The successful delivery of America’s second set of octuplets on January 26, 2009, brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Since the birth of Nadya Suleman’s infants, news stories have continuously questioned her ability to care for eight newborns, in addition to her six other children under seven years of age. Discussion of potential health risks to the infants following a multiple-gestation pregnancy and premature birth—and the need for extra vigilance due to these risks—has been less prominent. The newborn intensive care team in charge of tending this rare birth had the technology and expertise to care for the infants’ immediate health care concerns. However, some of the octuplets’ actual and potential health obstacles beyond the NICU will require myriad resources to be made available to their mother.
The successful delivery of America’s second set of octuplets on January 26, 2009, brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Since the birth of Nadya Suleman’s infants, news stories have continuously questioned her ability to care for eight newborns, in addition to her six other children under seven years of age. Discussion of potential health risks to the infants following a multiple-gestation pregnancy and premature birth—and the need for extra vigilance due to these risks—has been less prominent. The newborn intensive care team in charge of tending this rare birth had the technology and expertise to care for the infants’ immediate health care concerns. However, some of the octuplets’ actual and potential health obstacles beyond the NICU will require myriad resources to be made available to their mother.
Melissa Kurtz, "More than a Villiage: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Multiples," Hastings Center Report 39, no. 3 (2009): 25-26.