after the wedding.

Now the pair have Christopher, seven, triplets – Oliver, Asher and Abel, four – and Rowyn, two, and finally feel at “peace” with their family.

Britni says the family spend $400-a-week on their food shop, $50 to $100 on each of their birthday gifts and around $4,000 on Christmas each year.

The mum gets trolled daily for her having a large family and spending 16 years pregnant – and says trolls tell her to “shut your legs” and ask “why didn’t you have abortions?”

Britni, a cake decorator, from Wichita, Kansas, US, said: “I never knew I’d have a big family.

“Chris said he wanted six kids – it seemed like an unimaginable number.

“Now we’re here it doesn’t feel like 12.

“I feel very blessed to be a mum.

“People say ‘why don’t you have abortions?’ or ‘close your legs’ and they say I look like I’m 60.

“It’s very gross stuff. I used to care what people thought.

“I’m happy with my life – not everyone is going to like that.

“I don’t regret anything.”

Britni says her first five children were not “necessarily planned” but is “glad” they are all here now.

She met Chris at a factory they both worked at in June 2014 and they hit it off and got hitched in March 2015.

Three months later, in June 2015, Silas was born and they welcomed Christopher in December 2016.

Still wanting to grow their family, Britni fell pregnant again in 2019 but was shocked when they found they were expecting triplets.

She said: “It was crazy.

“Finding out there were three – it was nuts.”

After having Rowyn and spending 16 years of her life pregnant, Britni decided she was happy with her brood.

She said: “After Rowyn we were done.

“I was like ‘I’m tired’.

“I felt at peace.”

Britni says to keep her household running smoothly she does 21 loads of washing a week, goes through 80 nappies and spends $400 on the weekly food shop.

Britni works in the afternoon so she can get the kids up and to school in the morning – and Chris is back in time to cook dinner and put them to bed.

She said: “Chris keeps us running.

“He does dinner and grocery shops.

“He’s amazing.”

The older kids – Crizman, Jordan and Jace – each have their own room and do their own chores.

Jesalyn and Cadence also share and will help out with washing and taking the trash out.

The five boys – Silas, Christopher, Oliver, Asher and Abel – share a room.

All their children live with them apart from Caleb – who has already moved out.

Britni said: “It’s a little bit tight.”

Britni’s children’s birthdays are only in six months of the year and she budgets $50 to $100 for a present for each of them.

At Christmas – presents, decorations and food – tend to tot up to around $4,000 for the family.

Britni said: “We try to do something special.”