I agree that the bottom line is the irresponsibility on this woman's part and not just having too many kids.

Can you imagine what the cost must be for the birth and subsequent stays in the NICU?

I thought I had read in a few articles that she is living off her student loans and grants.

Really, I hadn't heard that. From the article Jen posted, it says:

and that article also mentioned she payed for the IVF through a "legal settlement after a work accident."

I don't know if this is up there but just a thought....I remember 20 years ago, I worked at Johns Hopkins Respiratory Unit right around the time that Dr. Carson separated the Binder Twins. Some time after that, I spoke with a friend of mine in the accounts payables department and she showed me the bill for their treatment....which was approximately 5 full boxes (Xerox paper boxes to give you an idea)...West Germany (as it was still separated at the time) picked up the tab.

So, yes one can only wonder.

WTF is a "psychiatric technician"? I've only heard of psychiatrists.

Google is your friend: http://www.jobprofiles.org/heapsytech.htm

Thanks.

It doesn't look like it pays much. The article says they report to nurses, which means they're probably lower than nurses on the pay scale.

Different hospitals I've worked at called them different things.. mental health workers, child care workers (in child and adolescent psych), mental health techs, mental health aides.. they are basically the nurses aides of the psych unit. Most of them I've worked with had their BS in Psychology and were working toward their Masters. Some became chemical addiction counselors.

ETA: actually, that posted job description is not what I was thinking of, really. They weren't allowed to touch meds at all, only the RNs could do that. I've never seen a Psychiatric Technician in action.

In 2004, for SIX days of NICU, we had a $45,000 bill AFTER our crappy insurance. SIX days. Imagine eight weeks x 8 kids.

$45k?! Are you serious?!

That could wreck a family.

I am very serious.

She won't pay a penny of it either, I'm sure. She'll declare bankruptcy and Kaiser will get the shaft. (Not that Kaiser getting the shaft would bother me in the least!:p)

I am with you on Kaiser! :)

^^^ Me too. Won't be crying in my beer for Kaiser on that one.

I'm pretty sure she must have been at Kaiser as a Medi-Cal patient, with six kids, no job, no spouse, and no assets. Which I guess will make it tricky to take any kind of cash payment for her story from tabloids because as soon as she has assets, she'll be expected to help pay that ginormous bill.

I suppose that's why you get *gag* "advisors" to help you with these important business decisions.

My guess would be that the hospital has gotten so much publicity from all of this that they threw her a freebie. Does that happen?

There is an article in The State newspaper today that mentions not a lot of corporate sponsors are jumping to help her.

Yes and no. I don't think Kaiser did it it for the PR. She may have been directed to that Kaiser facility because it was the best equipped to handle her particular case. All hospitals have to take a certain number of indigent patients.

I can't really find fault with the staff who provided the care- it's not their job to judge the morality of all this, just to provide the care. They did a great job and I'm sure that other patients will benefit from the teaching/learning aspect of this case...but they are professionals and they deserve to be paid for the services they provide because heck- what a concept- they WORK to care for their own families.

Sounds like that'd be a pretty big freebie.

Yes, but is this GOOD publicity???

As a society we decide all the time that certain people are not able to parent their children - hence the whole foster care/child protective system. Just having a large number of children shouldn't be a problem - but I would hope that the California version of CPS makes sure all FOURTEEN CHILDREN are receiving a proper level of care once they are all home.

And I think the fertility industry needs regulation - we are talking about children's lives here. Multiple births always put the babies at risk, and high multiples really increase the odds that the children will have serious health problems. I would hope that every person who wants to be a parent would be able to realize that dream, but it can't be at the expense of the welfare of the child.

ann curry could not do a hardhitting interview if her life depended on it. she is okay as a news reader, but as an interviewer? forget about it.

I was curious as to how Nadya Suleman looked.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29038814/

I thought that said "Ann Coulter" for some reason. THAT would be an interview...

Same here. So much for "not doing it for the publicity."

Isn't Ann Coulter the one who hates single mothers? ;)

Ann Coulter hates a lot of people.

Including herself I bet.

Ms. Suleman said she felt isolated as an only child, so that's why she wanted a big family.

But... she already HAD a big family. Most people would've been surprised to hear she had six kids already!

Yes, because ALL only children want to have 14 kids unmarried and dependent upon their parents. Why did I not think about this before? Of course! This explains everything. :rolleyes:

Something is not quite right with her b/c I am an only child and never felt isolated and have no desire to have a big family!!! :eek:

She told NBC she implanted 6 and two split.

Here's my favorite part:
More than 300 pages of documents were disclosed to The Associated Press following a public records request to the state Division of Workers' Compensation. Among other things, they reveal that Suleman collected more than $165,000 in disability payments between 2002 and 2008 for the work injury, which she said left her in near-constant pain and helped end her marriage.

She says she was in near-constant pain after a desk was thrown on her. Really? 'Cause if your pain is SOOOOO bad you can't work and are having to be paid for it YOU WON'T DO TOO MANY PREGNANCIES. Pregnancy only makes back pain worse. I cannot imagine what having 8 at one time does...

She obviously wasn't in too bad of a shape. She couldn't work, but she could have 14 kids? Nah. Not buying it. It was a good way to get money. That's what she meant when she said she "got paid for it."

Bitch is a money-hungry, no good, psycho! And California has been paying for it. Wonder how someone so physically challenged will be able to chase around and carry 14 kids on her hip?

I LOVE how she says she's never been on welfare, but won't admit to being on disability. If she is that bad off, how will she ever be able to hold ANY job? Oh, that's right -- she just popped out her money-makers.

I feel SO bad for these kids.

I'm not watching any interviews, buying any magazines, or doing anything that might benefit Crazy Lady. I do feel for those poor children. :( Apparently manufacturers are staying away in droves - the fear is that the public has a negative reaction to her. Yep.

I watched part of the interview with Ann Curry, and this woman just seems unstable to me. I can't figure out why, but watching her and listening to her made me think of those women who go crazy and drown their kids in the bathtub.

Also, our local news did an interview with Jennifer Hanselman (mother of sextuplets) about this woman, and she said basically the same thing -that this woman was completely out of touch with reality (thinking she is going back to school with 14 kids) and that her psychological stability needed to be evaluated.

Wow. I love that Jennifer Hanselman said that. I love strong women who aren't afraid to voice their opinions. Especially when I agree with them. :)

A desk thrown at her?! oh my...

and $165K in disability?

I just have no more words.

i am home sick today, so watched the curry interview on the today show. from the looks of it, nadya suleman has had quite a bit of plastic surgery-at least on her face. combine that with the need to "not feel isolated", to have numerous babies and the schizophrenic way she answered those interview questions and talked to her babies, and it appears to me someone majorly unstable and insecure and unsuitable to be the caregiver of her children.

He was apparently her ex-boyfriend who agreed to be the sperm donor. He wanted to get married but, according to the equally crazy mom, she didn't want to get married.