My heart, it breaks for this family.

medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

Yeah, two whole weeks. Did you even read the article, or are you just an asshole?

I'd guess asshole, to be around Fark for as long as you have. You don't have any friends, so this is your outlet. Good for you. What's funny is that no one is going to even care when you die, so there's that.

So at age 51, when he was sick with cancer and getting chemo and stuff he still had the energy to fark and get his wife pregnant.

Even if he was well and healthy the babies dad would be 72 years old in 20 years.

Good for him.

medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

man this is getting some bites. 9/10

Then the baby follows its daddy.

Relevant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR5mZqeDNtg (new window)

Tigger: medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

It is in many ways a pity that "being a contrarian dick for no reason" doesn't give people cancer.

For fark's sake man, aren't there ever occasions when you think 'maybe I shouldn't be Mr Internet' about something'

I actually feel sorry for you.

But I agree with him. If it's me, I want what's best for my kid, not for me. I'm dying and that last two weeks is important for lung development.

medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

A heapin' helpin' of THIS. This news is retarded, not sob-worthy.
People really do have kids for all the wrong reasons.
If he loved her and the kid, he would NEVER have agreed to
an induced labor. Just fking selfish.
And she's a moron.

medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

Two weeks is well within the safe window, and most labor is induced nowadays to keep it in a hospital setting.

Basically, from a medical perspective this isn't really anything unusual, in some ways it's actually less risky in complication terms than just waiting for contractions to randomly start when you might be chopping vegetables with a sharp knife or standing on a ladder to paint the nursery roof or whatever.

//For reference, it's not actually considered a premature birth unless you're under 37 weeks. The "Usual" duration of gestation is 40 weeks, so we're talking 38, which is fine.

Lsherm: medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

Yeah, two whole weeks. Did you even read the article, or are you just an asshole?

I'd guess asshole, to be around Fark for as long as you have. You don't have any friends, so this is your outlet. Good for you. What's funny is that no one is going to even care when you die, so there's that.

I'm sorry, I like you, Lsherm, you're on my favorites, but I gotta agree with medius.

FTFA: A home movie on Christmas showed a pregnant Diane Aulger, 31, handing out gifts to the couple's four children, the oldest of whom is 15. Mark, 52, who had just received the news that he had beaten cancer, played the guitar, providing a soundtrack for the Christmas morning festivities.

- He's 52, she's 31, their eldest is 15 (??! - a missing second marriage in there?) and they have four other children.
- This is not their first child.
- He's got four other children, he's already experienced all that miracle of childbirth crap four prior times. It was not necessary to induce for non-medical reasons. This shiat is as retarded as getting a c-section because you want your kid born on a specific date, or your doctor wants to go on vacation early. This was not for the benefit of the kid (and could have hurt the kid, and the mother), it was selfish.

And what's the kid going to get out of it? Jack and shiat. They are not going to remember any of this, and it's not going to be important to them except in the 'my biological father isn't here anymore'... which would have happened whether he got to hold the kid or not.

FTFA: But on Jan. 16, Mark Aulger found out those treatments would be fruitless. He had one week left to live. ...On Jan. 18, in a larger-than-normal delivery room, Mark rested in his bed, a supportive presence for Diane as their baby girl entered the world. "The day she was born his oxygen levels were really high," Aulger said. "He held her for 45 minutes. Him and I just cried that whole time." As Diane was recovering, Mark tried holding his daughter again the next day, but was only able to last one minute. "He just couldn't take it," Diane Aulger said.

- did the doctors specifically say he had one week to live, or is the article saying he had one week left to live in hindsight?
- No. Just... no. This just gives me the same vibes as when people get pregnant because they want to hold onto a man, or want to give a gift to someone. It's less about the baby, who's just an object, than about the symbolism.

Hmm... needs something...

any unnecessary medical procedure adds unnecessary risk.



/Texas + no father + stripper name = bright future.

At least the child survived the early induction and it could be taken home in a kiddy seat instead of a jar like Rick Santorum did.

ExperianScaresCthulhu:
And what's the kid going to get out of it? Jack and shiat. They are not going to remember any of this, and it's not going to be important to them except in the 'my biological father isn't here anymore'... which would have happened whether he got to hold the kid or not.


You miss something important about symbolism and human contact. It will absolutely mean something to that girl when she inevitably goes through the grieving process when she's old enough to understand it.

wademh: Tigger: medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

It is in many ways a pity that "being a contrarian dick for no reason" doesn't give people cancer.

For fark's sake man, aren't there ever occasions when you think 'maybe I shouldn't be Mr Internet' about something'

I actually feel sorry for you.

But I agree with him. If it's me, I want what's best for my kid, not for me. I'm dying and that last two weeks is important for lung development.

No, the lungs are fully formed well before that.

Jim_Callahan: medius: Yes, let's risk complications and the future health of the kid so that some selfish asshole who is going to die anyway can post one last picture to Facebook.

Two weeks is well within the safe window, and most labor is induced nowadays to keep it in a hospital setting.

Basically, from a medical perspective this isn't really anything unusual, in some ways it's actually less risky in complication terms than just waiting for contractions to randomly start when you might be chopping vegetables with a sharp knife or standing on a ladder to paint the nursery roof or whatever.

//For reference, it's not actually considered a premature birth unless you're under 37 weeks. The "Usual" duration of gestation is 40 weeks, so we're talking 38, which is fine.

Safe window, yes. Optimal? No. Stabbing oneself with a knife because contractions just start? Troll!

This goes against GOD.
/Or something

drjekel_mrhyde: This goes against GOD.
/Or something

does that cause static electricity?

drjekel_mrhyde: This goes against GOD.
/Or something

which god? because gods help them if it is against pan, the goat god.

The wife is in the yahoo comments

JackalRabbit: drjekel_mrhyde: This goes against GOD.
/Or something

does that cause static electricity?

farbekrieg: drjekel_mrhyde: This goes against GOD.
/Or something

which god? because gods help them if it is against pan, the goat god.

Pretty sure some fundy group has a problem with this

Bismillah

That is outrageously irresponsible.

A baby needs as much time in the womb as possible. Forcing the birth early harms the child for its entire life. What a selfish act.

Reverend_Gladstone: ExperianScaresCthulhu:
And what's the kid going to get out of it? Jack and shiat. They are not going to remember any of this, and it's not going to be important to them except in the 'my biological father isn't here anymore'... which would have happened whether he got to hold the kid or not.


You miss something important about symbolism and human contact. It will absolutely mean something to that girl when she inevitably goes through the grieving process when she's old enough to understand it.

No, I do not believe it will. I believe the only thing it will do is slightly change the fantasy the little girl will build up in her head about her biological father. She might even start to 'remember' shiat about her own birth and her father she couldn't possibly remember, because her family will repeat the tale so often in her presence. (You know how that goes.)

But grieve? If mama gets a new man in her life, and the new man is a bastard, THEN the little girl will start to grieve like a muh.... because of the fantasy of the man her mama was willing to induce for. If mama gets a new man in her life, and the new man is worthy, the little girl isn't going to 'grieve' nearly as much. He'll be her birth father, and she'll be curious about him, but she's not going to grieve him all onion-like because the new man will be her true father, the only one she truly knows.

If mama sleeps around with a bunch of dudes, or keeps one dude around but doesn't marry him, THEN the little girl will start to grieve like a muh.. for near the same reasons as grieving while the new husband is a bastard. The little girl will need the fantasy of the Perfect Father to hold onto, in a shiat life.

There was no need to induce. His holding the kid was selfish.

If he really wanted to 'touch' his child, he needed to do shiat in such a way that his presence would matter to *her* when she's old enough to understand. That video with the guitar playing? Shiat like that. A message from beyond the grave, with his words to her. That would touch someone. Having his voice be there for her, saying that he cares about her, and wanted her to know this that or the other.....that is something to hold onto, to savor, which would truly always be there.

But there is no caring in this. There's no monument. There's no specialness for her. She's just sperm donation number Five, proof of virality, proof of genetic legacy. This was about him, not the child.

If the kid feels differently in 18 years, though, then hey, it's their life and their feelings, not mine.

It was selfish.

wademh: Safe window, yes. Optimal? No. Stabbing oneself with a knife because contractions just start? Troll!

Oh, come on, the serious comment was about inducing to ensure hospital conditions, I think it was fairly clear that when I was talking about falling off a ladder while painting because you're going into labor I was being somewhat facetious. Not really the same thing as trolling.

ExperianScaresCthulhu: And what's the kid going to get out of it? Jack and shiat.

Aside from the fact that this is somewhat debatable, what they did presents zero risk to the kid.
Children are born at 38 weeks all the time. It is, in fact, considered a pregnancy carried to term. The premise that your and medius' complaint relies on -- that it presents undue risk to the child -- is false on its very face. I'd trust the judgment of the doctors doing it over random internet know-it-alls in any case.

Dubai Vol: That is outrageously irresponsible.

A baby needs as much time in the womb as possible. Forcing the birth early harms the child for its entire life. What a selfish act.

I see all the prenatal MDs have arrived with their expert opinions.

calbert: i really really hate this headline schtick. just stop it. it detracts from the story.

yeah, submitter is a retard.

Who greenlights that kind of meme?

Gawdzila: ExperianScaresCthulhu: And what's the kid going to get out of it? Jack and shiat.

Aside from the fact that this is somewhat debatable, what they did presents zero risk to the kid.
Children are born at 38 weeks all the time. It is, in fact, considered a pregnancy carried to term. The premise that your and medius' complaint relies on -- that it presents undue risk to the child -- is false on its very face. I'd trust the judgment of the doctors doing it over random internet know-it-alls in any case.

I don't have access the the references right now, but the hormonal changes to the lungs in the last 4 weeks are profound.
Yes, most kids born post 36 weeks do fine but the risk increases with every week prior to 40. Further, naturally born a few weeks early is medically distinct from induced a few weeks early. Lastly, you would have a different opinion of your average MD if you had taught medical students for 10 years. The best MDs are amazing, but not average MDs. The press towards early or even "just on time" inducing is a business case, not a medical one.

I think its perfectly acceptable to do what this family did. Two weeks is nothing, babies are born that early all the time. Hell my daughter was born at 7 months, aside from always being a little small for her age she's been healthy her whole life.

Not only did the father get to hold his child before he died, but the child gets to grow up knowing that as well. That emotional connection will far outweigh whatever minimal health risks, if any at all, there are. Besides, due dates are approximations at best anyway, its not uncommon for babies to come two weeks early or later than a due date.

Wow, the number of intentional arseholes is amazing even for Fark standards.

/welcometofark.jpg

I know I'm supposed to feel *something* when I read this article, but I'm on so many antidepressants and antipsychotics that this kind of stuff just bores me. Maybe if the baby was born without a head I would laugh, but this kind of article only clogs up fark. I wonder what wasn't green lit in favor of this crap.

Beat Cancer, die from radiation complications. That's one of those "you were destined to die" things right there.

Irving Maimway: Wow, the number of intentional arseholes is amazing even for Fark standards.

/welcometofark.jpg

Is apathy the same as being an asshole. I get called an asshole a lot, but I really just lack the ability to care. I know other people have feelings. I just don't give a shiat about them unless it affects me in some way. You'd be surprised how many people can just disappear before it will even make the news.

Just pointing out if they were at all concerned about lung development prior to inducing before 40 weeks, that it would be routine to do an amniocentesis first and not induce if the lungs weren't fully mature. Having one myself in a week when I'm 37 weeks along due to complications and a failing placenta.
It's not as though the doctors are just like, "ehhh eff it, she wants her out, let's just wing it."

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/womens-health/arti c les/2009/03/30/babies-born-only-2-to-3-weeks-early-may-face

Even two weeks, while considered normal, carries an increased risk of developmental problems.

TsuZi: Just pointing out if they were at all concerned about lung development prior to inducing before 40 weeks, that it would be routine to do an amniocentesis first and not induce if the lungs weren't fully mature. Having one myself in a week when I'm 37 weeks along due to complications and a failing placenta.
It's not as though the doctors are just like, "ehhh eff it, she wants her out, let's just wing it."

Try to understand. It's about relative risks. If someone has complications with their pregnancy, the relative small risk of inducing after week 36 does not out-weigh the risk of going to term. But if there are no complications, the incremental risk of 0.5% is a risk you just don't need to take. The recent research on late-preterm births is showing increased risk of multiple problems. The great majority of children induced a few weeks early will show no developmental problems but why risk being in the few percent that do?

Will I call the person who made this choice an idiot? No. The ones who induce a at 37 weeks because it simplifies their time off of work? Yes.

Those who claim inducing two weeks early is without risk are ill-informed. The risk is low but why take an unnecessary risk?