sextuplets

Gompers, BSN, RN · Jun 28, 2007

My thoughts are with this family, but I also hope that this serves as a wake-up call to both fertility docs and couples seeking infertility treatments. A singleton has such a poor chance for survival even at 23-24 weeks. I just can't see how any of these poor babies will survive. I hope that the remaining babies are doing well, for the sake of this family.

LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 28, 2007

I know it costs ~50k a week for a woman on bedrest in a hospital near me, who is not on mag, min iv fluids/meds and has minimal bathroom privs. (that's how much it was for me, I always go to see the bills the hosp sent to my ins. co. I swear, I had exhausted all my appeals to get home admin of my meds, but after that first week's bill, my ins co suddenly decided that 500/week was a much better deal *rolls eyes*

Very sad, but I agree, these women should not have been in this position in the first place. It sounds like the Morrison's fairly "innocently" went into it, as it sounds as they only had 4 follicles, so at least a few of those babes had to be identicals, which cannot be predicted really. Still a tragedy.

I think it is irresponsible they resuscitated them too. 22 week high order multiple gestation? Keep them warm and in someone's arms, and let them pass peacefully.

stillpressingon · Jun 28, 2007

My thoughts are with this family, but I also hope that this serves as a wake-up call to both fertility docs and couples seeking infertility treatments. A singleton has such a poor chance for survival even at 23-24 weeks. I just can't see how any of these poor babies will survive. I hope that the remaining babies are doing well, for the sake of this family.

:yeahthat: If anything is learned by this, I hope it's that people get it out of their heads that this is some kind of "miracle." The whole idea of this being a "miracle" or not has already been touched on earlier in this thread so I won't :deadhorse but I do hope people wake up and realize that even a singleton born that early has an intense struggle for survival and that multiples born this young isn't some great thing that should be happening.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 28, 2007

Getting a little further along (25-26-27weeks) I can't say for sure whether or not I would want my baby resuscitated. But I know that I know that if I were to have a 22 or 23 weeker, I would not have them resuscitated to be poked, prodded, needled, handled, intubated, oscillated, x-rayed, and whatever else might go on. My husband and I would hold them in our arms and tell them we love them before we let them go back home.

I'm not making a judgement on anybody else, but I can't imagine doing anything other than the above.

fmrnicumom · Jun 28, 2007

We actually weren't given the choice of whether to try to resuscitate our son. (born at 24+2) I don't know if it was because of hospital policy, because he was born trying to cry and breathe, and was 750 grams. I know I've heard for some hospitals it's a weight issue at that gestation. Close to a year later, our second son was born at 28+2. He was crying before they even had him fully out of my uterus, and cried nonstop until they intubated him. Amazingly, his APGAR scores were 8 and 10. I don't know what my first son's were.

Knowing what I know now, I don't know what we would have done had we been given the choice for our first son. I certainly didn't and don't want to see my child die, but he struggled so hard those few days, and it was heartbreakingly clear the last day that he was suffering on a level I couldn't possibly imagine. He was having seizure after seizure, and the grimace on his face was one of the most painfully indescribable things I have ever seen. That's why we chose not to even wait until family could join us, but to take him off life support then. I miss him every day, but am grateful he didn't suffer longer.

Our second son was born at 28+2 despite trying everything to prolong the pregnancy. I was in the hospital the full month before his birth because I went into labor again just before 24 weeks. His NICU stay was relatively uncomplicated, considering, with the usual things you would expect a baby born at 28 weeks to encounter. His bill was over $500,000, and that did not include the home care he required upon discharge. My bill was over $250,000. I am SO thankful we had wonderful insurance which covered most of it, but we were still left with bills, and most people do not have the extent of coverage we had at the time. I imagine the Morrisons' hospital bills are going to be extensive. (Even my first son's bill, for 3 days, was $55,000 and that was in 2004.)

I agree, I hope this is a wake up call. I realize it can be so difficult to think logically when it's your child(ren) in question, or when someone is finally pregnant after trying for so long. Still, wanting something, no matter how deeply, doesn't mean it's right, or that it won't hurt anyone if precautions aren't taken.

My heart is definitely with the family. I know how hard it was to watch my son struggle and die, and I don't know how well I would handle it when it was so many of my children.

Tiffany

Nikki730 · Jun 28, 2007

A court? Why? When you make a donation to a cause like this, that isn't an official charity, you're not being guaranteed of anything, much less that the babies will survive. You're not entering into any sort of a contract, so I can't imagine what legal redress anyone would have if they decided they wanted their money back.

Well, you just never know. In a world where people can bring a lawsuit for $54 million because the dry cleaner didn't return their pants on the day they needed them, the founders of a charity probably have some sort of paperwork drawn up about what sorts of things the donations can be spent for. Unless of course, the donation is just put into a jar at a gas station counter, or a car wash or something. More than likely, if the parents spent money on anything not baby-related, no one would ever know it anyway. And I'm sure they have lots of funeral expenses now.

People bring lawsuits over crazy things, and sure they often get dismissed, but it still stresses out the innocent party.

danissa, LPN, LVN · Jul 7, 2007

Anyone know whats happening with either set of babies? Have been following these through this site, as nothing on the news here. Any updates? I only know what has been posted so far here.

stillpressingon · Jul 8, 2007

No update on the Morrison's website since the 4th one died; haven't heard anything about the other set

rnin02 · Jul 9, 2007

The Masche's have posted an update on their website, fairly recently, within the past week I think. Sounds like things are going fairly well for them. www.maschemiracles.com I haven't seen anything about the Morrison's since the 4th baby died.

Nikki730 · Jul 23, 2007

The news is reporting that the Morrison's have lost another of their babies--a daughter named Lucia Rae. They still have one child, a boy named Silas, in the NICU.

This has really turned into a terrible tragedy for them. I hope they have a good support network.

luvmy3kids · Jul 23, 2007

The news is reporting that the Morrison's have lost another of their babies--a daughter named Lucia Rae. They still have one child, a boy named Silas, in the NICU.
This has really turned into a terrible tragedy for them. I hope they have a good support network.

Here is the report from the local news station...

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=260372

stillpressingon · Jul 25, 2007

This has really turned into a terrible tragedy for them. I hope they have a good support network.

:yeahthat: It's almost incomprehensible to imagine what they're goin through.

So for them; they probably had every expectation that they would be in the miniscule exception. So, so sad.