Did you see this on the Today Show?

Kiwimid · May 11, 2007

gee my last baby was lucky if he got a new towel, being no four, he got he was given!!lol, silly people, its not things that love children, it parents. It seems that they are already taking advantage of their babies as a money maker. I can guareentee that they will get paid mega bucks for the photos as it is. and as for being sick of bedrest!!!!! what the !!!!! does she really think she will get out much after the babies have been born??? duh......

KellNY, RN · May 12, 2007

I apologize for my original post--I hadn't veiwed the video when I posted it(still haven't, actually). I guess there are some discrepencies in the article when compared to what she herself states in the video.

I'm not a NICU nurse-I work Antepartum, so while I don't care for the tiny sick babies like you all do, I care for the mom before and sometimes after they birth these babies, and I do "deal with" (for lack of a better term) babies born well before--or just before--viability or stillborn in the Pts bed. Didn't mean to offend anyone--like I said, there seems to be some differences between the article and the video.

Best Wishes.

crissrn27, RN · May 13, 2007

[email protected]

You can email them at this address (from their site). I have been debating on doing this, but hey, they are asking for advice and volunteers, right? What do you guys think?

LydiaNN · May 13, 2007

Glamourizing multiples is absurd. We're talking a litter here, not having twins or triplets. So unfair to the children. The website is unbelievable. Gees.

ITA...

I always find it ironic when people jump through hoops outfitting the homes of multiples born of medical technology but sneer at women who need a helping hand when they've produced a string of singletons. This couple chose their path, I hope the babies are healthy and thrive, but as far as I'm concerned if they can't afford new supplies they can outfit the nursery from consignment shops, garage sales, hand me downs and baby showers the way the rest of us did!

BabyRN2Be · May 13, 2007

OK, this couple asking for donations is a little over the top. On their website in the photo gallery, they mentioned someone coming in for traveling massages (if I read that right). If they want to designer hooded towels, they're going to have to cut back on such luxuries such as someone coming into the hospital to do a massage!!

As far as asking for an SUV, that really makes me :barf01:

KellNY, RN · May 14, 2007

OT--Our ante moms here who're on bedrest (not complete, usually) get in house massages by PT covered by insurence. Awesome program, and more hospitals should offer it.

justme1972 · May 14, 2007

I have to say a couple things:
34 weeks probably is considered term for a sextuplet pregnancy. They lower what is considered term with the more babies in there.
Bedrest is darn hard, but I am still angry with Bobbi McCaughy (however you spell it) because her cervix/uterus/kidneys were still ok, she just couldn't take the bedrest/pregnancy any longer. Hopefully this woman will let her body decide when to end the pg, not her.
I just feel icky about all these and how they glamourize multiples. We have enough kids in our NICU who are the only surviving twin, or they both have major problems. People just don't realize.

On the flip side, I read in horror at an article that I saw online called, "My triplets, my decision".

When I had my twins, there were two sets of triplets in the NICU, and both sets were doing amazing.

The article started by this mother and her husband couldn't conceive, blah blah blah, and then decided to do IUI. The first few rounds, implanting one, didn't take, so they implanted three. Then the article said, "When my obstetrician was doing the initial ultrasound, I knew something was wrong as he looked at the screen, he said, 'It looks like all three babies implanted, I am so sorry, it looks like we need to start talking about a reduction'".

I'm like, say what???????????

Since when did triplets get to be such a tragedy, especially to a childless couple??? I wouldn't have spent two SECONDS longer in the room with a doctor that had this approach. He went on to tell them every horror story, and sure enough, she had an extremely difficult pregnancy, gave birth at 26 weeks, etc.

I feel very strongly about mind over matter. If you THINK your pregnancy is going to go bad, then it very well may. That poor woman was stressed her entire pregnancy, I'm a nursing student-to-be, but anyone who is a mother knows how stress is associated with pre-term labor and other problems.

I just felt so sorry for that woman. What a horrible way to handle what could have been a joyous occasion.

Samanthavv · Apr 8, 2008

I don't think its fair you're ganging up on them. I'm nineteen and pregnant with triplets. Two identical one fraternal. And I didn't use any fertility drugs. Stuff like this DOES happen sometimes. It's very rare, but it DOES happen.

NICU_babyRN, BSN, RN · Apr 8, 2008

Am I reading a different article than you all? In the article I got when I clicked on the link provided in the OP, it stated that she spent years trying to become pregnant and then suffered 2 SABs.
It also said
It didn't say her goal was to deliver at 28 weeks, just that it was expected.
And regarding her hair an make up, I've had patients who stay with us for months, and sometimes they actually hire someone to come in and give them a mani/pedi, hair cut, hair style, etc. And many of them do their makeup daily. It lets them hang onto some sence of NORMAL and CONTROL in their lives. All the power to them.
We don't know the details--how could we? And to sit here and judge is wrong. I had a patient once pregnant with quads--one of our nurses was spouting off about how irresponsible she was. Turns out she had 2 embryos implanted which became 2 sets of identical twins. So it wasn't just the fertility stuff-nature helped out too.

Seriously-I'm totally WITH YOU. We have no right to judge this couple. I disagree with them having a website asking for donations, but we do not know what her hospital stay is like, and YES, she looks GREAT on TV-but dudes..think about it...MSNBC surely sent a camera crew out there and that woman was probably OFFERED to have her hair and make up done for the TV show.

We have no right to judge and for multiples >3 babies 34weeks IS term. Her goal is "28 weeks and any more after that is great" or something like that. It's not like she said anything like "They are going to cut me open the day I turn 28 weeks b/c I don't want to be on bedrest any longer".

rph3664 · Apr 8, 2008

I have to say a couple things:
34 weeks probably is considered term for a sextuplet pregnancy. They lower what is considered term with the more babies in there.
Bedrest is darn hard, but I am still angry with Bobbi McCaughy (however you spell it) because her cervix/uterus/kidneys were still ok, she just couldn't take the bedrest/pregnancy any longer. Hopefully this woman will let her body decide when to end the pg, not her.
I just feel icky about all these and how they glamourize multiples. We have enough kids in our NICU who are the only surviving twin, or they both have major problems. People just don't realize.

In their autobiography, "Seven From Heaven", she said they discovered during the c-section that she was in labor and would have delivered that day anyway.

I grew up in Des Moines, less than 5 miles from their house in Carlisle which is a bedroom community. We have a family friend who did student teaching at their elementary school a few years ago; one of those kids was in her class and she met all the others, and said they are all a complete delight to be around.

As for the Masche family, I totally missed that part earlier about asking for designer baby clothes. I think that's disgusting when singleton parents do it.

:trout:

The McCaugheys gave their outgrown toys and clothing to a teen pregnancy center until another family in the Des Moines region had quintuplets a few years later. This wasn't widely publicized because it was a 24-week deliver, one baby had a major birth defect unrelated to this, and at least one child died. I do not know how the survivors are doing.

Does anyone know anything about the Houston octuplets, 7 of whom survived? I have heard NOTHING about them since they were toddlers, and they're about 10 years old now as well.

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

I don't think its fair you're ganging up on them. I'm nineteen and pregnant with triplets. Two identical one fraternal. And I didn't use any fertility drugs. Stuff like this DOES happen sometimes. It's very rare, but it DOES happen.

Congratulations. We are all aware of that.

However, did you knowingly go into this and then ask for handouts for an event that you planned?

dawngloves, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

We have no right to judge and for multiples >3 babies 34weeks IS term.

No, term is term. The heart starts beating at a certain gestation, lungs develop at a certain weeks time.Term is 40 weeks no matter how many babies you have in there.