The famous (and controversial) Nadya Suleman, aka Octomom, will appear on ABC’s “The View,” on Wednesday, February 24th, in her first-ever visit to New York City and on the show.

Suleman commented on the upcoming event, “I am elated. I am honored. I love ‘The View’ and can’t wait to meet everyone, my heroes. I can’t wait to see New York.”

This should make for an interesting show as the hosts of the show have debated the circumstances in past shows about the unemployed single mother who chose to have IVF after already having six other children.

I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other The View branded items to facilitate my review.

Mallory & Macy on their 16th birthday (1/27/2010) standing under the counted cross-stitch samplers I started while I was on pregnancy bedrest at 21 weeks.

As it snows outside today, I remember the awful snow storm we received sixteen years ago, as that was the day my million-dollar miracle babies were born.  The weather was too bad for a helicopter to fly me to Omaha, so I was put in Trendelenburg position (feet above my head to relieve pressure on the cervix) and given drugs to try to stop labor and more drugs to speed up the development of the twins’ lungs.  I remember the doctor saying, “Your tummy is a way better incubator than any hospital.”

But the drugs didn’t work in time. Six doctors and fifteen nurses were called in to help out at our small local hospital for my emergency C-Section.

At 10:52 pm and 10:53 pm, I gave birth to the tiniest babies I’d ever seen, born over 13 weeks before they were supposed to come into this world…

Twin A: Mallory Joan, 2 lb 6 oz
Twin B: Macy Annette, 2 lb 9 oz

Notice the size of the nurse’s fingers compared to the size of Macy’s arms and legs (Twin B)! My wedding ring could fit around them. And Mallory was even smaller. I tell them they could have fit in a Velveeta cheese box.

The doctors didn’t think the girls would live through the night, and our pastor came down to the hospital to baptize the girls. My husband named them while I was still in the recovery room, and I remember practically sitting up in bed when I heard that they let him name them (let’s just say I would have named them differently).  I think the grandmas may have helped as they have their grandmother’s middle names.

I wasn’t even put in the maternity ward after surgery, as I’m presuming they thought it would be too devastating for me. I got to see the babies for one brief minute before they were flown to St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha. A helicopter would have been too rough of a ride for them, so they were transported in a medical airplane.  I remember receiving a bill from the City of Norfolk for having to do snow removal to clear the airport’s runway for the plane.

It was not an easy journey the first year (as you can read under Macy & Mallory’s NICU Story), and they still like to try my strength and patience at times. I’m surprised I don’t have any gray hairs yet!

Happy Birthday Girls! I love you! ~Mom

I’ve been out of the deal loop for a couple weeks as my daughter had surgery, but is now recovering at home.  It is a bit ironic that I recently wrote about breast milk vs. infant formula, and how I did not breastfed my twin daughters. I wished store brand formula which is now sold at Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, and Babies “R” Us would have been available to me years ago to save 50% off the price of name-brand baby formulas such as Similac, Enfamil and Good Start.

Available exclusively at Walmart, special cans of the store brand Parent’s Choice Infant Formula are currently on sale for only $5.00. Parents have the choice of Parent’s Choice Milk Infant Formula in a 15.5 oz (440 gram) can and/or Parent’s Choice Gentle Infant Formula for babies with fussiness or gas in a special 12.9 oz (366 gram) can.

All infant formulas marketed in the United States are subject to the same FDA standards, so you can be assured that even store brand formula meets minimum and maximum nutrient specifications.

If you are currently receiving formula paid for by the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, there have been new changes in the WIC program which may reduce infant-formula subsidies.  So you may want to check into your eligibility and stock up during Walmart’s sale.

If you are not familiar with the WIC program, visit the USDA website for more information and to apply for assistance.

WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk.