Green Options

The Sulemans will be British stars! The so-called “Octomom” signed contracts for herself and all of her 14 children, who will make $250 (or £150) per day starting September 1.

Paperwork was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court showing an agreement between the family and European media company Eyeworks. Over the course of 3 years, the children will collectively make about $250K.

As we all remember, Suleman stirred controversy after giving birth to octuplets conceived through IVF. Many made an issue over how the 33-year-old single mother might finance the kids’ upbringing.

This absurdity show comes on the heels of the very public breakup of Jon + Kate. So who is ready to say: perhaps we should stop parading children on TV simply to make a buck?

The news about octuplet mom Nadya Suleman raises serious concerns about medical ethics, profit motive, regulation, and oversight in the fertility industry. According to the CDC, 80 percent of U.S. fertility clinics don’t follow the embryo implant guidelines established in 1999 by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and it turns out that the entire industry is self regulated.

“Assisted reproduction is a multibillion-dollar business. Like other commercial enterprises, it needs rules.” - Marcy Darnovsky, of the Center for Genetics and Society in Oakland.

With my first born, I gained 55 pounds. She was born weighing 9.5 pounds, and I felt absolutely huge during my third trimester.  My gigantic belly is nothing compared to the womb of the mother of the California octuplets Nadya Suleman.  I just wonder what this does to the poor mother’s body…loss of calcium, stretch marks, anemia, etc.  No matter what you think about the octuplets and their carbon footprint, I find these images of the mother incredible. (Image after the jump)

I was exhausted while breastfeeding one child, so I can’t imagine what the mother of octuplets, who already has six children previously, must feel like nursing eight babies!

I commend the new mother for making sure her infants received the best nutrition possible through breastmilk. They’ve already survived to be only the second set of octuplets to be born alive in America, rarer than your chances of being struck by lightning.

The unidentified mother gave birth to two girls and six boys, weighing from 1 pound, 8 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces.  The mother plans to breastfeed all eight babies, according to Inhabitots.

At present, five of the octuplets are being fed donated breast milk while their mother is pumping to save milk for all of her babies. The medical staff will help the mother learn how to express her milk so that they can store and give it to the infants. Each baby now weighs in at under 3 lbs each, so it is essential that they receive their mother’s breast milk to help their tiny bodies grow in strength, and to build up their digestive and immune systems. Mom and babies will gradually get used to breastfeeding, but will always be allowed to have skin to skin contact while the babies gain their strength. Such contact is another important necessity for their sustained health. (This is the typical recovery breastfeeding system for premature born infants).