Certain Russians have claimed this record, but poor documentation makes their claims unreliable--as are most claims by Russian authorities. The highest number that is well-documented is a tie, at 33 children:

1) Moddie Oliver, of Lumberton, North Carolina gave birth to her 33rd child in 1952. Even though Moddie was blind--and her husband was a sharecropper--her landlord decided to confiscate the family’s furniture when Moddie was pregnant with her 33rd child. Moddie sued.

2) Mary Jonas (b.1814) of Chester, England also gave birth to 33 children, although most died before reaching adulthood. Mary received some acclaim when a popular magazine wrote that Mary was “judged to have contributed most to the population of the Empire.” The magazine had the unfortunate title “Tit-bits.”