That Is Not Your Baby

Carolyn Savage, 40, is about to give birth, by cesarean section, to a baby boy who is not her son. No - this is not another version of the horror flick Rosemary's Baby - but it does prove Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong).

Carolyn, due to a mix-up at a fertility clinic, is carrying the embryo from another couple. The mistake was discovered 10 days after the frozen embryo was implanted into her womb. This was in early February 2009. The doctor told them they could abort, but the couple didn't consider that a viable option.

Carolyn and Sean, 39, her husband, have decided to have the baby, and when it is born, turn it over to the real biological parents - Paul and Shannon Morell, of Troy, Michigan.

Embryo mix-ups at fertility clinics are extremely rare. In those few instances, they've degenerated into custody battles, ugly lawsuits and at least one abortion. But not this time. Savage and her husband decided that the right thing — the only thing — to do was to give the baby to the biological parents.

Although the Savages have two sons, and a daughter born with the help of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) doctors have told Carolyn that this must be her final pregnancy.

Shannon and Paul Morell, both 39, have twin girls - also conceived through in-vitro fertilization.

See video clip here

Shannon would not say what clinic she and her husband, Paul used or what legal action they were considering because of the mistake. They have nonetheless hired attorneys who say they are working to make sure the fertility clinic accepts responsibility.

Carolyn Savage is due to give birth to a boy within the next two weeks. When it happens Paul and Shannon Morell will be nearby, waiting to meet their son.

“It’s just the oddest feeling to have somebody else carrying your child because, as a parent, you want to do everything possible to protect your child," Shannon Morell said this morning. "We were totally powerless and out of control. Even though we were grateful, it was just a terrible feeling.”

Although there is no family link between the two couples isn't it strange that Shannon Morell’s maiden name is Savage..... coincidence or fate?

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Twins are Half Brothers

In order to understand the title, here's a new term for you....heteropaternal superfecundation. What it means is that, Mia Washington, the mother of 11-month-old twin boys, was having an affair. The twins have different fathers.

After noticing physical facial differences between the two boys, Justin and Jordan; Mia Washington and her boyfriend, James Harrison, decided to take a paternity test. They went to Dallas DNA Lab Clear Diagnostics.

According to the paternity test, there’s a 99.999 percent chance Justin and Jordan do not have the same father, and zero percent chance they do. The lab has never seen this type of result, nor do they expect to see it again.

“It is very crazy. Most people don’t believe it can happen, but it can,” said Clear Diagnostics President Genny Thibodeaux.

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When twins have two fathers, doctors call it heteropaternal superfecundation. It’s so rare; there are only a handful of documented cases in the world. Washington admits she had an affair that resulted in two babies, born at the same time, fathered by two different men.

“Out of all people in America and of all people in the world, it had to happen to me. I’m very shocked,” Washington said.

The medical marvel can happen when a woman releases multiple eggs during ovulation. If she has more than one sexual partner within the same time period, sperm cells can fertilize two separate eggs.

"Sperm can survive up to five days inside a woman's body, so a woman could sleep with different men several days apart, and get pregnant not once, but twice."

In the case of the Texas twins, there was never any health threat to the babies during the pregnancy because they were fathered by different men.

“It’s not a baby issue since they had different placentas,” Dr. Finkelstein, a Manhattan obstetrician, explains. “The two babies are totally separate entities. Babies can have different blood types even if they have the same father.”

Washington wants people to know she takes full responsibility for her actions.

“I’m trying to let everybody else know: Don’t put yourself in my shoes, because it can hurt and it does hurt, but you still have to go on with life,” she said.

James Harrison said he’s forgiven his fiancé's infidelity and has vowed to stay with her and raise both boys as his own. However for the record Jordan is James' son. Justin's father is someone else.

“It’s a day by day thing. It’s going to take time to build that trust like we had,” James Harrison said.

Washington and Harrison also have more news:

“Five months ago we found out that I was pregnant again and our new baby is due to arrive in the autumn,” she told the Daily Mail. “Right now I’m fully committed to taking care of my family and making sure their needs are met. I can guarantee there’ll be no questions raised this time around.”

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The Nastiest Apartment

I am sure every kid has heard the phrase "Clean up your room!". Well this apartment in Houston is living proof that some people just don't get it. This is by far the nastiest apartment I have ever seen. I am pretty sure that the girl who used to live here has never had any guests come over. The landlord will have to hire a crew in has-mat gear to clean up this disaster zone.

The bathroom looks like it hasn't been used in a long, long time. The bath and the toilet are horribly stained and indescribably dirty; the floor is strewn with what looks like toxic waste; just to get near the bath tub (not that anyone would want to) definitely requires protective clothing not to mention industrial strength boots. It is obvious that personal hygiene was not a top priority!!

This person is obviously a smoker who doesn't own an ashtray and used to have a computer. She prefers takeout pizza and loves coffee and soda (both Coke and Pepsi products). She has never cooked a meal in the apartment but does own an iron. She has her own little corner on the couch and doesn't particularly care where anything else goes, especially the garbage!!

She has a bed (even though it may be difficult to find in the pictures) and does most of her eating and drinking in the bedroom and on the bed. Of course to get to the bed itself is a feat worthy of an Olympic-style obstacle course. And just like the couch, she has her own little spot on the bed that it carved out from all the rest of the junk in the room. I guess she does have to stretch out somewhere!!

You may be wondering why I keep referring to this person as "she". Well lets see if "you " can spot the clues in the pictures above. I think it goes without saying that "she" is single and is likely to remain so for a long time!

P.S. Don't let the kids see this article. They may get the idea that their room is not so bad after all!!