Here I go...

First things first. Children should not be born with the job of fixing YOU.

I've been hesitant to really voice my opinions on this blog about Octomom, Nadya Suleman. Make no mistake, I do have an opinion on her. I just haven't shared anything on THIS blog up to now.

Seriously? Seriously... what in the WORLD was she thinking???

I completely support her view that those six frozen embryos were her babies and she could not destroy them. However, there are much better ways to go about doing things than the route she and her doctor chose to take. I definitely would not have had them destroyed. But the way it was handled is just plain wrong.

First of all, I am a full-time stay at home mother who is married to a wonderful husband. I have financial and emotional support to help raise our family. I do not rely on any type of government or outside assistance to make ends meet. I have three children, age three, nearly two, and four months old. Most days I am not able to get a shower before noon. I cannot remember the last time I could afford the time or expense of a professional manicure. That being said, I would not change a single thing about my life. My family has certainly been faced with our share of struggles over the last several years. However, we are blessed to be healthy and stable and have been able to overcome our obstacles thanks to lots of prayer and hard work.

I am not in ANY way trying to compare myself to Ms. Suleman. However, I do not understand at all how she can even begin to think that it is reasonable that she will be able to provide her children with the kind of lifestyle they deserve given her situation. I watched her on an interview with Dr. Phil yesterday and folks, the woman just does not get it.

She repeatedly told Dr. P that she had a plan "in her mind" but was completely unable to vocalize that plan. She said she didn't receive government assistance, yet she gets food stamps. She said this wasn't what she intended, but everything went perfectly. She said she had tried for 7 years to conceive naturally; however, her first IVF was at the age of 24. She also repeated multiple times that her history of difficulty conceiving was the motivation for the implantation of six embryos versus two or three at a time.

I don't know what planet she's from, but six live children certainly seems like successful conception and implantation to me.

It is frustrating and disappointing that the creation of human life has been turned into something so nonchalant. Let's turn back the clocks for a moment. At one point, she said she had five embryos implanted at one point and that none of them were successful. Why were so many eggs harvested and so many embryos created for this one woman? She has six living children from five successful IVF procedures. She also has the octuplets who were implanted from 6 embryos. That seems like a hell of a lot of embryo-making to me.

Dare I even say, gluttonous?

From a financial perspective, I simply cannot wrap my head around the justification for her actions. First of all, IVF is not cheap. It is expensive to harvest the eggs, it is expensive to create the embryos, it is expensive to take the medications to optimize fertility, and it is expensive to implant the embryos. All of that is BEFORE successful implantation is even achieved! Add to that the cost of prenatal care, perinatologist care, delivery, postpartum care, and infant and pediatric care and you are talking about a lot of medical expense. I have friends who are hapily married to very successful men who are unable to afford the tens of thousands of dollars necessary to undergo repeated IVF attempts.

On Oprah the day before yesterday, Ms. Suleman's father said to not punnish the babies. I agree with that one hundred percent. However, if someone were to donate to this woman, how would it be guaranteed that she wouldn't pilfer the monies on her fill-ins or restaline injections? I mean, honestly, have you seen the woman? There is one woman in the world with natural lips like those, and Angelina Jolie Ms. Suleman is NOT.

This isn't a judgment of her. Rather, this is a question of her judgment abilities.

So, what's done is done. Those eight precious babies will eventually get out of the hospital. They, and their six siblings, have a very difficult road ahead of them. With a mother whose judgments are questionable at best, how can it be assured that those children get what they need?

She has repeatedly said she loves her children. If that's the case, then she needs to be responsible for loving them. Perhaps, however, it is time for someone else to step in and decide how the logistics are handled. Britney Spears has a person who is responsible for determining her financial affairs, right? No doubt there are people who would like to help support these babies but who are not comfortable with where the funds would go. If someone else were in charge, perhaps it would be more likely that the babies be financially and materially cared for the way they should be.

She doesn't even have a suitable place for the family to live. The hospital will not release the babies to her care until she can prove that she has a stable home for them to go to. Wow. Just wow.

I think it's safe to say that this woman has some very deep rooted psychological issues. She has clearly said that she had babies because she had a void that needed to be filled. And while what's done is done, it is important to make sure that those lives that have been created are taken care of appropriately and that these events are not repeated by another mother.

As tired as I am of hearing Octomom's name, I will continue to pray for her and her children. I can only hope that this situation does not turn out as badly as it has the potential to. I think we should all say a prayer for those babies. They did not ask for the life they have been born into.

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama