Quadruplets For Lesbian Couple
A lesbian couple in Irvine, California are the proud mamas of quadruplets.
Four times the diapers. Four times the formula. Four times the crying, and four times the laundry. Those were just some of the thoughts that raced through the minds of Cristine Gaiennie and her partner, Patsy Lovell, when they discovered they were expecting quadruplets – two boys and two girls.That noise you hear is the sound of millions of Freepers' heads exploding.
"Four? It took us a few weeks to get over the shock," said Gaiennie, 39, who carried the babies. "We were just hoping for one." A doctor raised the possibility of selective reduction early in the pregnancy, a medical procedure that would reduce the number of fetuses and thus the risks of complications like premature labor and low birth weight. But a 10-week ultrasound led Gaiennie, 39, and Lovell, 49, to rule it out.
"We saw little arms and legs, and one of them kicked," Gaiennie said. "We figured this is a gift we got. Let's dive into it and hope for the best." Gaiennie and Lovell, who live in Placentia and work for the Irvine Police Department, have been together 5 years and have a 2-year-old son named Jordan. They met on the job 14 years ago, when they worked as police dispatchers.
Early on in their relationship, Gaiennie and Lovell, now 49, agreed that they wanted children. Lovell was unable to carry children, so "I was elected by default," said Gaiennie.
The couple used anonymous donor sperm and conceived son Jordan after three rounds of artificial insemination. Gaiennie worked a day shift managing the city's permit staff, and Patsy worked night shifts as a dispatch supervisor, in an effort to keep Jordan out of childcare.
Labels: California, gay parents, LGBT History