What do you guys think of the 8 babies/14 kids chick???

[BillysBride]

As someone who birthed a "litter", here's my take...

 

I seen some type of story on her last week where they did an entire break down of her finances. (completely inappropriate if you ask me, but they did it). She is getting food stamps, but nothing else. That can't be said of a whoooooole lot of other people. She was awarded a financial settlement from her job when she was hurt in some type of riot. That's where she got the money for the procedure done.

 

Something to keep in mind though (I used to work in insurance/BCBS of IL), IVF is an uncertain procedure. Most women choose to have multiple embryos transferred because the odds of success with just one or two are so small. It's a lot of money, and to transfer one embryo and just hope it takes is almost silly. I'm not sure how many she transferred...but I would imagine it wasn't her goal to have eight more children; she may have been out to have one. Then we get into, once you're pregnant with 8.....who chooses to terminate some of them and HOW do you make that choice and live with it? I couldn't, but that's a personal decision.

 

If she's unstable, then yea..that's too bad..FOR THE KIDS. But otherwise, I see it as none of my business. My mom grew up as the oldest of sixteen kids, so I'm not one to lump every large family into the same category; my grandma was the wisest, most on the ball woman I've ever known and I can only hope to be half the mother she was.

Anymore, people thinking having a big family is extreme..I've been told that I have one, and we've only got four (quadruplets, and no IVF involved and yes, they did give me an option ..rather a STRONG suggestion to abort one or two, I refused). I have a better than average insight into the types of shit people say to you, thinking that because your situation is out of the ordinary, they have a right to take a stab at analyzing your life...most of the time, they don't. I've had all KINDS of comments...from "Oh, you poor thing." to "Better you than me" It's really amazing. lol No one sets out to have "a litter"...sometimes, shit just happens. It really is quite painful and offensive to even see those types of comments to me, but I DO understand...people simply don't always know how such things happen. I wouldn't give up my "litter" for the world, and I figure God intended for me to have them, or they wouldn't all be here. So, I'm very hesitant to cast judgement on this chick, even though from all accounts there may be some mental instability at work. I worry more about the plastic surgeries she had to look like someone else..THAT points to a mental health problem, not so much that she wanted another kid and just so happened to end up with 8.

 

But yea, if she's got issues, then that's a sad, sad thing for those kids. Either way, I just pray for them because they are all that matters.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that with SO many rumors out there about this chick and NO ONE who truly knows her, it's hard for me to judge. It's easy for me to be concerned for the kids, so that's what I am. I wish them all the best. God bless 'em.

[FutureMrsLewis]

The worst part of this story is definitely the kids, because they'll be the ones to suffer. And you're right Savannah, when you go through IVF, they implant several embryos to increase the chances of at least one of them surviving, and that makes sense, because usually ladies will have 6 or 8 embryos and only one or two survive.

 

My main issue is that she already had 6 children that she was struggling to care for, so why have even one more child until she could provide for it? She may very well have been aiming for one child, and like you Savannah, I understand her not wanting to terminate any of them, because I wouldn't be able to do it either, I just don't understand why she tried at all, or if the doctor knew of her current situation, why he allowed her to have another child.

 

I just agree with everyone else, the children are the real victims here... Let's hope she gets some help, and fast, before anything terrible happens.

 

Side note: Holy crap Savannah! Four kids! You're my hero! lol I don't know if I'd still be sane if I had four children all at once. I have two cats, one is 9 and the other is 1, and there are days when it's a good darn thing they're cute lol You deserve a huge pat on the back for that my dear, and you're obviously one of the "successful" families like I mentioned in my last post

[Yari]

Well I am going to judge her cause I think she is ridiculous! She already had 6 other children. She lives in a 1500 square foot home, two of her kids have disabilities, she has no job and decided to use her disability money on fertility treatments...oh no husband either. This is so irresponsible and ludicrous. It pisses me off like no other. Especially since my taxpayer butt will have to pay for their care.

 

She should have been happy with the 6 children she already had and focus on them.

[KAMAY11]

I hate to say it, but I will judge her! The death threats are a little much, but I think what she has done is completely irresponsible!!!!!!!!!!!!! People all over the world are losing their jobs, but she thinks that it's ok to be raising 14 babies (on American taxpayers money?!)

Savannah-You bring up some very valid points, but I cannot have sympathy for this woman...she is asking the public for money (that in itself chaps my ass!). When I was 19 I worked as one of 8 nannies for quadruplets. They were all premature, had FAS, were all on oxygen and spent so much time in and out of the hospital....their mother had 8 previous children and the gov't finally had to step in and take the quadruplets away from her. I know each situation is different, but this makes me so angry!!

[Yari]

I hope that the state takes away her babies!

[BillysBride]

Kaylee- why were your old employers quads taken away from them, do you know? I mean the actual reason?

 

Well, if the state takes this other chick's babies away, I hope they have good homes in place for them. I can't find it in my heart to just wish someone's children to be taken from them just for the sake of them being away from her. IF it means they are in a better situation, then that's one thing. My young brother and sister are both adopted (my parents adopted them after having 7 of us biologically) and I can't imagine what would have become of them in the system, especially as minority children. There is a HUGE difference in America between Caucasion babies placed for adoption and minority children. White babies are still in high demand, whereas minority children can languish in the system til they reach their majority. Foster care is often as much as they can hope for, and I don't necessarily wish just any old foster care situation on ANY child.

 

I'm just saying that I don't know this woman OR her situation well enough to arbitrarily say I want her kids taken out of her care. I don't know what awaits them in the system. It may be better for them, or it may be worse. The entire thing just makes me sad.

[mjtobin27]

I think she is crazy

[Christine]

she is actually getting more help from the state than just food stamps. She also receives gov. funds for her 3 disabled children (and I am sure will get more as the 8 are bound to have some problems). She also said in her interview with NBC that she would be going back to school and living off of financial aide. She did receive a settlement from her back injury but was also on disability, so that is another form of gov. funding.

 

So her gov. funding is as follows

food stamps

disability for her

disability for 3 children

student loans/grants

medical assistance (Kaiser sent a request to the state of CA to pay for the 8 nicu stays as well as her 2 month hospital stay).

 

She is clearly not mentally stable and I too will judge her because not only is she depriving her children of a normal childhood, she is exploiting them and most likely only had them for attention. She also is taking away precious funding for other people in the state of CA, like all the teachers who might lose their jobs (her hospital bill alone will be well over a million $$$).

 

However the biggest tragedy of this whole thing is all the women who want to utilize fertility treatments in the future will now be subject to great scrutiny because of this woman. People pay so much money, put their lives on hold to have children and this woman has abused the amazing science of fertility treatments and I really think RE's will now be watched so much more.

[Hartyt509]

Not sure if any of you have seen this put this is on a uk site at the min

 

Worry for octuplets mother - AOL News

[MarieSam]

YUCK!!!!!!

 

This story just becomes more and more disturbing!!!

 

The latest news is that octo-mom got offered $1 million to be in a hardcore porn film. I swear if this woman accepts, the world is coming to an end!!!

 

Here's the link to the Associated Press story in a San Franscisco newspaper: Octuplets mother offered $1M porn contract