Octuplets' Mom Has Six Other Kids and Absent Husband

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Jan 30th 2009 4:00PM

Categories: Newborns, In The News, Twins, Triplets, Multiples

It is terrifying enough to most of us to imagine bringing home one new baby, never mind eight. But how's this for overwhelming: The California octuplets born this week have six older siblings at home. The oldest is seven, and the youngest is two.

That's fourteen kids, in case you're too stunned to count. Including a set of twins. And reportedly, all six were conceived using some form of reproductive technology.

While the mother's identity is still a mystery, the babies' grandmother, Angela Suleman, said that her daughter never expected to have eight more children, although she acknowledges that the young woman underwent fertility treatment to get pregnant with "just one more girl." According to MomLogic, she used donor sperm provided by a friend; the same man is rumoured to be the father of all six of her children, although he has no involvement with the family.

The mother and the six older kids have been living with Suleman in Whittier, California. And just over eighteen months ago, the woman's parents filed for bankruptcy after buying a home for their daughter and her children. The babies' grandfather, Suleman's husband, is planning to return to his native Iraq to work, in order to help support his daughter's brood.

With six older children and no father on the scene, it's hard to imagine what motivated this mom to take the risk of eight babies. "What do you suggest she should have done?" Anita Suleman asked the Los Angeles Times. "She refused to have them killed. That is a very painful thing." Suleman said the new babies are "so tiny and so beautiful." As of today, seven of the eight are breathing on their own.

There's a lot going on here -- the babies face serious health risks, of course, and expensive medical treatments, which makes the family's precarious financial situation an issue. The mother will need a lot of help with fourteen kids, eight of whom are infants, but where's dad in all this? Taken all together, it's hard not to wonder how on earth she ever convinced a fertility specialist to transfer so many eggs in the first place, and what will become of these wee babies when they go home.

What do you think -- are these babies a medical miracle, or a social disaster?

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Comments (90)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)

Greta 1-30-2009 @ 4:54PM

I just really can't believe that a doctor implanted (at least) 8 embryos - that is so incredibly irresponsible, no matter how many kids she already has. I support the mother's right to not "selectively reduce" the fetuses, but there should never have been that many in there to begin with. I understand that IVF is expensive and people want to get the most bang for their buck, but there really should be a maximum number of embryos allowed at a time. I'll be very curious to see how this all turns out.

Esmeralda 2-01-2009 @ 9:46AM

I had fertility treatment and as a result had twins. Please, don;t be so judgemental. Just, because the lady had 8 babies, does NOT mean she had 8 embryos implanted back in the uterous. Some embryos still divide in uterous after being implanted as it happened to me. I only wanted 1 healthy child . Instead a higher power what ever you may want to call it had other idead and sent 2 babies instead THANK GOD they were extremely healthy one tinier than the other but still extremely healthy. Maybe, it was not the doctors intention for the lady to conceive 8 babies and in reality the doctor implated only 4 eggs but they all divided I don't believe for one moment any doctor in their right mind would knowingly implant 8 eggs in any woman concedering the extreme health risk the woman is taking just by EVEN implanting 1 egg back in the uterous.
The doctors implant back 2,3 or 4 eggs maximum that i have ever heard of just in case the eggs do NOt attach to the Uterous not all eggs attach this lady is really luck they probably all did . And, as far as having the eggs reduced to a smaller number does not reaaly count if you are told all eggs are doing well AND ARE ALL HEALTHY IN UTEROUS. WHAT WOULD YOUR DECISION BE IF YOU WERE PREGNANT WITH THE BABIES AND ALL WERE HEALTHY AND GROWING WELL IN UTEROUS? When a mom is doing well and good with 4 children different ages and healthy . and, if god for whatever reason again she may find heself in financial difficulty should the mom put her kids up for adoption or does she terminate her children's lives ? what do you think ? As we hear some very disturbed women do to their kids in the news everyday or pedophiles PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE the lady. think about all those unwanted children or BABIES instead and try to figure out a way to help the ones who truly need it theese babies were born out of love not with alterior motives. We don't know the reason as to why the mom chose this way to have babies but, that's her life her PROBLEM and HER DICISION NOT yours or mine or the governments.
Have a good day from someone who has been on fertility already and who did not want to scew TOM< DICK or HARRY or your husban on the side .

ame s 1-30-2009 @ 4:55PM

Considering she already had 6 children without a father in their lives, that she can't feed without public assistance, I think it was very selfish and self-serving to have tried to have even one more child, much less 8. It was also a dangerous thing to do. Who knows what kind of medical & devepmental problems those babies may have or could have had? What if she had died, leaving her other 6 kids to the care of her parents?
She should be sterilized. I find the whole situation sickening. I don't think she deserves so much as one free diaper,much less a t.v. show and other "rewards" for her stupid actions.

Twyla 1-31-2009 @ 1:09PM

I agree 100%!! Plus since she can't support the children she already has I think they should force her to put the new babies up for adoption so that they would get into homes that could raise them accordingly & AFFORD them. She should have been sterilized after the first 6!!!! But most definitly now. What an idiot!!

Tammie 2-01-2009 @ 12:44PM

Ok, I know you're upset at this woman (& maybe her Doctor's also) complete irresponsibility. As am I. But, this is still America. You seriouly think we should start sterilizing women against their will?!? Sounds a little too much like China. And tell me , who decides who & why women have to be sterilized? Who pays for all of the medical bills for all of those surgeries? Do we really want our reproductive rights taken from us by the Government? I don't...& I'm 41 & finished having babies anyway. My husband & I chose to have only one child (he's 17 now) but it was our choice!!!

Tonya 2-01-2009 @ 8:11PM

OK, There is just so much wrong with this on so many levels.... I know that when I was married my husband and I tried desperately hard to have a child... We took fertility pills and I did get pregnant five times, unfortunately they were all tub al pregnancies and we never were able to have a child...

The cost of in vitro which is what it sounds like she did is very very expensive... We could not afford to do that... How could someone on WELFARE be able to do that..... Our doctor counseled us in depth about the possibilities of multiple children... We could not in good faith, have children that we would not be able to provide for... To feed, to cloth, to send to college.....

She has SIX other children, no father, on welfare and her parents had to file bankruptcy in order to fulfill this selfish young ladies descion... How is she going to be able to spend tie with all the children that she has? How is she going to be able to ensure that each individual child is receiving enough love and support to grow into a happy and productive individual?

I do NOT believe in sterilization... that is wrong, I do honestly feel that the state should step in to ensure that these children go to happy and healthy homes... ALL OF THEM... She should not receive a red cent of welfare... She has obviously learned how to work the welfare system.... She had more children because she wanted to..... silly..... If she had loved and spent tie with the six she already had, that should have fulfilled her parenting desires.... As someone who wanted a child desperately bad, this story just breaks my heart on so many levels...

ame s 2-01-2009 @ 8:56PM

It makes me very sad to hear about women like Tanya who have tried so hard to have just one baby. I think she would make her child the center of her world and the child would never need for a single thing and would want for very little.
People with severe mental handicaps were often sterilized in the past (I'm not sure of the percentage rates currently) if they were unable to care for themselves. An adult with the mental capacity of a 5 year old should not be able to give birth because they can't even take care of themselves, much less a child.
The woman in this case couldn't/wouldn't support and care for the 6 children she had before getting pregnant with the 8 she recently gave birth to without the help of her parents and a monthly check.
Unexpected pregnancies happen, but I consider it to be abuse and neglect when a woman has child #3, #4 #5, #13 when she was unable to support the first and second child. This woman is beyond irresponsible.
We don't know if she is mentally handicapped or just stupid. She and her children are going to seriously drain the assistance system that was put in place to temporarily help familes. Why is it okay for this system to be her sole means of support?
In my opinion, if a woman has the third child she can not support, she should have to make the choice between sterilization or the loss of welfare dollars.

kevinscamera 2-02-2009 @ 12:15AM

To attack this woman in such a malicous manner is atrocious.
You are correct in saying there were dangers involved. You are correct to say that it was not a wise decision. But, to believe that she should be sterilized is beyond belief. Eight children were born alive. This is reason to celebrate. That they were not slaughtered through abortion is another reason to rejoice. There are those that we not even blink an eye about 8 abortions in one day. Lets be thankful those 8 new lifes and pray for a healthy and prosperous life for all.

Kristina 1-30-2009 @ 5:21PM

This is the most irresponsible decision a woman could make! Not to mention, utterly selfish! Two, maybe three children is enough of a drain on our economy considering it's current state of decline, but to already have six, God knows why, and then have the audacity to have more, by unnatural means no less, is just simply brainless! How inconsiderate of her to burden her parents with her selfish ignorance! What a waste of tax dollars! I most definitely wish there were a way to have none of my hard earned income flow in the direction of her egotistical train wreck of a life. If only she could be criminally prosecuted for her blissful disregard and further endangering our economy.

Heidi 2-01-2009 @ 10:37PM

I totally agree with you. I am a single mom and I went back to college with 3 kids and no welfare and became a nurse an currently work 2 jobs to take care of my own kids. I am sick of working hard to support people like this woman. It is a choice to have children but if you can't support them than you shouldn't be allowed to have so many and have my taxes foot the bill. Do you have any idea how many millions of dollars that nicu bill will be. She will probably get more in food stamps than I make a month. Or she can be the next celebrity on TLC. Good for her. This is one person who will not watch. I think the Dr who helped her get pregnant is crzy, and who paid his bill???

Melissa 1-30-2009 @ 5:58PM

Ok, she had ALL her kids from donor sperm, and he's not involved, and she went to have more IVF to have more babies with no father around?? What the hell kind of irresponsible doctor did this procedure?? I mean, I heard people on here talking shit about her, saying nasty things, like she was on welfare and all because she was Hispanic (which it seems she's actually not) and lived at home. And I was feeling sorry for her! I have no sympathy for this woman at all now, she's irresponsible, selfish, immoral, and all kinds of other words that I can't really think of!

leoredhead 1-31-2009 @ 7:02PM

I agree with everyone else...and because the doctor is a professional and he should be prosecuted. Who would do such a procedure on a mom who has 6 kids and the oldest only being 7 years old....and where is the father??? Now all the little kids will suffer for this and now her dad is going to go to iraq to get a job to take care of him...i say let her mom and dad take care of them and let the mom get out and work

Donna 2-01-2009 @ 10:55PM

Why can't she be prosecuted for child endangerment? They should take away all the children, put her in a special place for people who don't do will in real life,

Corey Chernesky 1-30-2009 @ 6:06PM

The doctor should go to jail. Ok, at the very least, he should lose his license. This woman is greedy and selfish. Her family filed bankruptcy because they couldn't afford the kids that they did have. Nobody is free from blame in this case.

Szemes M.D. 1-31-2009 @ 3:38PM

I am an MD. I fully agree with the opinion, that the doctor should be responsible for this breach in common sense. The prospective mother should be mentally evaluated, and her parents as well.
The doctor should provide for the innocent twins (all 8 of them) .
that would put the damper on this medical irresponsibility.

chrisy 2-02-2009 @ 11:30PM

Rather than doctor go to jail - why doesn't she move into the doctor's home. Let the doctor raise the kids with her both financially, morally and emotionally.

v 1-30-2009 @ 6:50PM

I've read a few articles about this and I can't find any mention of IVF in particular. "Fertility treatments" could just be clomid, which could result in many eggs. Common IVF practices limit embryo transfer to 2 - 4 and for her age, 2 should be the maximum. Heck, you can buy some fertility meds online and take them without a doctor's supervision! Regardless of what she did or how she did it, the results are pretty horrifying... especially considering her parents are supporting her, they filed bankruptcy, and she still went on to take drugs with a high risk of multiples!

Greta 1-30-2009 @ 9:15PM

I know, v - I was thinking the same thing until I saw a quote from the woman's mother, and she used the word "implanted" so it does seem that it was from IVF. Now I did just read that the embryos can split, so it's possible that there were only 4 or 5 implanted, but still. I also read that in some countries they limit the number of embryos to 3.

celina disanto 2-01-2009 @ 9:33PM

The woman is SICK, the doctor is a CRIMINAL, and the taxpayers are the suckers paying for the brood. I also had IVF 10 years ago. I was implanted with 5 embroys and ICSI was used. I so desperately wanted twins, but ended up with 1 beautiful healthy son. When I told the doctor of my disappointment he told me to go back the following year. I never went back. I ended up with 3 single live births no multiples. They are now 26, 20, and 9. God help those children.

Holly 1-30-2009 @ 8:13PM

I fully understand this is a free country and we can't control the number of children people have but come on! I think it's a form of child abuse to willingly create more children when you know you can't take care of them. But our country has made it so easy with government assistance that there don't seem to be any real consequences to these kind of actions. In the end it's the hard working Americans who end up supporting other families. I'm not against assistance when it's really needed, mistakes happen and sometimes women need a little push to get them on their feet and in the right direction it's just instances as this one that have taken advantage of the system and I think it's awful.