California Mom gives birth to octuplets
This is quite a surprise…
On Monday morning, a woman in California gave birth to octuplets–eight babies at once, that is! And yes indeed, baby number eight was a surprise to the 46-member team at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, near Los Angeles. “It’s a surprise,” said Dr. Karen Maples, head of the medical team. “Eight newborns are in stable condition and they’re doing quite well.”
Delivered at 31 weeks gestation via cesarean section, six boys and two girls emerged screaming and kicking. All eight babies are stable, but will likely remain in the NICU for another two months. Two of them are on ventilators.
The smallest of the children was just 1 pound 8 ounces, but the largest was 3 pounds 4 ounces–not bad for multiples. The childrens’ names, as well as the parents’, have not yet been released. But the babies were at first identified by the letters A through H as they were lifted out. Maples said the team had practiced the delivery ahead of time, though they were prepared to only make it to baby “G.” “My eyes got to be the size of saucers,” said Dr. Maples. “We just went on and delivered the babies.”
This is the second confirmed live birth of octuplets in the United States. A Houston, Texas, couple had eight babies in 1998, though one of their daughters died within a week. The surviving seven siblings are now in fourth grade. Their parents are Nigerian immigrants, Nkem Chukwu and Iyke Louis Udobi. Their advice to the new parents of octuplets? “Just enjoy it. It’s a blessing, truly a blessing.”
Though the hospital cannot confirm whether the mother used fertility drugs, it is quite likely. Other women with multiples have been advised to “selectively reduce” the weakest babies. But high profile cases, such as this one, continue to defy such medical wisdom. Of course, it may be too early to know whether or not the babies have any medical problems, but families such as the Dilley Sextuplets seem to be progressing without serious health issues. I interviewed the Dilleys at their Indiana home in 1997, and at that time, they were all healthy and well, but a little difficult to corral. So anyway, the fear of just chasing around 2 crawling babies–much less 6 or 8–would be enough to send me running from fertility drugs!
An even bigger shock to me, personally, is the astounding fact that the mother of these new octuplets plans to breastfeed all of them! More power to you, ma’am. You’re amazing. Now, try and get some sleep before they all come home!
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AngryReptileKeeper says...
The ‘mother’ of these 14 children is in dire need of psychiatric help. And her ‘doctors’ need to have their licenses revoked.
The woman is poor. There is no father. She lives with her parents in a 2-bedroom house, and they just filed for bankruptcy. Now the taxpayers will be expected to foot the bill for her irresponsibility and disgusting selfishness.
These poor kids need to be taken away from her.