Surrogate Mom Gives Birth to Quints
 

Quints born to US surrogate mother
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/image...quins203ap.jpg

A US woman who agreed to act as a surrogate mother to a childless couple has given birth to five boys - and waived her fee.

Teresa Anderson, 25, delivered the rare quintuplets by Caesarean section within five minutes at the hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.

She declined her $15,000 (£7,800) fee because of the costs facing new parents Luisa Gonzalez and Enrique Moreno.

Doctors said the quintuplets could be a record for a surrogate mother.

"There are no statistics kept on the number of quintuplet births to surrogate mothers," said Dr John Elliott, who delivered the babies at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center.

"Suffice to say, it's incredibly rare."

'Happy.. and relieved'

The boys have been named Enrique, Jorge, Gabriel, Victor and Javier by their genetic parents.

Doctors said Javier had been born with a defective heart and would have to undergo surgery in a few weeks.

Mrs Anderson, 25, was implanted with five embryos, to increase the chances of one taking hold.

After learning that all five were developing, she declined to take the payment because of the financial burden now facing the new parents.

Dr Elliott said she was able to walk into the delivery room on her own for the birth, which came at 33 weeks - a week earlier than planned, and well below the full-term pregnancy of 40 weeks.

"She's happy. She's smiling now, She's relieved," said Mrs Anderson's husband, Jerad, after the birth.

The new parents also expressed their delight.

"We were always looking for just one," said Mr Moreno, who came from Mexico 16 years ago. "If it's five, it's for a reason".

He admitted it would be financially tough raising five boys in their three-bedroom house in Gilbert, Arizona. "We'll do the best we can. I know God will help us," he said.
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At the outset, I love this story, and the incredibly selfless act of the surrogate mom. This woman, agreed to be a surrogate for the money, carry five babies could not have been an easy task, probably worth a lot more than 15K. Then to decide to waive the fee because she realized the family would need the money more... Pretty cool of her...

Good Lord! But she's stretched out!!
It is pretty incredible, specially in this 'me first' culture, that she would not accept compensation. I do hope someone, in turn for her generosity, offers her a tummy tuck now!

This was in the paper yesterday before the C section took place. Implantations are always full of surprises.... I'm sure the babies will be loved. Not taking the fee is very selfless... I'm sure she was not exactly in the greatest comfort for 33 weeks, and all to give the babies to someone else. Bravo.

but she knew her discomfort would only last a few months. The adopting parents on the other hand...their discomfort has only just begun!

Why couldn't they just adopt? I am totally against fertility clinics and surrogate motherhood. Now there's the financial burden of 5 kids instead of 1 plus the one of them has a defect that will require expensive surgery. Who's paying for all of this?

Just offering another point of view.

I do agree that the lady waiving her fee was pretty selfless.

Exactly. There are thousands of kids up for adoption right now but no, they HAVE to be genetically related to you; even if you didn't carry them.

hello? can we say nature? Duh, most people who want a kid want the child to be their own genetic material. Otherwise, all that work you put into raising them is wasted, because there are none of your genes in that individual. It's natural for people to want kids to be their own. Of course, a lot of people overcome that urge for the "greater good" and do adopt. But that's usually if they can never ever have kids of their own, no matter what they do.

Whoa, WASTED?!? I'm sure a lot of adopted kids and adoptive parents would find this point of view very offensive. It's natural for people to want their kids to be "their own" but there's so much more to making kids "your own" than genetics. I think framing adoption as the "oh well" last-ditch option is kind of insulting - I know a lot of adoptive parents who didn't even have second thoughts about it. When they found out they couldn't conceive naturally, they looked at the risks and costs associated with fertility treatment, and just shrugged and were happy to have ANY child. I think framing a natural urge to have kids who are genetically yours as justification for any extreme actions to make that happen is dangerous and frankly selfish. Just because we CAN do some stuff doesn't mean we SHOULD. Particularly given some of the recent studies on the higher likelihood of developmental and other health problems in IVF babies. Seems selfish to condemn a kid to a lifetime of problems just because you can't get over your own biological imperative.

ALL children need attention, love, and guidance. Just because they do not have your own genetic material doesn't remove any less of the responsibility. There is no such thing as wasted attention - anyone can have strong influences on ANYONE they interact with. For some people, I'd actually be GLAD their genes are not being carried on.

What a lovely thing for that woman to do. Yes, adoption would have been nice, but this is how it works sometimes.

I'm proud of her for this. Shows that people can be truly selfless.

I agree with Lurkette. Wasted is a pretty poor word to use here. I am adopted and know for a fact that my parents never consider the effort they out forth in raising me as "wasted"

That said, I understand what you mean. There is a book called The Selfish Gene (or something like that) which is similar to what you are saying. People, consciously or subconsciously, want a part of them to live on through the generations and whatnot.

Adoption is a wonderful wonderful thing. It is not just for those who can't have kids no matter what. That statement is absolute crap. For some people, such as my parents, that is the case, but I know many others where it is not.

Whatever your views on this are, that's fine, you just seem to make gross untrue generalizations with no factual basis, though.

My children are the result of fertility treatments-10 years worth. Adoption was tried, but do you have any idea how much that costs and the shitload of paperwork, interviews, home visits and lawyer visits one has to go through?
Maybe THEY'RE paying for all of that-what a concept, eh?