Good morning, all!

[apocalypsos]

see more funny political pictures

*

Also, remind me not to read any more articles about the octuplets. I was already uncomfortable with the whole situation (and the avoiding-the-media shit is hilarious ... like, seriously, you morons, how long do you think that's going to last?) and now it comes out that she was taking fertility treatments when she already had six kids at home between the ages of 7 and 2. I have a thing for reading about higher-order multiple births and I can't recall many where the parents had so many children already. The Dionne quints ... and that's about it off the top of my head. And they certainly weren't the result of fertility drugs.

On one hand, it's every woman's choice what to do with her own body and I respect that. On the other hand, I can't decide who's the biggest idiot in this situation -- the mom, the doctors who say stupid shit like, "Who am I to say six is the limit? Some people like big families," which is true until you realize how dangerous eight fucking fetuses crammed into one uterus is and who's supposed to inform the mother of that (oh, right, it's the DOCTOR), or the mom's parents who are all, "They have a huge house, but you'll never find it!" Why, is it invisible? Do you reeeeeaaaaally want to dare the media to look for it? Really? 'Cause they will, and then they won't leave until they get baby pictures. See, you think I'm joking, grandpa ...

Comments

[marag.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I need to stop reading about the octuplets too. ::headdesk:: I have a desperate desire to start smacking people around, and combined with my *previous* desire to smack people around, it can't be good for my health.

I can conceive of a combination of circumstances that don't involve at least one doctor being an idiot (because I know the whole procedure waaaaay too well) but it's a heck of a lot more likely that there's at least one idiot doctor plus the idiot mother.

[jennafern.livejournal.com]

LOL love that picture!

[suaine.livejournal.com]

and now it comes out that she was taking fertility treatments when she already had six kids at home between the ages of 7 and 2.

What? This is the first I've heard of any recent octuplets (which, omg, why would anyone do that to themselves *or* the fetuses?) but wow. That seems really idiotic. Nothing against large families, but there is some serious fail involved here.

[indiana-j.livejournal.com]

Apparently a lot of other doctors are horrified that this happened - the idea that at that point, the doctors need to do something because the risk to everyone (except of course the doctors :P) is so high.

[suaine.livejournal.com]

And, oh, look, a picture of their house! http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5618449.ece

[tinylegacies.livejournal.com]

That is an awesome picture.

And, yeah, wow, I was reading the sf_drama post about the octuplets and I just... I support a woman's right to make her own reproductive choices, but this seems incredibly irresponsible on all fronts.

You already have six kids and you're going for IVF? And you approve of the doctor implanting *eight* embryos?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I know, right? There's a quote in the story on Yahoo's front page where the mom's dad answered the door:

But the grandfather warned that media may have a tougher time finding the family after the babies are released from the hospital.

"We have a huge house, not here," said the man, who would only identify himself as Ed. "You are never going to know where it is."

I want to reach through the computer and smack him upside the head. They already know where the grandparents live. And public records aren't that hard to search.

[suaine.livejournal.com]

Exactly. And, really, goading *journalists* that they will never, ever find out about something? Is like wearing a freshly-cut steak suit in shark-infested waters.

[thornsilver]

I kind of want the story of her wanting to have more kids through IVF, when she already had six. Seriously weird.

My take on the situation:

[hamadryad.livejournal.com]

Oompa loompa doopity-dot - how did those kids emerge from your twat?
Oompa loompa doopita-dar - it's a vagina, not a clown car.

[dolimir-k.livejournal.com]

According to the news here, they live with the grandparents in a two bedroom house. O-o

[etoilepb.livejournal.com]

I hear you about the octuplets. I really, really hate having to support her choice, because it was a stupid, irresponsible, dumb choice.

But.

She has the right to IVF if she wants it, and the flip-side of choice is that you can choose not to have "selective reduction" of the eight (!) implanted embryos, should they successfully attach.

I'm glad the babies are doing well, but it is surprising that she managed to carry them all more-or-less to term. It's not their fault that their mother's an idiot.

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

Whoa, they already had six kids??? Damn.

[bluesteelstars.livejournal.com]

I thought that fertility drugs and methods were used/recommended by docs only when the mother is having a hard time conceiving? Was she forcing the pregnacy to get the publicity, contrary to what grandpa octo says?

[paranoidgrl.livejournal.com]

I've seen doctors on the morning news saying that it is unusual for so many embryos to be tried at a single go (assuming the doctor used 8, and they aren't identical). I think there's a lot of irresponsibility going around in this case.

[palmetto.livejournal.com]

I was reading a report last night (and I can't find it again, so perhaps it isn't true) that there were actually seven other children, but one died either at birth or in infancy.

[marag.livejournal.com]

Having been through IVF twice, I can tell you that it's nearly inconceivable for them to try eight embryos. The current medical recommendation is one. Two is acceptable (and that's what we did and almost got twins this time) but not ideal.

Even if some of them are identical, it's almost certain that the doctor put in at least four or five. Which is medical malpractice, as far as I'm concerned.

[lothlorienbaby.livejournal.com]

I totally agree about the octuplets. I think every woman has the right to choose what to do with her body, but this seems so irresponsible.

Also, I want to know what sort of job that this woman or her parents (I haven't heard anything about the father of her kids yet) have that allows her to afford fertility treatments while caring for 6 small children. I need that job.

[animeartistjo.livejournal.com]

So that makes FOURTEEN college funds she's going to have to set up. What, she's expecting them all to be geniuses or hard-working students who'll earn scholarships and grants all on their lonesome? ARGH, did this woman not even think long term at all?

Those poor, poor kids. Two parents with their attention divided by fourteen will not conscientious parenting make. XP

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Well, a lot of higher-order multiples receive scholarships along with the free diapers and formula and whatnot. She could be banking on that. Or considering all of her other actions, she could just be too selfish for babies to give a damn about later.

Oh, and the two parents? She's unmarried, it seems (she uses the same sperm donor for all of her pregnancies, and yes, that's exactly how I've seen him referred to), and lives with her parents. Her dad's going back to Iraq soon. That leaves her and her mom to take care of fourteen kids. You can't even legally run a daycare center with that ratio of kids to adults.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Also, I want to know what sort of job that this woman or her parents (I haven't heard anything about the father of her kids yet) have that allows her to afford fertility treatments while caring for 6 small children. I need that job.

The father is the same sperm donor she used for the other six kids. (I'm not even being snarky -- the article on Jezebel refers to him as a "sperm donor.")

Also, she filed for bankruptcy not long ago. And I saw another rumor going around that she might actually work at a fertility clinic.

[lothlorienbaby.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. The plot thickens. That's just even crazier than I thought.

[mercymydarling.livejournal.com]

That octuplets shit hurts my soul. FOURTEEN KIDS. UNDER... what, how old are the oldest, seven? Dude, I have three nephews that are currently 3, 2, and 1, and I have sworn off ever procreating because they drive me absolutely mad constantly, I can't even imagine FOURTEEN.

And how DANGEROUS anyway? And I hear that she refused to do selective reduction for the health of the remaining fetuses, which, ethically speaking, is horrifying? I mean, I am actually pro-life! But refusing selective reduction in such a situation puts ALL the fetuses in much more danger than remotely necessary.

OW MY SOUL, in other words.

Sorry to min-rant, I just... rawr.

(I bet Kate Gosslin is pounding on her fertility doctor's door right now.)

[animeartistjo.livejournal.com]

And I thought it couldn't get worse.

Imagine, this woman will have a house full of TEENAGERS with all the emotional baggage and attitude in ten years.

Maybe she should've seen a psychologist instead of a fertility clinic. >.>

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

I know. I desperately want to say, "As long as they can support that many kids financially/emotionally, go for it," but... WHO THE FUCK CAN SUPPORT THAT MANY KIDS?! Even the Jolie-Pitts have to hire help, and they have a hell of a lot more in the way of resources than Jane Middle Class.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_bounce_/]

Hell no. You need a third carer and that's if you're working on the assumption that it's one carer to every five kids. You really want two extra carers, since hey, you've got eight newborns here and then another six under seven.

And that's not counting the fact that you've got to look after them 24/7 and the adults need to sleep, too.

[kittikattie.livejournal.com]

You assume any girls are going to college, or any of those children.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

She's allowed to have fertility treatments- it's not the same as having the right to it. Whoever did this for her could have turned her down instead without any legal consequences.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

I think I read somewhere that the treatment she got might have been ovarian hyperstimulation + artificial insemination rather than IVF, since the former is cheaper. Get a big enough injection of the ovulation-inducing drug and you get eight eggs.

[marag.livejournal.com]

It's possible CNN got it wrong and they did IUI (turkey baster) rather than IVF (test tube). But if that's case, it's still medical malpractice, because when you use the drugs, you're supposed to monitor closely to see how many eggs are ripening. (There's a *reason* that when I start counting how many transvaginal ultrasounds I've had, I lose track somewhere around 50...)

I have a friend who got triplets using that method and the doctor felt *terrible* about making the wrong judgment call. But letting the mother go ahead with it when she had enough ripening eggs to make *eight* babies? The doctor has to have the brains of a flea to not have noticed that.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Oh, there's no arguing that a lot of stupid went into all this.

[amalthia]

yeah this strikes me as incredibly irresponsible. What if she had died and left her other 6 children orphaned?

Re: My take on the situation:

[mylenn.livejournal.com]

This was incredibly funny when i read it at 12:30am right before I fell asleep at the keyboard - and still funny this morning! I may need to remember this for work Monday morning. :)

[etoilepb.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. I should have used different words: she has every right to seek this treatment, but whatever fertility doctor actually did this procedure probably ought to have his license revoked.