Multiple Births - as in Sextuplets......

Malko

Malko

ughhh
Staff member
just a question to those out there.....

recently here in the Twin Cities there was a mother who was on fertility drugs and gave birth to sextuplets. They were born a little more than 4 months premature.

Very early on the doctors strongly suggested that the parents reduce the number of fetuses to two. The parents decided against that option and as of yesterday the 3rd infant sadly passed away and the other three are still very critical.

The chances of survival had pregnancy been reduced to twins would have been much better. Now parents have lost three children and the others are nowhere near out of the woods yet.

I truly feel for this couple. It is easy to use hindsight here, but I just don't know what I would do had I been in the same postion.

Thoughts, comments, discuss.

.....also saw in the news that an AZ just had sextuplets as well and suffered heart failure shortly after the birth. She is alive, but it just goes to show the dangers include both the mother and children.
 
JEP said:
just a question to those out there.....

recently here in the Twin Cities there was a mother who was on fertility drugs and gave birth to sextuplets. They were born a little more than 4 months premature.

Very early on the doctors strongly suggested that the parents reduce the number of fetuses to two. The parents decided against that option and as of yesterday the 3rd infant sadly passed away and the other three are still very critical.

The chances of survival had pregnancy been reduced to twins would have been much better. Now parents have lost three children and the others are nowhere near out of the woods yet.

I truly feel for this couple. It is easy to use hindsight here, but I just don't know what I would do had I been in the same postion.

Thoughts, comments, discuss.

.....also saw in the news that an AZ just had sextuplets as well and suffered heart failure shortly after the birth. She is alive, but it just goes to show the dangers include both the mother and children.
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SeatClutcher said:
First question: were there that many babies due to IVF or something like it, or was it natural?
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You mean like fertility drugs? ;)
 
There's a 3-page discussion on this very topic on my Mommy chat board. I am going to quote a lady from there, as she can express what I feel much better and in better language than I can. I'll call her B., and she's not only a mom who has struggled with fertility issues, but she is also a pediatrician in MN not far from the MN sextuplets born recently.

These are her words, not mine, but I share her opinion:

"Having spent quite a bit of time in the infertility treatment world, I can say that in the vast majority of cases, multiple births of this order are preventable if the fertility specialist is being careful and monitoring the patient closely. And I don't mean needing to do selective reduction, because ideally that is a choice you don't want people to have to make. - I mean controlling your treatment such that you don't get more than 2 or at very most 3 fertilized embryos in the first place.

I was never at any risk of having anything more than triplets, as this is something my doctor feels very strongly about (as do I). As an example, it is possible to image the ovaries and not go through with a cycle if the ovaries are going to release more than 3 eggs. Similarly with IVF, there are docs who will put back more embryos to try to increase their statistics, but at what cost?

I think it is unethical for infertility specialists to not do their utmost to prevent higher order births. I say this with the perspective of having been through 2 surgeries, 4 rounds of IUI and 3 rounds of IVF in the interest of having a baby. I also say this with the perspective of having taken care of micropreemies of 23 and 24 weeks gestation with all of their complications of immature lungs, brains that are prone to massive hemorrhagic strokes, immature immune systems that leave them prone to devastating infections. As well as the perspective of having taken care of severely impaired children who were former preemies and have cereberal palsy, seizure disorders, developmental delay and bodies wracked by the effect of their lifetime of muscle spasms. Do their parents love them and see them as blessings? Yes, usually. Is that the best start to life? No, of course not. Premature birth isn't always preventable, but it is not something to take lightly.

I think it is naive to say this is just happy happy joyful news. All babies are blessings, but I also believe all babies deserve the best shot they can have at a healthy life. That means moms who take care of themselves and get good prenatal care and it also means fertility doctors that work hard to prevent higher order multiples so that each baby has a fair chance to grow and develop in mom for a full gestation.

Just because medicine and science CAN accomplish things doesn't mean it should. Or even that doing it is right. I won't comment on the details of the MN case, because the family has a right to privacy. But I can say in general, 22 weeks is at the very edge of viability and those babies are going to need all the help they can get, medical and spiritual.

I don't think it is "being negative" to be realistic about this situation. This is not a story about six cute little babies. This is a story about 6 tiny little people who are having the fight of their lives to survive and their chances are grim."
 
B. has some good points there about the doctors need to take some of the responsibility and practice ethically. As far as selection reduction (aka abortion) goes I know my wife and I couldn't choose. We would just have to put our faith in God. There have also been cases where all the babies did make it just fine after many weeks in the hospital. You just never know how it is going to turn out and it is way too easy to Monday night quaterback this.
 
Bandit_Driver said:
B. has some good points there about the doctors need to take some of the responsibility and practice ethically. As far as selection reduction (aka abortion) goes I know my wife and I couldn't choose. We would just have to put our faith in God. There have also been cases where all the babies did make it just fine after many weeks in the hospital. You just never know how it is going to turn out and it is way too easy to Monday night quaterback this.
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After using scientific methods to create the babies in the first place, it would seem funny to then leave it up to God.

I agree more care should be taken. I've only skimmed a few articles on this, but one I read today said those with lower incomes tend to be the ones more likely to opt FOR the higher baby-count in case they can't afford more procedures later on.

If the doctors can regulate how many babies end up growing, they should. Otherwise, you end up with people who can't afford two kids getting pregnant with six - and then asking for donations from their community (not to mention creating the whole "which ones will make it?" dilemma).

It bugs me.
 
Bandit_Driver said:
B. has some good points there about the doctors need to take some of the responsibility and practice ethically. As far as selection reduction (aka abortion) goes I know my wife and I couldn't choose. We would just have to put our faith in God. There have also been cases where all the babies did make it just fine after many weeks in the hospital. You just never know how it is going to turn out and it is way too easy to Monday night quaterback this.
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I was blessed to have to (for the most part) ;) wonderful boys and granted I am not in the situation but I truly have to wonder why.

I just think that given the Dr's advice and the chance to have two relatively healthy babies I would have to go with the selective reduction. Instead of having 2 possibly healthy babies they now have 3 critical 5 month old children and sadly 3 that have passed away.

I truly hope that the remaining three do pull through so the parents have something to hang onto.
 
Humans are not litter bearing - they need to becareful with any form of multiple birth. The most without drugs was 12, none survived, not sure they even went to term.
 
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