Octuplets' Mother Has Six Older Children Already (VIDEO)

The mother in California who gave birth to eight babies on Monday has six children already, CBS news discovered. Today on the Early Show, a segment on the now-doubled family aired. They took cameras to the home and neighborhood where the mom lives in a house with her parents, four older sons and two older daughters. Below the video is the transcript.

WATCH:

RUSS MITCHELL, anchor:

An update now on those octuplets born Monday in Los Angeles. They're doing

well, but when they go home in a couple of months, it will be to a really full

house. EARLY SHOW national correspondent Hattie Kauffman explains.

Story continues below

HATTIE KAUFFMAN reporting:

CBS News has learned the mother who gave birth to octuplets has six other

children.

Unidentified Man: She lives over there. She's got six kids already.

KAUFFMAN: An acquaintance who didn't want to be identified says the mom has

four older boys and two girls.

Unidentified Woman: She is young, fairly young and she has six children

already.

KAUFFMAN: She already has six children.

Woman: Yes.

KAUFFMAN: So that makes six plus eight is 14.

Woman: Correct. Yes. And in those six children she has a set of twins.

KAUFFMAN: While the hospital has not confirmed that the mom used fertility

drugs, there are no documented cases of naturally conceived octuplets.

Doctors say the babies, born Monday, are all breathing on their own, but the

babies are all under four pounds and are expected to remain in the hospital

for weeks.

The woman and her children live on this cul de sac, with her parents. We

knocked on the door and a man confirmed he's the grandfather of the octuplets,

but he refused to speak to us.

From what you know of this family and this household, do you think that

they'll be able to support 14 kids?

Woman: Well, so far they've been fine with the six they have. Fourteen, I

don't know.

KAUFFMAN: They'll be living in this neighborhood where homes have just two or

three bedrooms. It'll be tight. Hattie Kauffman, CBS News, near Los Angeles.

MITCHELL: It'll be tight. That's the line of the day.

HARRY SMITH, co-host:

Tight.

JULIE CHEN, co-host:

Wow.

MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ, co-host:

Tight and tense, maybe. That's a lot of people.

SMITH: I'm the youngest of eight. Eight is a lot.

CHEN: You're the youngest of eight.

SMITH: Yes.

Comments

[the-lexicon]

Yup, class warfare still alive and well in the good 'ol USA.

These uppity poor people should be ashamed of themselves. There ought to be laws against poor people....oh, wait, there already are.

This mother is a criminal. "birthing while poor" is the charge. Huffpost bloogers are the judge and jury.

The tone and sense of almost ALL posters here is: we should have work camps where criminals like this can pay for their sins against society.

Sins.

The sin of "being disgusting".

Because, really...reproductive processes ARE disgusting, right? that seems to be the point here.

Irony overload

lexicon

[wakeup804]

No, this amounts to stupidity while poor. You can have as many kids as you can afford. And if the state is your method of support, maybe having babies is a decision you should pospone until you can take care of them. I am tired of my tax dollars going to pay for people that have kids they know before they get pregnant they are not in a position to take care of . I want a Mercedes, I can't afford one, so I don't have one. It's called common sense.

[MarieD521]

Why is there no mention of a father? Where does he live? Why is she living with her parents. The doctor(s) who provided the fertility drugs should lose his/her/their medical license(s). Incredible irresponsibility all around. As a tiny example, does one family adding between 50,000 and 60,000 disposal diapers to landfills over the next three years seem like enlightenment in the 21st century?

[shedances]

This whole over-fertility of one woman story scares me, frankly. She already had several children, apparently; but wanted more & someone put her on fertility meds that over-produced eggs. I think was very wrong of the medical establishment involved ... and of the woman seeking such treatment. Why can't people let nature take it's course, on such things, and be happy with the children she already had & is responsible for adequately raising? The latter is not an easy task ... not even with one child. But she now has more than a dozen. Goodness!

[lunchlady]

Our country does NOT have unlimited wealth. We still feel like we do and that money will just magically appear to solve everyone's problems here and abroad. But the gradual decline of US wealth is very noticeable if you work in a hospital. Automatic generosity to the poor and uninsured has dwindled steadily because the hospitals can't afford it and the sources of reimbursement keep dwindling. Premature babies won't be turned out into the street, but the budget has to be met somehow so the ERs have long waits, the free clinics have short hours, and so on. So yes, this woman is taking resources from someone else.
I suggest that everyone who thinks this woman has done something great should send their monetary support to the hospital, the insurance company if there is any insurance, and any pubic agency which will be helping this woman and her 14 children in the future. Put your money where your mouth is.

[lunchlady]

I am not against poor people having a few children and I am also not against public assistance and other taxpayer-funded programs to help keep young children in good health and developing into good citizens. I think these families should make a strong effort to limit family size however, both for their own benefit and so they don't drain further resources from public funds. Personal responsibility should be emphasized again and again, partly because feeling in control of your life and being independent are part of the American Dream.
I AM against someone planning to produce 8 premature children without having first having a clear plan of material support for them. Seems like she was already pretty overextended with 6. Without various forms of continuing external support this woman and her children would be in huge trouble.

[BryantG]

I'm against barren people having children and passing thier problems onto the next generation.

[FabulousAt52]

To those yelling "elitist!" and "Class discrimination!" etc:

I would feel exactly the SAME if this woman was a millionaire living in a 20,000 square foot mansion. NO ONE should have 14 kids whether they can "afford to pay for their care" or not!
It's irresponsible and detrimental to ALL the kids involved.
How can (even rich) parents nurture that many children properly?
Who is going to be hired to help raise them on a daily basis- three or four full time nannies?
Well, we're not supposed to be having huge broods of offspring just to hand off to the hired help. Why? Because it's not good for the kids.

Working parents use daycare and babysitters because they have to....and it's not the ideal situation, but it is a necessity.
What's this woman's plan?
The fact that she IS broke-ass poor, no home, no job is just another point of proof that
what she did is irresponsible, unconscionable, and downright crazy -- and certainly NOT in the
best interest for any of those kids she's had!

[bipolarbear]

I must have missed the part of this article that says the woman is "broke-ass poor, no home, no job", where does it say that?

[sunnybunny]

It says she filed bankruptcy (broke ass poor?) and is living with her parents at 33 with her 14 kids ( no home?). She may have a job, but how will she work and take care of 14 children?

[FabulousAt52]

She (the birth mother) lost her home, declared bankruptcy, (and then didn't see it through)
is living in a small 2 or 3 bedroom home with SIX kids and 3 adults already-- and is unemployed.
This has been mentioned in almost every article since the news broke.
These are things her own mother reported as well as neighbors who were interviewed.

I didn't make it up.

But like I said, doesn't matter... what she did is still crazy and irresponsible and NOT good for ANY of the children involved; not the first 6 or the last 8!

[1955Cruse]

Perhaps "Broke-Ass-Poor" is calling a Spade, a Spade: BUT:

The Grandmother has already come out and said (Yesterday) that her daughter is "Obsessed with Having Children" - Has No Husband - Is living off her parents in a little 2 or 3 bedroom house - has been a "Professional Student for the past 7 Years on Student Grants" - Has NO JOB and NO Insurance, etc.

Does this sound like a woman that is Well To Do??????

In fact, Grandma said that she's so Fed Up with her daughters Irresponsible Behavior and the fact that she is not married and GRANDMA said she's not taking care of those kids ANYMORE. She said, when my daughter gets home with the babies - I'm gone - I can't take any more of this.

I can't imagine a woman being any more IRRESPONSIBLE than that - if you have SIX kids (the youngest only 2 yrs old) and you have no home of your own and no source of income and apparantely have NO INTENTIONS of even trying to care for the children you already have - - - Well that's either Total Irresponsibility or Mental Illness!

Actually sounds like BOTH!!!!

[lstl4]

This woman could not possibly work until these children are much older. I have to wonder if she has a preconceived notion to live off welfare until these children are grown and get donations of diapers and other baby needs from big companies. This just doesnt make sense to me. I had 4 children that were at least 3-5 years apart and it was very exhausting at times. I just cannot believe that the doctors would give this woman fertility drugs if they had known she has 6 other chlldren. Since she is being so secretive, I bet she gets huge amounts of money from People magazine and others to tell her story. She would also make alot of money when she goes on the talk shows. But when all is said and done, she will have to raise all these children and when you do things such as this, you end up earning every penny.

[sunnybunny]

Ok , I've been trying to wrap my mind around this and understand what would motivate a woman who is broke and has 6 kids to take fertility drugs and I have come up with a theory that would somewhat make sense. (although, there is conflicting informatuion coming out already, I'm going to state it anyway) I thought of a way something like this could happen on accident . I have seen ads in newspapers advertising for egg donors. They claim to pay very well and not take up much of your time - which is something that a financially needy mother of 6 would find useful. Since she was pregnant constantly for several years (kids age 2-7?) maybe didn't understand the risk involved and had sex while she was an egg donor? Of course now they are saying that the Drs actually did this to her on purpose, still maybe it is a rumor. It just makes no sense.

[Dana D]

aweissnet said:
"Like, you know ... running out of "natural resources."

Animals don't plan for those things when they bear young. Understandable, eh? Humans ... one expects some sense, with respect to reproduction. This woman redefines stupidity."

Animals DO plan. When there is a water and especially a food shortage, animals inherently do not breed! It's in their genes to know whether or not they can feed their young. Animals are smarter than this 'breeder'.

[aweissnet]

Thanks for that clarification. Maybe that puts her at "insect."

[lstl4]

This woman could not possibly work until these children are much older. I have to wonder if she has a preconceived notion to live off welfare until these children are grown and get donations of diapers and other baby needs from big companies. This just doesnt make sense to me. I had 4 children that were at least 3-5 years apart and it was very exhausting at times. I just cannot believe that the doctors would give this woman fertility drugs if they had known she has 6 other chlldren. Since she is being so secretive, I bet she gets a huge amount of money from People magazine and others to tell her story. She would also make alot of money when she goes on the talk shows. But when all is said and done, she will have to raise all these children and when you do things such as this, you end up earning every penny.

[indy girl]

How ironic that mom is a psychiatric tech. She should be seeing a psychiatrist herself.

And yes, the taxpayers are probably going to foot the bill on this one.

[Tugar]

THE OCTUPLETS STORY…

Parents of multiple births are cleaning up on reality TV shows like Jon & Kate +8 and the Duggers. Both of these families make a great living because of the number of children they have. The dads don’t work, or do very little of it. They travel, (kids and all to places that the average family in America with less numbers of children could not possibly afford). They make tons of money on games, books, appearances, etc., based on the existence of the large numbers of children they have.

Well, if these kids had to live on what their parents made through their own work efforts, like you and I, both the (J&K+8); Gosselins and the Duggers would not be able to maintain their large families, let alone their lifestyles. The Gosselins were well on their way to divorce court before the Discovery Channel made them aware of how they were coming off to their viewing public, with the mother especially constantly barking at the husband in public places, which they aired on TV at the beginning. The woman showed she can be a real “B”.

It’s not cute or nice to make a living off of our children, and any family that chooses not to reduce the number of multiples that they cannot support, or keep right on producing babies while they are in their fourties, with nearly 20 kids already is sheer lunacy.

[TruthMatters09]

Your ignorance is sad.

[aweissnet]

This poster displayed no ignorance. If you think so, your ignorance is evident.

[Tugar]

THE OCTUPLETS STORY…

Parents of multiple births are cleaning up on reality TV shows like Jon & Kate +8 and the Duggers. Both of these families make a great living because of the number of children they have. The dads don’t work, or do very little of it. They travel, (kids and all to places that the average family in America with less numbers of children could not possibly afford). They make tons of money on games, books, appearances, etc., based on the existence of the large numbers of children they have.

Well, if these kids had to live on what their parents made through their own work efforts, like you and I, both the (J&K+8); Gosselins and the Duggers would not be able to maintain their large families, let alone their lifestyles. The Gosselins were well on their way to divorce court before the Discovery Channel made them aware of how they were coming off to their viewing public, with the mother especially constantly barking at the husband in public places, which they aired on TV at the beginning. The woman showed she can be a real “B”.

It’s not cute or nice to make a living off of our children, and any family that chooses not to reduce the number of multiples that they cannot support, or keep right on producing babies while they are in their fourties, with nearly 20 kids already.

[violimo]

Rich people can have as many kids as they want. But they don't because they spend their money on the kids they have and give them all the love and care they need and then spend the rest of their money on having a life. If I was rich, I wouldn't be thinking, I'm now going to spend my whole life looking after kids. No way, Jose. also, they can afford a nanny. If this woman is addicted to having babies, not children or babies that grow up, then expect more kids in the future. If it's a cultural thing, then that culture better have the finest infrastructure to look after them otherwise the govt. are going to have to build a mini childrens home to take care of them, or foster them out. Can you in your minds eye, see a normal household look after 14 kids and god knows how many adults live in this house. It will end up being a govt. assist for real. And where the hell is the father(s)?

[TuppenceWorth]

What fertility specialist in a rational state of mind administers fertility drugs to a woman who already has six living children?