Strollerderby : multiples

One School, 19 Sets of Twins

JeanneSager — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:27:00 GMT

They're seeing double at Armstrong Elementary School in Garland, Texas. And double. And double.

The small Texas school has just five hundred thirty-nine students - and thirty-eight of them are twins. There are nine sets in the second grade alone.

It's surely a sign of the trend toward twins - spurred on by fertility interventions. These days, one out of every thirty-three kids is a twin (compared to one in eighty back in the day). In 2004, there were more than one hundred thirty two thousand twin births recorded in the U.S. - more than any year prior (that was the latest year data is available on, no word on whether it's risen in the past five years).

There's no question there are more of them, but I'd hazard a guess they're more spread out too. And they're bringing more attention. Perhaps because because the hot button fertility drug issue (hello Octomom) make these parents an easy mark? The years have also been marked by advancements in medical technologies that keep twin pregnancies going and keep premie duos alive.

And perhaps I'm the anomaly that proves the rule, but I never thought twins were rare. I grew up in the eighties in an even smaller school than Armstrong (there were thirty-four kids in my graduating class). And there was one set of twins in my class, plus half of a set of a twins (his brother failed a year and ended up behind us). My next door neighbors had identical twin boys, I have a set of twin uncles (born in the sixties) plus a set of twin cousins. None of these kids were born with fertility interventions.

Twins make up seven percent of the population at Armstrong. But they made up eight percent of the population in my third grade class.

Did you know a lot of twins growing up or are you meeting your first multiples as parents?

Image: MSNBC

Move Over Jon & Kate! TLC is Looking for Your Replacements

SunnyChanel — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:51:00 GMT

TLC wants more. More multiple births to ~~exploit~~ share with the their viewers - who apparently have a unquenchable thirst for families who aren’t just blessed with one baby but two, three, four or more. With Jon and Kate Plus Eight bringing in the big numbers, the producers at TLC have opted to troll the Internet for new families who are willing to risk their anonymity, children’s privacy and their marriages. And where do you go to look for a Cocker Spaniel puppy, a used futon, an ‘escort’ or a family about to have multiples? Craigslist of course.

TLC put up a post there which read :
Are you expecting multiples and want to share this extraordinary event with TLC??? TLC is now looking for NY, NJ, and CT families who are expecting twins, triplets, or more! We would capture the birth of the babies and witness their amazing first breath, first cry, and all the emotions that go along with such an incredible occasion. Then, TLC will be there as you leave the hospital and adjust to your first few days at home as a family. If interested, please reply to Joanna with the following information:

1) Due date
2) Delivery hospital
3) Doctor
4) If possible, please also include a recent photo

Thanks and TLC looks forward to hearing from you!

Yes, this isn’t really a casting call for an entire series but who knows, you too can destroy your marriage and any semblance of privacy if you give a really good labor. The ad has since been taken down, so for those of you who were ready to exploit your unborn children for fun and profit, well you may have lost your chance. But if you just happened to have been switched at birth…well you still can get your mug on TLC! This ad states : “If you were switched at birth, if your child was switched at birth…or if you even KNOW anyone who has been switched at birth, let us know!”

Would you ever let cameras into your home, birthing room, or around your kids? Oh, and were you switched at birth?!?

Twins Have One Mom, Two Different Dads

JeanneSager — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:33:00 GMT

Anyone who has operated on the premise that you can't get any MORE pregnant listen up.

A Texas mom has given birth to two babies at the same time, with two different dads. Technically, the little boys are twins, but their features were so dissimilar their mom became suspicious and went to lab to check the boys' paternity.

The tests showed a .001 chance that the boys shared a father. Which medical experts means mom Mia Washington had sex with two different guys within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of each other. And unprotected sex we'd imagine.

There is a happy ending for Washington and her twins - she's apparently made up with partner James Harrison, he's forgiven her infidelity and agreed to raise both boys as his own. They're now expecting their third child (well, his second) together.

And the experts weighing in on this case are all pointing to the statistical impossibility of this happening - one doc told the NY Daily News that without fertility drugs, the chances are one in one hundred of a double pregnancy in this manner.

Still, one in one hundred? With the amount of baby making sex some couples have when they're desperately trying, I wonder how many fraternal twins out there were conceived in a similar manner, only with the same father. Without that major difference in features, and without the difference in paternity, I guess there's no way we'll ever know.

Image: Daily Mail

Confirmation: Jon Gosselin of “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” Cheated

SunnyChanel — Wed, 06 May 2009 04:40:00 GMT

Following in the footsteps of oodles of TV reality star couples before them, it appears that Jon and Kate of Jon and Kate Plus Eight fame may be even further on the road to marital ruin. According to US Weekly, there is truth to the rumor that Jon Gosselin is stepping out on the mother of his eight children.

The tabloid reported in this weeks’ issue that for the last three months Gosselin has been having an affair with a 23-year-old third grade teacher Deanna Hummel (no relation to the figurine). This is fresh on the heels of Jon being caught leaving a bar at 2am with Deanna but no wedding ring. The magazine got confirmation of the hot and heavy action from five people “close to the situation.” Both Deanna and Jon have denied the affair. Deanna recently told People Magazine that "We're just friends…it's absurd that anyone would think otherwise." And Jon released a statement that they were just friends and going for a ride in her car at 2am was “in poor judgment.”

Deanna’s brother, one of those who confirmed the affair, did an over share with the mag and said in regards to Jon and Deanna’s rendezvous’ at the house, "A lot of the time, it was pretty, um, gross listening to her, you know, um — how do I say this? The walls are thin. Let’s just say that. I mean, no one wants to hear his sister having sex, let alone with a married dude who's, like, almost twice her age and who has eight kids and a maybe-crazy wife. Ick. Nast."

For more details from US Weekly check it out here (and more of the story will be revealed when the issue hits the stands) and they also claim to have obtained a video of Jon leaving Deanna’s home at 7:30 in the morning.

Regardless of if the affair is fact or fiction, do you think having a camera crew in your homes and airing your life for the world to see would ruin a marriage? Or do you think there has to be deeper issues at play?

Source

Family Evicted for Having Twins

JeanneSager — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:57:00 GMT

Ever heard of someone too big to fit inside a house? What if that person were two people - two teeny, weeny newborn people?

A Michigan couple learned their newborn twins put them over the limit for space allotted to people in their housing community this week when they received an eviction notice - just after the babies were born.

Mike Morris, Shawnee Crider, and their three kids, moved into Mike's mom's double-wide at the housing complex in Kentwood, Michigan shortly after Mike lost his job . . . and the family lost their house. Shawnee was pregnant with twins when they moved in, and she gave birth shortly after they moved in.

That's when Mike's mom's landlord sent a letter - three adults and five kids was too much for one doublewide, it said. Park regulations require at least two hundred fifty square feet of living space per person. Mike and Shawnee - and their five kids - had to get out.

Mike is still looking for a job, and this is his mom's house - his family who had offered to help them when times got rough. Where are they supposed to go? Although we don't want to send people back to tenement living, when families of ten slept in one bed in one room, there's a reason tenements were popular in the thirties - because everyone was broke.

I'm also not convinced a newborn baby needs two hundred fifty square feet of living space. For what? To stare at while they lie like a lump in Mom's arms? They're not crawling yet, not running around, and they don't spend a whole lot of time not connected to a person (even sleeping they need only the size of a bassinet - and that's if you're not co-sleeping).

Should the landlord update its rules or should they stick by them, regardless of the economy?

Image: WoodTV

Courting Controversy: Is Jon and Kate Plus 8 Done?

JeanneSager — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:49:00 GMT

More proof that even bad press is good press?

News that Jon Gosselin might be cheating on the mother of his eight kids, along with an expose that calls Jon and Kate out for a multitude of pandering sins that relate directly to their parenting, helped boost Jon and Kate Plus 8's TV ratings to the highest ever in their season finale on Monday night.

The episode got the most ever viewers of any one episode in its four seasons, and knocked out NBC, the CW, CBS, and Fox among women aged eighteen to thirty-four. In fact, of any ad-supported cable show in its time slot, Jon and Kate's finale had the most viewers in almost every demographic.

So why? Is it the controversy? Oh yeah.

There's rumor swirling that the Gosselins might be calling it quits on their show. Because of all the other rumors out there, from Jon's alleged cheating to Kate's harping prompting a divorce, the Gosselins have made it clear that they're starting to tire of the public eye.

But then again, maybe not. There are several episodes already banked, including a Gosselins go green episode set to air in April.

In a Q&A on their Website, the Gosselins have said they don't pay attention to negative press. "First of all, we don’t have time to worry about what people are saying and second of all, we know that our show is benefiting so many people that we need to continue. Any flack we receive is just typical stuff that anyone on TV on a regular basis receives. Furthermore, although this is the absolute hardest job (aside from raising 8 kids, that is) that Jon and I have ever had, it is also the most amazing blessing that we can be home with our children while working and when asked, all 8 of our children agree…for now, we need to continue on…and so we will!"

They're certainly not hurting for money now - not with a $1.3 million home, book deals and dozens of speaking engagements (part of the controversy in the expose). It's very possible they could stay home now - without the cameras - and be just fine.

Do you think they will call it quits? Or do you see another year of Jon, Kate and their six kids?

Image: Discovery Store

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What You Look Like After Triplets

JeanneSager — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:01:00 GMT

This mom is BRAVE. And totally awesome.

A mom allowed herself to be photographed throughout the weeks of her pregnancy with triplets. Then she jumped forward to three months after delivery and struck the same pose - shirt pulled up to just below the boobs and everything hanging out.

Wow. The stretch marks are scary, but honestly, they're what to be expected for normal women who get stretchmarks (because, I'm sorry, but I have some intense loathing going on for you "Oh, I didn't get a mark" women - I fart in your general direction) and one carrying three babies at that. But look at that tummy tone! Go mama!

I love these kinds of pictures, honestly, because they remind me that my tummy will never be toned again . . . and that's OK. I don't need to look like Angelina, and my husband doesn't think I need to look like Angelina.

Because the picture at the very end of the long series of triplet pics says it all - it's the three "sweet peas" (her words) she got out of it all. Yeah, totally worth it.

Click here to see the entire series.

Image: ShapeofaMother

Pregnant With Twins? Skip the Amnio

JeanneSager — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:29:00 GMT

When I was pregnant, moms always warned me "avoid the amniocentisis at all costs." The test never came up, so I never asked why.

Now I know. A report in the March issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology says there's a definitive link between the loss of a pregnancy by a mom carrying twins who has undergone an amniocentisis (or amnio).

Before you start screaming malpractice, the numbers aren't huge. The study of one thousand nine hundred thirty-four women carrying twins over a sixteen year span found that three hundred eleven opted for an amnio. Their risk of miscarriage? Just 3.2 percent, not a heckuva lot higher than the 1.4 percent of women pregnant with twins who opted out and still lost their babies.

For women carrying just one baby, the risk of losing the baby after a second-trimester amnio is about one in two hundred. But until now, there was no way to tell if the risk to moms carrying twins was double, the same or what. Usually performed around sixteen weeks, the amnio requires a practitioner to insert a long needle into the amniotic fluid, withdraw some and test it - usually for fetal abnormalities. Before sonograms became commonplace, it was the best way to determine a baby's gender pre-delivery.

Now knowing the risk is higher for moms of multiples, researchers say, will allow healthcare practitioners to better arm moms with information when (and if) the amniocentisis becomes an option.

Did you have an amnio? Would this small increase in anticipated risk - but an increase all the same - affect your decision?

Image: ModernMedicine

Expose Puts Another Spin on Jon and Kate Plus 8

JeanneSager — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:28:00 GMT

If you're a fan of the Jon and Kate Plus 8, you might be shocked by the venom reserved by some parents for spewing at the Gosselins. Then again, if you read last weekends Philly Mag, you might be joining them.

In case you haven't seen it, it's the "normal" TLC show, the story of a couple who underwent fertility treatments because the mom (Kate) suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome, which made getting pregnant the natural way impossible. The first time around, they came out with twins. The second, with sextuplets. Hence the "Plus 8" in the title.

Since a 2005 one-hour special garnered massive attention, the entire family and all their doings has been on TLC week in and week out on a regular series, showing life with multiples can be hectic but relatively normal. Relatively.

Frankly, I don't watch every week (I actually don't watch much TV myself), but I've seen more than my share of episodes in the off hours. My daughter got us into it - I was cuddling in bed with her one evening, flipping channels while she half dozed in the crook of my arm, and she noticed little kids on the screen. She asked me to "go back, I wanna see the kids who are cold." The Gosselins were out skiing - hence the cold. My occassional tune-ins since have been mostly out of curiousity - their younger kids aren't much older than my daughter, and it's fascinating to get a glimpse at how other kids her age act. Suffice it to say, I was never a Gosselin hater.

After reading the expose in Philly Mag, I'm still not as venomous as say Glamour's Christine Coppa . . . or the legion of commentors on either her blog or the Philly Mag piece. BUT I've certainly got my eyes open.

Open to how much "God" really does play a role in the Gosselin household - even as they attempt to differentiate themselves from their TLC counterparts, the Duggars, with a limit on the Christian speak. Check out their Website. God this. God that. There's nothing wrong with belief in God or even talking about God, but in all the episodes I've watched, I've never once seen Kate and Jon talk about religion. And apparently they make frequent visits to churches, where they allow the church to pass around the basket for a "free love offering." They also charge the churches big money to come out - not just airfare but first class airfare plus a hefty speaking fee. That's Christian?

I was also disturbed to see that the family put up a request list on the Web (akin to Nadya Suleman's already defunct donation Website) before they got the guarantee of a paycheck from TLC. Remember, they had fertility treatments - they knew what they were in for.

Some things plain old did not shock me. The Gosselin house is ranked eighth out of one hundred forty-nine cable shows for product placement these days. Jon got free hair plugs. Kate got a free tummy tuck. They get free toys, free trips to baseball games, free trips to Hawaii. It's all wrong, says Coppa and the parent commenters because it means the Gosselins are exploiting their kids. I tend to disagree. Most of us pay for these things (minus the plugs and tummy tuck), and the Gosselins get it for free. Jealous? Yeah - so are a lot of commentors it seems. Coppa too.

But as someone who has worked in journalism for the past decade, I know advertising is a necessary evil. The newspaper I work for wouldn't be published without it! And I wouldn't get a paycheck. The Gosselins "pay" by allowing cameras into their homes. The advertisers get a spot on a top-rated cable show. That's advertising folks - that's how it works. Rather than paying with funds, advertisers sometimes pay with product. And if they didn't pony up the product, when the kids played with a (Mom- and Dad-purchased) Wii, you can bet that would get cut off the show by the folks at TLC. It doesn't mean the kids wouldn't get these things, and frankly, the big companies should HAVE TO pay somehow - either with product or money. Would it be better if TLC reaped all the benefits instead of the family?

I also confess to not being all that upset that the family charges for autographed pictures. They're celebrities. Ever been to a meet and greet at a concert? Didn't you pay for that? How about the autographed tees and pictures at one of the merchandise kiosks? You paid for that too, didn't you? Although Coppa compares the Gosselins charging to her chance meeting with the OC's Mischa Barton - who posed for a picture and didn't charge, snapping your own pic with a celebrity is different from a signed celebrity photo. Those cost money to produce, and take time to actually sign. Personally, I wouldn't buy one - but if people are willing to pony up $20 for pictures of the Gosselins, that's their problem - not Jon and Kate's.

There's plenty more - some bad, some not-so-bad in the Philly Mag piece. It's extensive and well-researched, so I'd recommend reading it all the way through.

When you're done, come back and let us know - did it change your mind about the Gosselins?

Image: Discovery Store

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Two Wombs, Two Babies: Mom Delivers Twins

JeanneSager — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:18:00 GMT

I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

Like finding out you have two uteruses (uteri actually) and getting pregnant with twins - one child per uterus. Oh, and best of all? Giving birth to two healthy little girls.

Michigan mom Sarah Reinfelder has uterus didelphys - a rare condition in which the two tubes in a female fetus don't join to create one larger, hollow organ. They remain two distinct parts of the body - uteri.

The condition isn't dangerous, and many women go on to have children, but twins from uterus didelphys are rare, which makes Reinfelder's daughters extra special. So far, only three cases have been reported in the entire world.

The larger twin developed in Reinfelder's larger uterus, weighing in at four pounds, fifteen ounces. Her sister was a full pound smaller. The girls were delivered via a C-section, approximately seven weeks prematurely. The babies are expected to be released from the hospital in three to four weeks. Reinfelder and husband Shane have an elder child - 10-month-old William at home. They were shocked to find out she was pregnant with the twins - especially because she was on the birth control pill at the time.

"I was like okay, and then they did the ultrasound and said, 'Guess what? You're pregnant twice!' and that's when I almost wet my pants," Sarah told her local TV news station.

Can you really blame her?

Image: Upper Michigan Source

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A Happy Miscarriage Story: Believe it or Not

JeanneSager — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:25:00 GMT

Who knew there could be a happy miscarriage story?

Not Claire Hunter. The British woman was six weeks into her pregnancy when she began feeling cramps in her side and was rushed to the hospital. It turned out her pregnancy was ectopic - the fetus had formed in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus.

At six weeks pregnant, Claire Hunter lost her baby, and doctors told her she may never get pregnant again. Until six weeks later.

Still experiencing pain, despite surgery on her damaged ovary, she was given another pregnancy test. She was pregnant - and had been for at least a full trimester. Somehow, in all the hullabaloo over the loss of her baby, doctors missed a twin baby boy, a fetus that developed properly inside Hunter's womb. She gave birth in the summer to Ryan, a healthy seven pounds and change.

Why this story came out now, I'm not sure. It's not news of a lawsuit - which I guess there would probably be grounds for (how do you miss a second baby during surgery?). But how do you sue when you have a happy ending? A chubby cheeked, smiling happy ending at that?

Nothing takes away from the loss of a child, but to see that little guy sitting there, grinning, it gives you hope!

Image: Telegraph

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Siblings Born Two Months Apart Aren't Twins

JeanneSager — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:31:00 GMT

Jeffrey and Delaney Ellis have the same mom and the same dad, but birthdays just two months apart. No years separate them - just two months.

The kicker? This isn't a case of one twin delivered early.

Jeffrey Ellis was delivered by his aunt, standing is a surrogate for the kids' parents, in November 2007. His sister came in January 2008, delivered by mom Kris.

Both kids are Tim and Kris Ellis's little miracles. After suffering through the stillbirth of a baby girl in 2006 and the death of her twin shortly after birth, the Ellises went through repeated bouts of in vitro that were unable to produce a pregnancy. There seemed one last option - Kris's sister-in-law, Susan Foth, had offered to act as a surrogate for the family. It was someone they could trust, and it was - they thought - their only hope of becoming pregnant.

In March 2007, two of the Ellis's embryos were transferred into Foth's uterus. One took. The Ellises were going to become parents. Two months later, Kris had a surprise for Tim. She was pregnant - via "normal" methods. They were going to become parents again.

Infertility issues are very real and very complex, but a lot of women have reported finally getting pregnant when the stress is off - when they least expected to become pregnant. It sounds like that's what happened to the Ellises. No longer worried about whether or not things would work this time, Kris's body was finally able to do what it needed to do. Not an easy road, but if only it could work like this for more couples who've been down the infertility route!

The result are two little miracles - two months apart. Jeffrey turned one in November, and Delaney will be one this week.

Image/Source: Bedford Times Register

Four Reasons Big Families Might Have it Better in This Economy

JeanneSager — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:31:00 GMT

If it costs more to feed a bigger family in good times, doesn't it stand to reason that it would cost more in lean times too? Yes, but it's possible bigger families are better prepared for hard times - because they're used to living on a stricter budget.

Talking with the Chicago Tribune, Don Demaree of the Center for Consumer Credit Counseling says some (not all, he's quick to add) of the larger families have cottoned on long ago to frugality - be it by buying in bulk or finding free entertainment for the family.

So what else do the big families have on those of us with just one or two kids?

1. When they buy in bulk, the family actually uses it all. Some things never expire - we bought all our diapers at Sam's Club. But those blocks of government cheese are likely to turn hard before we plow through them in a house of just three, and a giant bag of chips goes stale before we're down to the crumbs - and there goes our money, down the drain.

2. Built-in entertainment. My grandmother once told me parenting seven was easier than parenting one because there was always someone else for the kids to play with or at least someone else to keep them out of her hair. Which leads me to . . .

3. Built-in babysitters. In big families where the ages range (this obviously won't work for those octuplets!), there's less of a need to hire a babysitter if a parent has to get a second job or Mom has to go back to work.

4. Hand-me-downs. Most of us still have to go out and buy clothes for our kids. Big families do too - but they get a lot more use out of them than the rest of us.

Of course all families have it tough right now. Having a big family might well be harder - because when the breadwinner loses a job, there are a lot more mouths who depended on that bread. But with all the bad news, it's nice to have a little good.

Image: BigFamilies.ca

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The New Status Symbol - Twins are In! UPDATED

SunnyChanel — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

When I was pregnant with our daughter my husband was totally wishing for twins. He thought it would be convenient to get the whole breeding thing done in one shot, literally. Thankfully, we were only “blessed” with one. But apparently, he’s not alone in the lust for twins, he’s shares this yearning with a slew of Manhattan moms.

Apparently there is a trend afoot, according to Page Six Magazine, where New York City moms not only wish for twins, they’re taking the expensive steps to make it a reality. At $25,000, in-vitro fertilizations can realize those dreams, plus as one mom stated, “It's two for the price of one."

Then there’s the coolness factor, "There is an inordinate number of moms in Manhattan who view their children as an accessory and I can see how maybe having two at once might seem more indulgent to them," says Brinton Taylor of IvyWise Kids. It shows that you have the monetary resources to perhaps create and care for multiples and it can be viewed as a “conspicuous sign of wealth.”

"For people who like attention, twins are great," says Risa, a mom of twins. "If I am ever depressed, I put my boys in the stroller and take a walk down the street and people just go nuts."

Plus it ups the odds that maybe, just maybe, parents of twins can have a twin playdate with Angelina & Brad. Mom Risa says that with the twins she has been given a membership into an "exclusive society of twin moms who only want to hang out with other twin moms. It can feel elitist. But they get it in a way that someone with one kid will never understand."

UPDATE: (via Gawker)

Well, it looks like all the Manhattan moms of twins aren’t the selfish status symbol seekers as the story from Page Six Magazine implied. The head of the Manhattan Twins Club- Natalie Diaz – wrote in a yahoo parenting group:

“Ok Ladies, not sure how many of you saw the article in the Page Six section of the Post this weekend, but a while back I posted that there was a writer looking to gather info. A few of you were quoted in there, or should I say, misquoted! Long story short, the article was HORRIBLE. It was basically saying that moms are choosing IVF so they can have twins for the "status symbol" factor.
I received this email this morning:

"I am sure you saw the article today. I cannot apologize enough. The story I wrote and handed in was nothing like this. The tone was different as was the overall focus. In addition certain quotes were edited to seem more harsh and others were taken out of context (Risa's quote at the end is an example of this). As a NY mom who is truly in awe of moms of twins I am mortified. Is there anyway that you could post this on your website for me? I just wanted to personally apologize. Of course I am sorry to you as well. Again, it was never my intention to make this a snarky bitchy story bashing other moms. Wendy"

This was my reply: "Well, to say the least, I was shocked. To say that having twins is a status symbol, is saying that pre-term labor, almost dying during childbirth, dealing with premature children, then trying to deal with two crying, two sick, and all the rest of the wonders that comes with the territory, is in the height of fashion! I sincerely think your newspaper needs to retract the whole story. I think this should happen fast. I know this was not your fault, but you should know who to send this too, right. Feel free to send me their number."

Ouch!

Source: Page Size Magazine via Gawker

Pulling the Plug on Plural Pregnancies

JeanneSager — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 19:31:00 GMT

The birth this week of octuplets was amazing not just to the world at large but to the doctors who'd been tracking the pregnancy. Could that mean multiple pregancies have gotten out of hand?

It's what some OB/GYNs are saying - that perhaps it's time to reduce the chances a woman will get pregnant with multiples.

The risks of carrying multiples have proven to be higher for both mom and baby. There are higher rates of fetal loss and premature births, which make for increased chances of medical problems down the road for the kids. It also makes it rough for fertility experts - who make it their mission to help their patients have a healthy baby. Because the point - as any parent knows - isn't just to get pregnant.

The key seems to be in melding the missions of both parents' and physicians' - and that might mean a reduction in the growing trend of multiple births. Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, director of the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill-Cornell Medical Center told the Daily News this week that his doctors are opting to implant fewer embryos in women's uteruses - if all of them "take," there will still be a smaller number of babies living off of the mother and higher chances of successful pregnancies.

It's a practice that's begun more common around the world. In September, the British Fertility Society and the Association of Clinical Embryologists issued new guidelines for clinicians in the UK, pushing for clinics to reduce multiple pregnancy rates from an average of twenty-four percent to ten percent over the next three years. UK docs have also been banned from implanting any more than two embryos in the uterus of women over forty.

The question is whose choice it should be?

With fewer embryos implanted, also upped is the chance that these embryos won't become fetuses and that a mother will have to go through the process all over again. Fertility drugs have also been blamed for the increase in multiples (the new mom of eight and her doctors have remained mum on whether she took fertility drugs), but without them, many couples would lose their chance to become parents.

Should doctors be focused on scaling back these multiples - or should that rest in the hands of the patient?

Image: BBC

Family Adopts Eight Siblings Separated by Foster Care

JeanneSager — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:02:00 GMT

It's like Jon and Kate Plus Eight without Mother Nature pulling the punches. Or maybe 17 KIds and Counting without all the baby-making.

An Ohio family has added eight children to its brood completely by choice - they've adopted a set of eight siblings, who were previously split between three separate foster homes.

Oh yeah, and they already have seven kids of their own living at home.

The presiding Judge, Allan Davis, says this is the most unusual adoption he's seen in all his years on the bench in Hancock County, Ohio. But it's no less heartwarming.

The kids - whose ages range from five to seventeen - were removed from their biological parents in 2006 when social services found they were living in a deplorable conditions. There was just one bathroom in the house - and the plumbing didn't even work (imagine, no potty, and eight kids?). Dubbed mildly mentally retarded in court papers, the parents reportedly failed to complete a case plan and were unable to obtain appropriate housing for their kids - resulting in a complete loss of parental rights.

The eight kids have spent the last six months living with their new family as a sort of "trial run," to ensure it was more than a hunch that that this group must somehow form a family. (hum along with me folks. . . ). Monday, they were all in court to give the judge their own OK on officially becoming the kids of their new parents.

I'd be terrified to have that many kids, but good for these folks - for realizing siblings need to be able to stick together. I know the foster system tries as often as possible not to break up families, but in a family so large, this was likely the only chance these kids would have at a normal life.

The new, big, happy family jumped in a van to go home after the court appearance - any guesses on whether they stopped off for jerseys? They've got just enough for a rugby team.

Image: University of Nebraska

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Mom Sells Newborn Twins to Fund Liposuction

JeanneSager — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:32:00 GMT

Here's one way to get rid of the post-pregnancy pounds: you can sell your newborn twins to the tune of nine thousand pounds (about $13,450 US) and splurge on liposuction. Personally I'd go for eating less and working out more, but I'm just old-fashioned that way.

A Belgian mother of seven (including the twins) has been brought up on charges in an alleged rent-a-womb scheme that conned several Dutch couples out of money they thought was paying for Sonia Ringoir to carry their baby. More women have said Ringoir invited them over for "insemination parties," where she gave them a syringe full of her (now estranged) husband's sperm to use to inseminate themselves.

In case all of that isn't strange enough for you - Ringoir eventually gave birth and opted to "give" the twins to a friend. She can't be charged for giving away her babies, but she is facing fraud charges for taking money from the Dutch couples and not providing them with a baby. The Belgian government is also charging Ringoir with treating her babies in a "degrading," manner. She faces up to five years in jail if convicted.

Then there's that liposuction thing. Her new boyfriend says she was being pressured by her ex to have her body rebuilt. The ex has come out saying liposuction was at the heart of the scam.

How about just not getting pregnant again? Or, hey, here's an idea: accepting the extra junk in your trunk and turning your entrepreunerial eye toward a way to make life better for your other five kids.

There I go again, being an old-fashioned parent.

Image: Daily Mail

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British Teen Makes History with Siamese Twins

JeanneSager — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:31:00 GMT

A British teenager and her husband will make medical history this week, but all they're too frought with worry to celebrate. Laura Williams is just eighteen. When she delivers conjoined twins this week via a C-section, she'll be the youngest-ever woman in British history to give birth to Siamese twins.

Williams and husband Aled, twenty-eight, have been told their twins, already named Faith and Hope, may not survive past the two-week mark. Like most parents, survival for their children is all the Williams' have focused on since her twelve-week sonogram revealed the babies' rare condition. Tests have confirmed the girls have separate hearts, which alone greatly enhances their chances of survival. They've also revealed the babies are joined from the breastbone to the top of the navel, but little else. Whether the girls share any major organs - which will play a large role in doctors' moves immediately following birth - has yet to be determined.

Laura Williams has spent the last month in a hospital under constant monitoring, in part because doctors warned that carrying this pregnancy to term could prevent her from ever again having a child. She'll be transferred to a hospital in London this week for the birth. "It's scary every day and it's been the hardest decision of our lives, but if they're meant to be in this world and if they've come this far, we've got to hope they'll make it the rest of the way," she told London's Daily Mail.

To have the strength to go forward with a pregnancy that could not only result in losing your children within two weeks but also destroy your chances of ever again having another child is incredibly brave and highly personal. I can't find fault with the Williams' decision; I can only cross my fingers for them that their brush with medical history is also a medical miracle.

No matter the outcome, at the very least, they have Faith . . . and Hope.

Image: Buckles Family (another set of conjoined twins)

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Grandma Serves as Surrogate, Gives Birth to Triplet Granddaughters

JeanneSager — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:25:00 GMT

Kim Coseno's triplets had the same exact start in life as their mother . . . right down to the womb where they spent their first formative months. The surrogate "mother" who gave birth this week to Coseno's three little girls is also their grandmother.

Coseno's mom, fifty-six-year-old Jaci Dalenberg is possibly the oldest-ever surrogate to give birth to triplets. And lucky for her, she doesn't have to give them up! Well, not exactly. Already a mother of two, Coseno was no longer able to have children when her second husband, Joe, said he wanted them. The couple tried adopting, but were getting nowhere when Dalenberg made an offer they couldn't refuse.

Still in the prime of health, Dalenberg said she'd undergo in vitro fertilization. On the third try, two eggs transplanted into her uterus took.One embryo then split, creating a set of identical twins. Their sister is essentially a fraternal twin to each.

Although the "I am my own grandma" jokes go hand-in-hand with this story, I've got to give this granny a whole lot of credit. Triplets. At her age.

And while surrogacy kind of skeeves me out (for the surrogate, not for the parents-to-be), this seems like the best possible option. The Cosenos knew they could trust their surrogate completely, and that their babies were in a truly safe "home." Dalenberg, on the other hand, doesn't have to hand over the babies she carried and never see them again. She will be able to spoil them to bits, and then hand them back to Mom and Dad for the discipline and diaper-changing. She is, after all, Grandma.

Image: CBS News

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18 Kids From One Vagina: Woman Births 18th Child

Cole Gamble — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Sorry folks, America no longer corners the market in having ungodly hordes of children. Though we have the oft publicized Duggers and their 17 child brood, a woman in Canada just upped the ante by giving birth to her 18th. Suck it, Duggers!

"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said Alexandru Ionce, the proud papa.

One piece of advice for child number 18: hurry up and grab a deli counter ticket so you can get in que to spend a little quality time with your parents...in 2025.

Here's the question to you folks: how many children is too many? At what point do you have so many kids you're doing the rest a disservice because you can only spread your attention around so much.

Photo: AP

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Are Brangelina Too Posh to Procreate (the Old-Fashioned Way)?

Madeline Holler — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:02:00 GMT

Have Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie presented us with a new medical necessity vs. convenience dilemma? Are they front-runners to a new trend in babymaking for the young, fecund and impatient?

Victoria Beckham's too-posh-to-pushedness made her the poster child for what turned out to be the non-trend of elective c-section. Now Hollywood's favorite parents, the Jolie-Pitts, could be bringing us another non-medically indicated medical procedure in family-making.

The Daily Mail is reporting that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie conceived their twins via IVF.

'They conceived through in vitro fertilisation,' a source described as being close to Jolie and Pitt, 44, said. 'They both desperately wanted more babies soon.'

They chose the US$12,000 procedure so 'she wouldn't have to deal with the stress of trying to get pregnant,' the source added. 'She could just knock it out.'

'Things were so hectic with their filming schedules and the kids, the simply didn't have time to keep trying. They were too impatient.'

The article says the couple is shooting for 10 kids. They're, what, more than half-way there now? Jolie has apparently said in the past that they'd like to be young while they raise their kids (two contradictory goals, but I digress).

Said one doctor:

But Dr Arthur Wisot of the Reproductive Medical Group in Los Angeles, who did not treat the couple, said: 'We live in an era of reproductive freedom, so anybody can do anything they want within legal limits.

What do you think? IVF for all or only when absolutely necessary? Feel like they're cheating or just making efficient use of their relative youth (actually, Brad's getting old.) I'm all for choice -- safe choices -- and I'd no sooner limit their desire for IVF than another family's desire for biological children, homebirth, VBAC, adoption. I sure hope the above good doctor on board for all that as well. (Who knows, maybe he is.)

Photo: The Sun

Breaking News: Did Angelina Have Her Babies??

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:14:00 GMT

Reports indicate Angelina Jolie had her twins this past Sunday in France. The twins join their four other siblings: Zahara, Pax, Maddox, and Shiloh.

The boy-girl twins join other celebrity twinnies, including:

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's boy-girl twins

Marcia Cross and her girls

Famecrawler isn't sure if this announcement is real, so hang tight for more news...

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Really, Really Rare Birth: Identical Triplets

Madeline Holler — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:06:00 GMT

For starters, getting pregnant with triplets is a surprise, right? Sure, it's not terribly unusual when we're talking about in-vitro and embryo transfers, which we are. Hang on, hang on, hang on. This isn't fertility treatment business as usual.

In this case, the doctor only transferred one embryo into the N.Y. mother-to-be's womb! What the ...?

At some point, that embryo split in half, and one of those halves split again. Three babies. All identical. The odds are pretty rare.

From FoxNews.com:

"This is the first one we're aware of in the literature in the country in which they only put back one embryo" and a woman gave birth to triplets, said Klein. "Most people put back two or three embryos, and you just never know."

Depending on the literature, experts estimate chances for identical triplets are between one and 60,000 and one and 200 million. (OK, that's a pretty big spread.)

The boys were born quite healthy and definitely identical -- an issue quickly solved via health and beauty aids.

To help tell them apart, the boys have a dot of maroon nail polish on their fingers. Logan Thomas, who weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces, has a mark on his thumb; Eli Kirkwood, a 4-pounder, has polish on his forefinger, and Collin McGuire, at 4 pounds, 11 ounces, has a mark on his middle finger. Logan may have a problem with a non-functioning kidney, but the other children are healthy, doctors said.

Photo: FoxNews.com

J-Lo's Twins: Toby and Tutu?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:58:00 GMT

Everyone knows Jennifer Lopez is a diva mama of the highest magnitude.

From a posh baby registry to a reputed $1.4 million birth, this woman thinks money can buy anything.

So it's oddly fascinating to learn what she has reportedly named her twins...

Maximiano and Emelina...

Beautiful but pretty inexpensive sounding names. Couldn't they have come up with something flashier, like Coolio and Milli or Pish and Posh?

Will they go by Max & Eme? And how many nannies for each?

16-Year-Old Girl Gives Birth To Triplets...Um, Again

Kelly Mills — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:32:00 GMT

Plenty of people get upset about teen pregnancy, and this one makes Jamie Lynn Spears seem relatively chaste by comparison. A 16-year-old in Argentina just gave birth to triplets. Oh, and the mom and babies are doing well, thanks for asking. So why has this caused such a kerfuffle, touching off debates and criticism all over Argentina.

Well, um, it isn't her first set of triplets. She had her first baby at age 14, and then at age 15, triplets. Making these latest triplets at age 16 the second set, no fertility treatments. Yes, that's seven kids altogether, for those keeping score at home. Provincial authorities built the brood a home and donated land when the first triplets emerged, but now some folks are saying the girl needs birth control advice, not more financial assistance. And the girl's mom, who cleans houses to help support her daughter and many grandkids, says yes, they will be seeking help from the government.