Octomania
I am sure everyone has heard about Octomom Nadya Suleman and the octuplets she gave birth to in California on Jan. 26. Nadya, a single mother of 6 already, used IVF to get pregnant. She also knew that she would have multiple babies and that they would be born prematurely. According to the March of Dimes website "Premature birth is a serious health problem. Premature babies are at increased risk for newborn health complications, as well as lasting disabilities, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, lung and gastrointestinal problems, vision and hearing loss, and even death." Also "all premature babies are at risk for health problems, but those born before about 32 weeks of gestation face the highest risk. These babies usually are very small, and their organs are less developed than those of babies born later." I have tried to avoid writing on this one, because I know it is such a controversial issue, but the more I hear about it, the more sickened I am by their mothers actions. Below are a list of facts about the situation, followed by my opinion. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
First fact: Nadya Suleman used IVF to transfer multiple embryos, knowing that at her age, it greatly increased the risk of multiple births, birth defects, premature labor and miscarriage.
* My opinion: As a mother I can not imagine willingly doing things that could harm my child. I'm not arguing about IVF, I'm glad that women that want babies are being given another chance to have them. But purposely getting pregnant with multiple babies, knowing that it could harm them, to me is just selfish. *
Second Fact: Nadya Suleman does not have a job. She lives in a home, owned by her mother, which will be foreclosed on due to her mother being $20,000 late in payments.
* My opinion: How could you knowingly bring more children ( 8 babies plus the 6 she already had) into the world when you have no means to support them. Even with assistance, kids are expensive. It is estimated that a child from birth to the age of 17 would cost parents approximately $269, 520. That's for one child. Multiply that by 14 and the cost is $3,773,280. *
Third Fact: She had already had 6 children and some of them are disabled or special needs children.
* My opinion: She already had children, more than she can care for financially. Also, how do the other children feel about their mother having more children, when they need her so much. Also, they already are strained financially and their space is limited. How will the other children react to having 8 little babies to share a house with? *
Fourth Fact: Police have already been called to the home for a missing child. The child was found a short time later, unharmed.
* My opinion: If you have 6 kids, that you are having a hard time keeping track of, the solution is NOT TO HAVE MORE. I personally worry about the level of care they will receive, and worry about their safety. *
I believe that no child is ever a mistake. I also know what it is like to be blessed with children and am so happy that I could become a mother. However, I do not feel that what Nadya Suleman has done was in the best interest of the children she already had or in the best interest of the 8 she just gave birth to. Now, she will need more financial support and is even receiving donations that are helping her purchase a new house. I hope that these children all come out well, but I think their mother is foolish for giving birth to children that she did not have means to support, knowing that she would give birth to small, premature little babies that may now have permanent defects or development delays. I also believe that the doctor who did her IVF, knowing the risks, should not be allowed to continue his practice. He knew that he was implanting more embryos than the "norm" for people of her age and knew that she would have multiple births. The multiple births caused her to give birth to the octuplets in her 30th week of pregnancy and thus caused the small weight of the octuplets.
Nadya has revealed the current weight of all octuplets: Nariah: 3.5 lbs, Makai: 3.5 lbs, Jeremiah: 3.5 lbs, Jonah: 2.5, Josiah: 2.5 lbs, Noah: 4.5 lbs, Isaiah: 4.5 lbs, Maliah: 4 lbs.
These babies struggle to grow now, because their mother was selfish and wanted lots of babies and to make a profit. I'm sickened by her and I can only hope that these babies will grow and be cared for. Now legislation is being passed to prevent situations like this from happening again, which is good, but it will make IVF harder for those who really need it and don't intend to abuse it like Nadya did.
Now that I'm done ranting, I would love to know what you think.