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

[GJKBEAR]

I thought that IVF treatments were expensive. How does a bankrupt mom afford them? Where is a father in all of this? It takes work to raise children. Most mammals only have the number of children they can feed. In the larger mammals - whales, elephants, bears etc very seldom do they give birth to more than 2 at a time. If there is a drought or a problem, most of the time they only give birth to 1 as that is all they can feed. The only animals who give birth to lots of children are those who tend to have children who don't survive well. Why would someone who is bankrupt implant 8 embryos when she already has 6 children ranging in age from 2-7???? This is insane.

[mitsie]

I heard today that her mother said she had eight eggs implanted. Let's stop and think about this. She has six kids already and lives with her parents. Where is her husband? Why would any MD implant eight eggs in a woman with six kids, who isn't living with her husband ( or boyfriend). How did she afford fertility treatment? I would hope this mother is not on welfare and we are paying for the care of the eight babies. There are alot of ethical problems that need to be addressed, and social services needs to get involved to assess this situation.

[chayefsky]

Fertility researchers don't care if they SHOULD do this; they care if they CAN do it. Neither ethics nor morality are given consideration. I hope she has enough milk to feed this litter.

[myoungholt]

Well, she apparently went bankrupt within the last couple of years. So that on top of having made a conscious decision to try for more to the extent that she wouldn't reduce the number of viable embryos. In another article someone noted that she apparently used a friendly sperm donor for all 14 kids. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.........................................

Anyone see another TLC reality show about a huge family?

[rebelrebel]

I find it hard enough to understand why someone would want six kids to begin with. Why someone with six kids would want another one is even harder for me to understand.

I know there are some religions that still push the principle of procreation without limit. This is an antiquated philosophy that's derived from the days when most children could not be expected to survive to adulthood. With today's medical technology, the opposite is true. There is no shortage of human beings, only shortages of resources to feed, clothe, and employ them.

The fertility industry needs to get its technology under control. They are frequently overshooting the mark and producing multiple births where only one is intended.

The more people that are born, the less food, water, money, and opportunity there is for everybody else.

[change08]

As a former labor and delivery nurse, it's hard for me to understand the reasoning that when into this young woman decision to deliver multiple births. More information is needed concerning the medical professionals role in all of this as well. I do know that multiple birth babies suffer from far more complications than single birth babies and require long-term physical, speech and developmental therapy. The cost of caring for these children is going to run into the tens of millions. Whether the mother has private insurance or receives public medical insurance is a big factor in the types of services these children will be able to obtain over the next several years. Even with the best insurance plan there are limits to the amount of coverage provided for individuals and their dependents. Everyone should be concerned about this mother and especially the children. Social Services is desperately needed to look into this unfortunate situation.

[Tugar]

When I''m surfing the tube and run across the Gosselins & Duggar families on TV with all their multiple children, all I can see is "A MONEY MACHINE."

The the Dads don''t seem to work or do very little of it. The Gosselin Dad initially claimed he was an IT Analyst for the Govt., but presently is not so now. The Dugger Dad claims to have an income from "rental properties." The Gosselin Mother is a real "B", and they were well on their way to a divorce until the Discovery Channel made them aware of how they were coming off to their viewers.

And the Duggers have just pumped out baby #18. Both families are in a baby business and should be ashamed of themselves to use their kids to make a living, just as much as this insane mother of now 14 with no husband, no job and no medical insurance should be.

Perhaps all of this little "bankrupt" family should return to Iraq, and take the Gosselins and Duggers with them.

[TheFabOne]

Why is the media making a big deal about this?

That nasty hillbilly woman in Arkansas with 21 kids who's ALWAYS pregnant got a REALITY SHOW, for crying out loud!!

Jeez, give this woman a break!!!!!!!!!!!!

[milo h minderbinder]

Well, from a medical standpoint, it is a historic first.

[MizK]

Alright, this one hit too close to home---I will do something that I thought that I would never do...defend the Duggars. First--they aren't nasty hillbillies. Those kids are very clean and they are home schooled. Please do not lump hillbillies with Arkansas...please.

This woman had more kids as a single mother. They've already had financial issues before. This means that you and I will be helping her pay for these children.

[lunchlady]

I realize that there is no law against having as many babies as possible, but there also isn't a law against me running my water taps all day long if I can pay the water bill. However most people would think I'm using up more than my share of community resources even if I'm willing to waste the water and my money.
Deliberately having so many children and expecting the world to somehow provide for them is irresponsible and piggish, IMO. Your average person tries to not have more children than they can reasonably feed and care for themselves, but once the children are here then we all have to help keep them going somehow.
I suspect that this blessed event is part of a plan for Celebrity and Getting Rich Quick.

[tigs]

Maybe ,just maybe the grandparents agreed with their daughter to have these children, shame for the babies its not their fault,but they really will be a gravy train, a woman with six children dosnt need fertility treatments to have more children, she seems fertile on her own, 14 children ,3 adults in a one bedroom house,plus she will need and expect ongoing help, the state will provide a bigger house and transport ,you cant take 8 children out in a normal car, plus the 6 she already has ,she shouldnt be congratulated , she needs censoring , people say the state shouldnt interfere , if they dont others of the same mindset will copy if it benefits them .

[deepfreezevideo]

She's half a Duggar, and in only seven confinements!
Stop the insanity.

[saami]

Is there a father some where or is this a virgin birth?

[myoungholt]

You might call it that. She is said to have used the same sperm donor for all 14 children--but not with natural cover, if you will. Read the other article that appeared not so long ago.

[nanners0808]

which other article?

[HBD]

Is she from Wasilla, by chance?

[jozinha]

A form of insanity.

[myoungholt]

Milo, I reas the Guideline you posted and 2 things really stick out:

1. For women under age 35 who have a good prognosis (I'd say her prognosis,with 6 previous kids, was pretty d'd good), ONE embryo is recommended, 2 at most.

2. Any clinic that knowingly implants above the guidelines will be audited by SART. I surely hope that SART becomes informed of this case and steps in.

[myoungholt]

reas = read

[lunchlady]

And I forgot the donations from people everywhere whose hearts are touched by the spectacle! Send money now folks! Buy her a new house and a bus and nannies galore!

[myoungholt]

Yepper. See what Mama and the hospital had to say:

"We thank all of you for the positive thoughts, prayers and generosity." [Mama]

Already, Kaiser officials said, the mother is receiving gift baskets, sealed envelopes and flowers. [hospital]

[lunchlady]

How sweet. I bet some of those donors wouldn't dream of giving one box of diapers to a less publicized mother in need.

[lunchlady]

A new crappy celebrity in the making! She'll soon shift from welfare to getting checks from People, US, the Enquirer, etc. What joy to watch her gang grow up in the public eye! Can't wait for the reality show!

[Solja]

Wow. How did you get to welfare? More importantly, WHY did you get to welfare? There is nothing in this or any other story that suggests the lady was on welfare. It says she has grown kids, and if that is the case, she would not be receiving welfare for them.

Then against, she could be in the same situation that millions of Americans are now in; receiving unemployment.

[TheBlackCat]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/30/earlyshow/health/main4764432.shtml

She lives with her parents because she lost her home. No father in the picture. She is also bankrupt. Also, she went bankrupt and lost her home RIGHT BEFORE she began fertility treatment.

So a woman in her early 30s, with 6 young kids (ranging in age from 2-7 years old) already, decided the best way to deal with her bankrupcy was with fertility treatment.

It is absolutely impossible that a bankrupt woman living with her parents is going to be able to support 14 children without government assistance.

You are right, the situation WOULD be different if she lost her job and hit rough times AFTER she became pregnant, but that isn't the case.

[TheBlackCat]

"There is nothing in this or any other story that suggests the lady was on welfare. It says she has grown kids"

Untrue. This woman is bankrupt, and all 6 of her other children are under the age of 7.

[NewDem08]

If the taxpayers have to pick up the multi-million dollar hospital tab, that's welfare.

[TheBlackCat]

As this story gets more and more press, it is becoming more and more likely that social services will get involved.

First, she already had 6 children. Second, she is bankrupt and lost her home (thus is living with her parents in a small ranch house). Third, so far doctors and neighbors seem to indicate she is a single Mom. Forth, she is claiming that she received IVF and that 8 embyos were implanted. Any American doctor who did this would risk lose his license, so she almost certainly did this in some black market clinic (my guess in Mexico since they are readily available and relatively cheap and since the family is in California).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/30/earlyshow/health/main4764432.shtml

A woman who would put her children at such risk before they were even BORN by using a black market doctor to perform a dangerous procedure. when she already was bankrupt because she couldn't afford the 6 kids she had (yet saw fit to spend money on fertility treatment), is either mentally disturbed or dangerously negligent. EIther way, this woman seems like a supremely unfit parent.

Poor kids. Neither sitatuation is good, especially considering the high risk of medical problems these babies face as they grow. Either their mum's crazy and/or inept, or they'll go to foster care.