Leave Octo-Mom Alone

Crazy.

Irresponsible.

Unstable.

I am so sick of hearing about Nadya Suleyman and her kids. I don't feel contempt or disgust. I just don't care. Seriously. However, I do feel that Nadya is being unfairly attacked.

Bill O'Reilly's comments about Nadya being crazy got me the most upset. With all of the problems with the economy and Obama signing off on that ridiculous "porkulous" bill, why is a political pundit making a commentary about something he knows absolutely nothing about?

I'd like to get a few things straight for those of you that know nothing about IVF (In Vitro Fertilization). I'm not a doctor, reproductive endocrinologist, geneticist or any other sort of medical professional. I personally went through IVF during the summer of 2007. Frankly, I could have been in Nadya's shoes. Granted, I don't have six children, but it was suggested that I implant "six or seven embryos" rather than going through PGD (Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis) to find which embryos were viable.

IVF is a procedure where a woman undergoes fertility treatments to produce more eggs than normal. These treatments last about a month and include shots, pills, patches and frequent doctor visits. It is not easy. My husband had to give me three shots per day until my eggs were ready to be retrieved. The woman is knocked out during the retrieval procedure, when the doctor goes into the ovaries to pluck out the eggs. Once the eggs are retrieved, they are fertilized with the man's sperm, which went through a "wash" while the retrieval process was happening. After a few days, the embryos are graded and some are implanted into the woman's uterus.

Because of my situation (Luteal Phase Defect Disorder in my case and Translocation Genetic Defect for my husband), it was recommended that we have PGD. This procedure required two extra days for the embryos to grow. A cell was taken from each embryo and genetically mapped, making sure each chromosome had the correct makeup from egg and sperm. This was an optional process which cost $6500. Out of the 12 eggs that were retrieved, all 12 fertilized. ONLY TWO OF THOSE EMBRYOS WERE VIABLE!

Before we had the procedure done, it was required that we meet with a geneticist. We met with Dr. David Hyman of St. Catherine of Siena in Smithtown, NY. Dr. Hyman actually recommended that we "implant six or seven embryos and see what takes." My husband and I were stunned. When I asked him what I would do if all of the embryos took, he actually responded, "Well, I guess you will have a lot of babies."

I was stunned - and furious - that the doctor actually said this to me. I had never been through IVF before, and had already gone through four miscarriages. He wanted me to do a crapshoot with my life. When I said that I wouldn't be able to have six or seven children and would have to do embryo reduction, he actually responded, "I suppose you could do selective termination." I left the office in tears.

My husband and I saved up and paid for the PGD. We had the two viable embryos implanted, and I was blessed with twins. Since twins runs in my husband's family, we were concerned that the embryos would both split into quadruplets. My husband and I actually discussed what we would have done, and we both decided that we would keep all four babies.

Are you aware that Nadya had six embryos implanted? She did the same with the past IVF procedures she went through, and they all resulted in one child. So, she did it again, and all six took. Not only did all six take, TWO of the embryos split into twins. Voila - 8 babies. (By the way, the hospital was prepared for 7 babies, not 8. The doctor didn't see the eighth heartbeat and discovered the last baby when he went to "clean out" Nadya's uterus.) It is a fluke. I'm not saying it's right; I'm not saying it's wrong. It was a fluke. She is lucky that she didn't die during her pregnancy.

Who are we to say who can and who can't have IVF? You are talking about a single woman that wants more children. Rather than going out and getting pregnant by some stranger, she deliberately went through IVF to have what she thought was going to be her seventh child. Do you honestly think she originally planned to have eight babies at once? I should think not. The chances of all six embryos taking - much less splitting - are so ridiculously slim that it is recommended a lot more than people realize. I know several women that have gone through IVF. One had six embryos implanted twice, and none of them took.

Who are we to tell a pregnant woman that she has to abort some of the babies that she is carrying in order to be "socially responsible"? It's crap. And it's none of anyone else's business. What about the 15 year old girls in North Bellport that are pregnant with their second children and can't get a job to support them because they aren't old enough? What about the mothers in Compton that have more than 4 children, all from different fathers? Would the country be this enraged if Nadya Suleyman was actually named Lakisha Washington? And, no, I'm not racist. I'm just speaking the truth.

It isn't fair that Nadya Suleyman is being attacked this way. If she were Black, she would be hailed as some sort of hero. There wouldn't be any death threats, because people would be afraid of the racist connotations. President Obama would probably call her and congratulate her, offering her some sort of earmark in one of his stimulus bills. Companies would send diapers, formula, cars and I bet she would even get a new house courtesy of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Why is it so different for Nadya? Because she vaguely resembles Angelina Jolie? Because her mother doesn't support her? Because a PR firm decided to help out and start a website for her and her kids to get donations?

Now look at Jon & Kate on that God-awful television show. She had twins and had six embryos implanted. All of them took. She got handouts left and right. Some plastic surgeon even gave her a tummy tuck after the delivery FOR FREE. Camera crews follow her family everywhere. They get free trips. Heck, they even got to meet Oprah. Why is it so different for Nadya? Because she is single? Because she is unemployed? Because she had six kids before this procedure? This isn't Communist China, people. The United States doesn't regulate how many children you are allowed to have.

If they did, what would the Duggars do? You know, that family with the SEVENTEEN children. Is it so different because the wife could get pregnant naturally? You aren't being fair to those of us that can't get pregnant naturally. Do you think that means that we just aren't meant to have children?

Okay, so Nadya has admitted to accepting food stamps and whatnot. There are plenty of people throughout the United States that takes a helluva lot more from taxpayers than Nadya Suleyman. Let's look at AIG for instance... They get a bail out from the government, then send their execs on a "retreat" to Vegas. What about Governer Paterson, who says that NY needs to make some serious budget cuts, then gives his own staffers major pay raises? Is Nadya Suleyman really more important than this?

I am not saying that Nadya Suleyman is right or wrong in having her children. Frankly, I don't care. I hope the babies are doing well in the NICU. After having my own twins in the NICU for 13 days, I know how taxing it is. I am not saying that what the doctor did was right or wrong. Frankly, I don't care. And I'm sure that the doctor will go on practicing medicine the exact way he has in the past.

Get over it and focus on more important things. Let Nadya worry about herself and her kids. She - and especially those children - don't need the negativity surrounding them.

Got it, Bill?