Christina is a young woman with a huge heart. One big enough to spread between a husband and 11 kids, in fact! But she's not done yet. Read on to meet the woman who's trying to make her dream of having 100 kids come true.
Meet Mom, Christina
Christina was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. With a regular upbringing, she never could have expected the crazy turns her life would take. But at just 17 years-old, Christina suddenly fell pregnant.
While the thought of being a young mother was daunting, she quickly fell in love with parenthood. With the father out of the picture, Christina knew that she was all her baby Vika had. Since she was only a teenager at the time, she figured that having one child was the most she could handle. But that would soon change…
17 Going on 23
Being a single parent was incredibly challenging for Christina. And by the time she turned 23-years-old, the young mother had worn herself out completely. She dreamed of finding a partner to share the load with, but the thought of someone loving her and Vika felt like a distant fairytale.
Christina decided that all of her hard work deserved to be rewarded. So, after a lot of convincing, she took herself on vacation a few countries over to Georgia. Little did she know, the trip she had just embarked on would change her life in ways she never saw coming.
Meet Dad, Galip
Galip Ozturk was originally from Turkey. He had already become a millionaire thanks to owning several metro group companies and establishing the "Turkey Bus Federation." In 2005, Ozturk created and became the president of the new company, launching his career forward.
Galip was a well-off man who understood the business and was dashingly handsome. All sounds magically wonderful, but a secret he had been keeping hidden would soon come to light. And, it just so happened that it would occur as he met the beautiful Christina.
Trouble with the Law
As it turned out, there was a dark reason why Galip was living in Georgia. It all started back in 2009 when he was arrested for manipulating the Istanbul stock exchange. 3 Years later, Ozturk found himself in hot water. He was sentenced to a life imprisonment for something else; a violent act against an employee in 1996.
But on the day of his sentencing in 2013, he fled to Georgia - where he has remained since. It just so happened that shortly after he had settled in the new country, his fate took a turn. He never saw it coming, but Christina stumbled into his life at just the right time.
Their Love Story Began
Galip met Christina while she was vacationing in Batumi, Georgia, often referred to as the 'Las Vegas of the Black Sea.' As they recalled the encounter, it was love at first sight. "She is so easy to be with, she always has a smile on her lips. And yet at the same time, she is shy and mysterious," Ozturk gushed.
After a few dates, the couple quickly fell into a serious relationship. So much so that Christina and Vika decided to move to Batumi permanently to begin a life with Galip. At the time, the young mother didn't know that they were actually bound to Georgia, thanks to Galip's secret past.
A Match Made in Georgia
Despite what Galip kept behind closed doors, the two grew to be very close. Not only was Ozturk a sweet and caring man, but he actually was a father as well. So, he understood the love for Vika that Christina held close. As things continued to progress, the pair decided to marry and began a blended family together.
In an interview with Daily Mail, Christina described her new husband as her "Mentor, guide, and fairytale Prince all rolled into one." They realized they had more in common than they could even imagine. Both of them wanted large families and to have as many kids as they could care for.
Baby Number 1
Christina and Galip soon had their first son together via surrogate. Although they already had Vika, the couple instantly caught baby fever. Initially, the newlyweds discussed having a large family. But, when the conversation grew to include one baby every year, they realized Christina's body might not be able to handle it.
Unsure of what to do given their inability to conceive, they called upon a surrogate agency. It was then decided: The Ozturks would grow their family with the help of the birthing community in Georgia. But first, they had to set important parameters.
The Ozturk's Dream
Christina and her new husband were massively in love. And they wanted to be able to share that love with as many babies as possible - as fast as possible. Thus, their goal of having a huge family and household was set in motion. But, neither one of them wanted to wait years to see their vision become a reality.
So, the couple began researching desperately. They learned everything they could about the possibilities of having several children via surrogate at the same time. On Instagram, Christina said they would like to have 105 kids. She later said she was joking, but that 100 children felt slightly more fitting.
Their Age Difference Had No Effect
Christina explained, even though Galip was 56-years-old, 33 her senior, he had no objections to having a big family. On top of that, as mentioned before, Ozturk was already a father. In fact, he had 8 kids in total, ranging in age between 12-34, before he and Christina met.
Immediately, they began their mission of building a family comprised of as many children as possible. To do this, they had to call on as many surrogate mothers that were willing to help. But this decision came with a price tag - about $9,700 per baby, to be exact.
Surrogacy Laws
Next came all of the exciting planning and preparations for their growing family. Georgia has allowed surrogacy since 1997, with many rules and regulations set in place; One of the most important being: When a child is born, it's automatically given to the people(s) whose genetics made up the conception.
This means a surrogate doesn't have any rights over the child(ren) she carries. To ensure that their future kids were in healthy condition, each of Christina's potential surrogates went through counseling. Like any other binding agreement, they also had to sign legal documents before becoming pregnant with the Ozturk's children.
Setting up the Surrogacy
The Ozturk's were very particular when it came to finding the right women for these jobs. Only those who had given birth before were chosen, surveyed to seek out bad habits, and interviewed by a psychologist. "The clinic in Batumi chooses surrogate mothers for us and takes full responsibility for the process," said Christina.
The surrogates were even asked their feelings about giving the baby to its genetic parents post-birth to ensure a no-hiccup situation. "We are not personally acquainted with surrogate mothers and do not have direct contacts with them in order to avoid problems after pregnancy," Christina explained on the Russian website woman.ru.
Meet (Some of) the Kids
The eldest child in the family is 6-year-old Viktoria (Vika for short). "I only gave birth to Vika, the others are genetically ours, but they were born from surrogate wombs," the young mom told Newsflash. Currently, the couple has 11 children in total, with 10 of them birthed via surrogates in the last year.
The second eldest is Mustafa, Galip and Christina's first child together. He was born via surrogacy on March 10, 2020, followed by Maryam on April 17. Next, twins, Alisa and Ayrin were born on April 19, with more siblings arriving in the following months.
Meet More Ozturks
The second set of twins, Hasan and Judi, were born on May 29, 2020. Next came Anna, Ismail, and on August 21, Mehmet. Lockman followed on November 10. And their 10th child, Olivia, was the first to enter in the new year. On January 10, she was born healthy and happy. But, with 11 children, the Ozturk's still aren't finished.
"I don't know how many [children] there will eventually be, but we certainly don't plan to stop at 10," Christina told woman.ru. The couple has spoken about having 100 babies. However, they reluctantly decided to wait until their current 10 are a bit older before commencing in another surrogacy.
Pregnancy vs. Surrogacy
Surrogacy wasn't always Christina's birth plan. After countless hours of research, the young mom initially ruled out IVF. Unfortunately, it held a high risk of causing strain on her body and the inability to carry a child while receiving treatment. But, she hasn't ruled out biological birth.
Christina did, however, label IVF "not practical" due to the number of kids they have running around the house. Her husband has described the mom of 11 as the "wife I always wanted for myself, an uncut diamond where I saw what a pure and kind heart she had." So, how does this gem manage a household of 13?
Living with 11 Babies
Many people who don't know the Ozturks assume Christina has a laundry list of nannies to help with childcare. But the young mom claims most of the day-to-day childcare herself. She also makes sure to devote time and attention to care for each child, as well as their home and herself.
Christina has insisted that each of the babies adhere to a strict sleeping schedule. Astonishingly, the hardworking mom has said that she trained her kids to sleep from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am every night! According to Christina, her eldest, Vika, loves caring for the babies and is now old enough to help her mom with certain tasks.
Christina's Daily Tasks
On her Instagram, where she shares many tips, tricks, and story time from her experiences as a mom of 11, Christina said: "I spend the maximum amount of time with my children, but when I'm not with them, I control everything." This includes rigorous training of the family's nannies.
After putting the children to bed each night, Christina gets started on household chores. Her list includes making sure the house is stocked with everything the nannies need each week, organizing each day's menus, and scheduling necessary health appointments. But what kind of job allows this mom so much time to plan and prep?
Christina's Employment
The 23-year-old mom is an Instagram influencer and model. She uses the link in her bio to advertise many discounts and promo codes to various websites. Her name alone can knock off a few bucks on websites such as eBay, AliExpress, and more. In turn, her more than 91K Instagram followers surely know her story.
Christina loves sharing her daily adventures and sightseeing outings on her social media. Her main page, @batumi_mama, is full of photos of herself and her adorable family. While her second page, @kris_babies, is full of highlights from wherever any given day takes her.
Money is No Object
Promo codes and modeling can undoubtedly make for a healthy paycheck; However, not one that could pay for 10 surrogacies. Christina's salary alone would not be enough to turn their dream into reality. And upon planning for their future, the couple realized something about their 100 baby goal.
If they wanted to accomplish their goal by the time Christina turned 30, they'd need to have about 12 kids per year for the next 7 years. To make this happen, Galip would have to withdraw about $952,240 from his bank account to pay for the surrogacies. But, this was no problem for the millionaire.
Nanny Training
When Christina isn't working on her social media pages, she's training her staff. "I teach each nanny independently when applying for a job… the upbringing of children is strictly according to my instructions," she explained. Christina even guides the caregivers, "What to read to the children, in what order, and at what time."
The mom wanted to ensure her kids were all raised the same way, even if she couldn't be there to do it. Christina explained her strict routine for when any of her kids start crying. "If the child begins to cry, I forbid you to take him in your arms," she said. Instead? She instructed that the baby be "distracted" to "calm down."
Baby Diaries
Christina might be considered as a helicopter parent, but only because she wants to be as involved in her children's lives as possible. In fact, the hands-on mom instructed that the family's nannies record every single detail of each kid's daily happenings in a separate diary.
"Each child has a diary that records ALL the details of his life," said Christina. "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," she continued. But, diary documentation isn't all Christina expects from her nannies.
Diaper Documentation
The concerned and involved mother is extremely stern about her babies' food intake and bathroom habits. So much so that nannies are required to snap a photo of each baby's dirty diaper (yes, every single time) so Christina can decide if the contents are "of a good color and consistency."
Based on those photos and each child's logged actions, the mom of 11 adjusts the following day or week's schedules. But aside from her little ones' bathroom habits, let's take a look at Christina's strict eating rules for her kids. As for what their diets consist of?
Strict Eating Regimens
According to the many posts on Christina's Instagram page, she only allows her children to eat "homemade meals" with "no purchased ready-made cans of complementary foods." Of course, each time an Ozturk child eats, it is documented in their assigned diary.
The family's nannies certainly have to learn a lot to meet the high standards this mom has for her beloved family. "Food is strictly according to grams," Christina explained, "Not a gram more, not a gram less." So, with boxed meals or side dishes out of the question, what do the kids eat?
Breakfast in the Ozturk House
For a peek into the foods that are on the Ozturk menu, here's a breakdown of a typical breakfast. According to Christina's Instagram page, the children eat "porridge (rice, buckwheat, corn) served with butter. The elders eat porridge in milk formula, and the younger ones on the water."
If any of the children get hungry in the afternoon before lunch, their snack option is homemade cottage cheese or, for the older kids, yogurt with fruit puree. If you deem Christina to be strict about food, it may not surprise you that she closely oversees each surrogacy as well.
Overseeing the Surrogacies
Luckily for everyone involved, all communication between the surrogate and the Ozturks takes place via the clinic. Christina and Galip only monitor health indicators. But Christina has also made a few requests over the years. "I make up a dietary menu for mothers so that the food is complete," she explained.
The Ozturk's experience with the clinic has gone without any hiccups, except one time: One of the surrogate mothers desperately wanted to keep the child after it was born. But, because the infant was genetically from Christina and Galip, the surrogate had no rights over the child and had to turn over the baby.
House of 11 Kids and Growing
Despite having 13 people in the home, including 11 little ones under the age of 6, Christina describes her house as "full of relaxation." Partly thanks to her strict sleep training of the babies. But also thanks to her and Galip's immense baby fever.
On Instagram, Christina shared that she and Galip enjoy “watching movies and cartoons, eating junk food, playing backgammon and walking with [the] children.” From the sound of it, it seems that this power couple has managed to figure out a system that works!
They Received Backlash
Some onlookers believe the growing family and their end goal of 100 children is entirely acceptable. But, others feel differently due to concerns that the Ozturks cannot appropriately care for each child as there are too many. In showcasing their lives online, Christina and her family have experienced some backlash.
Some worried onlookers wonder about how well the Ozturks can actually care for their children. Perhaps because after 10 surrogacies, the young mom made a shocking announcement on social media: She's already struggling to spend time with the 11 children they now have.
They Support Each Other
Despite what anyone might say online, the Ozturk parents always make sure that their family feels appreciated. "I am very grateful to my husband that he completely trusts me in all matters concerning children," Christina shared on Instagram. She is the self-proclaimed "tough parent," while Galip is the "Yes" man.
Galip consistently expresses his pride in his wife's ability to manage such a full house. He even gave Christina her favorite compliment: "What a wonderful mother" she is. This has made Christina not only feel good about herself - but hopeful about her ability to be a mother, as well.
From Single Mom to Full House
When Christina had Vika, she never imagined that her life would one day call for 11 children. Nor that she would find a partner who shared her dream of creating a massive family full of love! Despite her past, she, Vika, and Galip began a family that lived up to the definition of the word.
As Christina and Galip Ozturk continue their journey to their dream family of 102 members, we can keep up with their story on social media. With 11 kids already in training, who knows? Maybe the next 11 will be a complete breeze for the family and nannies!