Suleman octuplets
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The Suleman octuplets are eight babies born to 33-year-old Nadya Suleman on January 26, 2009, in Bellflower, California, United States. The Suleman octuplets are the world's longest-living; this was only the second time ever that a full set of octuplets was born alive in the United States. The birth of the octuplets has raised controversies regarding their mother's decision to have a large family and the physician's decision to help her by the use of assisted reproductive technology.
Pregnancy
In 2008, Nadya Suleman had the remaining six embryos left over from her previous in vitro fertilisation treatments implanted despite being informed that for a woman her age the recommended guideline limit was two.[1] A part of her reasoning for attempting a sixth successful pregnancy was so that the frozen embryos wouldn't be destroyed. Six embryos were implanted and two embryos split into twins, resulting in eight babies. Her health and gestational status were followed since her first trimester. Five fetuses were evident after just one month and when offered the option of selective reduction, Suleman declined.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Birth
The delivery, via a scheduled Caesarean section, involved 46 medical personnel, and was practiced twice beforehand at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Template:USCity. Doctors anticipated only seven babies, so the eighth came as a surprise. The infants (six boys and two girls) were born at 30½ weeks of gestation, approximately nine weeks premature. They ranged in weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces (680 g) to 3 pounds, 4 ounces (1470 g).[10] Born over the course of five minutes, all eight babies were immediately reported in stable condition, though two required breathing tubes and a ventilator, and another required extra oxygen.[11]
The babies' names in birth order are:[12][13]
- Noah - male 2 lbs 11 oz
- Maliah - female 2 lbs 12 oz
- Isaiah - male 3 lbs 4 oz
- Nariah - female 2 lbs 8 oz
- Makai - male 1 lb. 8 oz
- Josiah - male 2 lbs 12 oz
- Jeremiah - male 1 lb 15 oz
- Jonah - male 2 lbs 11 oz
All have Angel as their middle name and Solomon as their last name. Suleman is known to have used Soloman and Doud as her surname so the last name may not necessarily refer to the sperm donor.
Post delivery
Two days after birth, five of the eight infants received their first tube-feeding of donated breast milk. Josiah rejected his first tube-feeding and was returned to intravenous feeding, his stomach as yet unable to absorb breast milk. At that time, three of the other infants had been fed intravenously since birth, and were yet to receive their first tube-feeding.[14][15][10]
Six days after birth, all eight babies were breathing without assistance, and were being fed donated breast milk, as well as intravenous nutritional supplements. A hospital spokesman said the octuplets were expected to remain in the hospital for several more weeks.[16]
One week after birth, the Suleman octuplets became the longest-living octuplets in United States history, as the smallest of the Chukwu octuplets born in Houston in 1998 died seven days after birth.[17][18]
Ten days after the birth of her octuplets, Suleman was released from the hospital. The hospital where the octuplets are expected to spend seven to twelve weeks has requested reimbursement from Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, for care of the premature babies.[19]
In her February 5, 2009 interview, Suleman stated that she holds each of the octuplets for 45 minutes a day, holding the smallest (born at 1 lb., 8 oz.) the longest.[20][21]
Immediate family
Mother Nadya Suleman (born October 12, 1975) (also known as Natalie Denise Suleman; Nadya or Natalie Suleman-Gutierrez while married; and Nadya or Natalie Denise Doud) was born in Fullerton, California.[22][23][24] She was raised in La Puente, Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights, all cities in San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. She is the only child of Edward and Angela Suleman, who married in Las Vegas in 1974, and divorced in 1999.[25] Beginning in high school, Suleman was desperate to become pregnant. She graduated from Nogales High School in La Puente, California in 1993, and studied to be a psychiatric technician at Mt. San Antonio College.[26] She held a psychiatric technician license, and worked as a psychiatric technician at Metropolitan State Hospital, where her back was injured while at work.[26] She filed a worker's compensation claim in 1999 against the hospital, later filing another claim in 2001 against the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.[27] She received a total of $167,908 in disability payments.[28][10] She attended Cal State Fullerton and received a Bachelor of Science degree in child and adolescent development in 2006.[27] Suleman returned to Cal State to pursue a master's degree in counseling, leaving the program in 2008.[27]
Suleman married Marcos Gutierrez, a produce manager, in 1996. The couple separated in 2000, and divorced in 2008. After separating from her husband, Suleman moved back in with her mother. During this time, she had three miscarriages. She told a psychiatrist that she suffered deep depression and had suicidal thoughts while trying to get pregnant. Suleman resorted to IVF procedures, using a single sperm donor supposedly named "David Solomon" (a male friend of Suleman) to father all of her children using the services of Dr. Michael M. Kamrava. There is doubt as to whether "David Solomon" is the biological father's true name. On one of the documents of the four oldest children's birth certificates, Solomon lists Israel as his "State of birth."
In 2001, Suleman started procedures to change her legal name to Nadya Solomon, but her name remained unchanged and there is no name-change decree on file. The IVFs resulted in four single births and one fraternal twin birth, with four boys and two girls born between 2001 and 2006:[29][30][31][32][33][34][11]
- 7-year-old Elijah Makai Solomon (boy)
- 6-year-old Amerah Yasmeen Solomon (girl)
- 5-year-old Joshua Jacob Solomon (boy)
- 3-year-old Aiden Solomon (boy)
- 2-year-old Calyssa Arielle Solomon (girl, twin)
- 2-year-old Caleb Kai Solomon (boy, twin)
It has been reported that during 2008 Suleman made several attempts to contact Angelina Jolie. Suleman denied any obsession with Jolie.[35][36][37][38][39][40]
As of February 2009, Suleman is receiving $490 per month in food stamps along with disability payments for three of her six previous children. She told NBC one of her sons is autistic, another has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a third experienced a mild speech delay with very mild autism.[41]
Public career of Nadya Suleman
With the birth, Suleman captured the public eye, and by the end of January, the extremely offensive neologism octo-mom came into usage. She hired the firm of Killeen Furtney Group as her public-relations company and Wes Yoder providing a small amount of pro bono advice. Both groups soon ended their involvement.[42][43][44][45]
On February 5, 2009, Nadya Suleman had a TV interview with NBC's Ann Curry. Suleman rejected suggestions that her decisions have been selfish or that she may not be able to care for her children. Suleman felt society is unfairly judging her because she is a single mother. Suleman said she will get by with the help of family, friends, and her church, and she plans to return to school in the fall.[46][47][48][49][50][8][51][52][8]
Extended family
Before knowledge of the octuplets became public, Suleman had been living with her children and mother in a small three-bedroom house in Whittier, California. Property records show the Suleman house in mortgage default; it could be sold at auction in May 2009.[53] Suleman's parents filed for bankruptcy in 2008, claiming nearly $1 million in liabilities, and abandoned another home in late 2007.[54][55][56][57][58][59]
The octuplets' maternal grandfather, 67-year-old Edward Doud Suleman,[60] and identifying himself as a former Iraqi military man, says he is returning to his native Iraq as a translator and driver, in order to financially support his daughter and her children.[56][61] The grandmother, 69-year-old Angela Victoria Suleman, a retired teacher, has helped to look after the first six children. She has indicated that she is overwhelmed looking after them, and has been critical of her daughter in her recent public statements. For example, she has stated that her daughter has not contributed toward housing or food costs.[62][62][63][62][64][65][66][67]
Controversy
News of the octuplets caused an international media frenzy.[68] Most public reply has been angry/negative, and some even included death threats, which police are investigating.[69][70] There has been much public discussion about Nadya Suleman's decision to have the octuplets,[71][72] including a minor protest outside the Suleman home. However, Suleman currently lives elsewhere.[73] Many expressed concern that Suleman's decision for more children would burden taxpayers via public support.[74]
The Medical Board of California announced on February 6, 2009, that it was investigating the physician who transferred the embryos, in an attempt to substantiate if there was a violation of the standard of care. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine has expressed interest in assisting the Board in its investigation.[75][76][77] The doctor also provided fertility treatment to a 49-year-old woman who is uninsured, 5 months pregnant with quadruplets, and hospitalized at County-USC Medical Center. At least seven embryos were used, when all the woman wanted was one child.[78][79]
See also
- List of multiple births
- Chukwu octuplets, born in 1998 in Texas
- Natalism
- Dionne quintuplets
References
- ^ Octuplets' mom says she had 6 embryos implanted, Associated Press, February 6, 2009
- ^ The Octuplet Mom Speaks, and the Questions Grow Februrary 7, 2009
- ^ "ASRM Revises Guidelines On Limiting Embryo Transfer For Assisted Reproductive Technology Procedures To Reduce Multiple Births".
- ^ "Complications and Problems associated with Multiple Births" (PDF). American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).
- ^ "Problems of multiple births after ART: medical, psychological, social and financial aspects".
- ^ "Birth of octuplets rattles fertility experts". Los Angeles Times. by Shari Roan and Jeff Gottlieb, Los Angeles Times, January 27, 2009.
- ^ Neighbor: Octuplets From Sperm Donor, Momlogic.com, January 30, 2009
- ^ a b c Curry, Ann (2008-02-10). "Her side of the story". NBC News. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ Archibold, Randal (2009-02-03). "Octuplets, 6 Siblings, and Many Questions". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ a b c Dillon, Raquel Maria (January 27, 2009). "8 babies born to Calif. parents who expected 7". Associated Press. Cite error: The named reference "AP" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Octuplets' mother had depression, suicidal thoughts while starting a family, Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2009
- ^ First look: Octuplet mom shows off babies, MSNBC, February 9, 2009
- ^ First Pictures Of The Octuplet Babies February 10, 2009
- ^ Mohajer, Shaya Tayefe (2009-01-28). "One of Calif. octuplets rejects tube feeding". Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "The eighth wonder: Octuplets' Mom still too weak to hold all eight babies - but they're still doing 'very well'". Daily Mail. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-02-03. by David Gardner, Fiona Macrae, and Paul Thompson
- ^ Bloomekatz, Ari (2009-02-01). "Suleman octuplets still stable".
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ignored (help) Los Angeles Times blog. - ^ Ricks, Delthia (2009-02-03). "Octuplet birth raises ethical questions". Newsday. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ Octuplets mom gets TV, book offers to tell story, San Francisco Chronicle, February 2, 2009
- ^ Yoshino, Kimi and Garrison, Jessica (2009-02-11). "Octuplets could be costly for taxpayers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Celizic, Mike (2008-02-06). "Octuplet mom defends her 'unconventional' choices". TODAYShow. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
- ^ "Octuplets' mother will talk to NBC's Ann Curry". Los Angeles Times (blog). 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-05. by Jessica Garrison and Kimi Yoshino
- ^ Octuplets' mom: 'I'm not being selfish', MSNBC.com, February 11, 2009
- ^ Mom of Octuplets Divorce Papers, Radar Online, February 4, 2009.
- ^ Octuplets' Mom Named, LA Weekly, January 31, 2009.
- ^ 'All I wanted was children', Telegraph.co.uk, February 7, 2009.
- ^ a b Octuplets mom leaves hospital, steps into spotlight, Whittier Daily News, February 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c Mother of octuplets' previous claims come to light, Los Angeles Times, February 4, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "latimes2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ The Octuplets Mom Speaks, and the Questions Grow, TIME, February 7, 2009
- ^ Octuplet Mom Filed Workers Compensation Claims, ABC News, February 5, 2009
- ^ Supporters Donate to Octuplets' Web Site, California Could Foot Hospital Bill ABC News, February 11, 2009
- ^ Egg on his face: Fertility Doc ripped by Octomom's Dad New York Post, February 11, 2009
- ^ Guardian article February 6, 2009
- ^ Octuplet mom driven by lonely childhood, babies' grandmother says, New York Daily News, February 3, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' mother had depression, suicidal thoughts while starting a family, Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2009
- ^ Angelina Jolie "Creeped Out" By Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman February 12, 2009
- ^ Does Nadya Suleman Think She's Angelina Jolie? February 10, 2009
- ^ Octuplets Mom Nadya Suleman: Angelina Jolie Wannabe? February 8, 2009
- ^ Nadya Suleman = Angelina Jolie? February 9, 2009
- ^ Nadya Suleman Is Angelina JolieFebruary 10, 2009
- ^ Octuplet mom patterning self on Angelina Jolie February 11, 2009
- ^ Spokesman says octuplets mom receives food stamps, Associated Press, February 9, 2009
- ^ Ron Kuby (January 29, 2009). "Octo-Mom Now Not So Innocent".
- ^ Publicists for octuplets' mother quit over death threats, Los Angeles Times, February 15, 2009
- ^ Octuplets mother now has agent but no publicist, Associated Press, February 14, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' Grandma Ends Spat With Daughter, Will Help Raise Babies February 17, 2009
- ^ Octuplet Mom: A Huge Family Was 'Always a Dream', People Magazine, February 5, 2009
- ^ Ann Curry Interviews Octuplet Mom Nadya Suleman, ET Online, February 5, 2009
- ^ Snow, Jess (2009-02-06). "The Angelina Jolie Obsession Theory". National Ledger. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
- ^ Octuplets mom identifies her fertility clinic, Associated Press, February 9, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' Mom Reveals Fertility Doc in '06 KTLA Video, KTLA-TV, February 9, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' mom: 'All I ever wanted', CNN, February 6, 2009
- ^ Her side of the story: Nadya Suleman shares details about her family, which now includes 14 kids Ann Curry, February 10, 2009
- ^ Records: Home of octuplets' grandmother in default, Associated Press, February 18, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' Family Has Bankruptcy History, ABC News, January 30, 2009
- ^ Family in octuplets case had financial woes, Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2009
- ^ a b Octuplets' Family Filed For Bankruptcy, CBS News, January 30, 2009
- ^ "Octuplets' mother already has twins, four other children". 2009-01-29.
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ignored (help) by Jessica Garrison, Andrew Blankstein and Jeff Gottlieb. - ^ Octuplet mom Nadya Suleman released from hospital - to what kind of future?, New York Daily News, February 5, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' Mom: Can She Afford to Raise 14 Kids? February 2, 2009
- ^ "Questions over octuplets". The Sun. 2009-01-31.
- ^ Octuplets’ mother wants Oprah to turn her into a $2m TV star, The Sunday Times, February 1, 2009
- ^ a b c Octuplet Grandma Calls Daughter 'Unconscionable', ABC News, February 9, 2009 Cite error: The named reference "angela" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Grandma Blasts Octuplet Mom: "Nadya's Not Capable", RadarOnline.com, February 9, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' Mom "Obsessed" With Having Kids, CBS News, January 31, 2009
- ^ "Grandma says mother of 8 obsessed with having kids". CTV. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "Obsessed Octo-mom always had a 'born' identity". New York Post. 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-02-03., by David Finnigan and Angela Montefinise
- ^ Octuplets' mom was hoping for 'just one more girl,' grandmother says, Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2009
- ^ Veil about to be lifted on octuplets' mystery mom, Associated Press, February 5, 2009
- ^ LA police to investigate threats to octuplet mom February 13, 2009
- ^ Threats send California octuplets mom into hiding Reuters, February 11, 2009
- ^ Octuplet Mother Remains Target Of Ethical Debate February 6, 2009
- ^ Octuplets' birth spawns outrage from public, Los Angeles Times, February 7, 2009
- ^ I wanted a huge family to make up for my lonely childhood: Mother of octuplets speaks for the first time MailOnline February 7, 2009
- ^ Taxpayers may have to cover octuplet mom's costs February 11, 2009
- ^ Medical society probes octuplet fertility doctor AP, February 11, 2009
- ^ California Probing Octuplets Case, CBS News, February 5, 2009
- ^ Mohajer, Shaya Tayefe (2009-02-06). "California Medical Board probes octuplet birth". AP. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
- ^ Octuplets fertility doctor at center of another multi-pregnancy, L.A. Times February 12, 2009
- ^ California Medical Board probes octuplet birth, Associated Press, February 6, 2009
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