00:00I'm not selfish for having kids knowing I can pass down my bone disease and I want more.
00:05I'm a single mom of three and my bones are like glass.
00:09So many people have called me selfish.
00:11Having children and reproducing is not for everyone.
00:14If they want to feel loved by a dog or cat, don't reproduce.
00:18Granny!
00:19Today I'm going to tell my grandmother that I want more kids.
00:22She was against me having a child.
00:25She's going to explode.
00:26How do y'all feel about me having more children?
00:29You got to go brush your teeth, okay?
00:32And wash your face.
00:33Put your iPads down, please.
00:37My name is Gigi.
00:38I have a brittle bone disease, but I still parent my three kids alone.
00:42You want to brush your teeth?
00:44Okay, let me just put this on your face.
00:47I have osteogenesis imperfecta type 4 and I am 3'8".
00:52My 4-year-old is the same height as me.
00:55So this is Milani.
00:56She's 1 years old.
00:58This is Montavious.
00:59He's 9 years old.
01:01And this is Melani.
01:02She's 4 years old.
01:03Okay.
01:04You ready?
01:06Osteogenesis imperfecta is a brittle bone disease.
01:10I have to be very, very careful on how I move and carry my youngest baby so that I don't
01:17break anything.
01:18I need you to go get her walker for me.
01:20Okay.
01:22You're welcome.
01:23My condition affects my bones in my day-to-day life by the way I take care of my children
01:28and the way I do a lot of things around the house.
01:32Why Tevius, I need you to give me the pancakes.
01:36Melanie, can you get the bacon for me, please?
01:38You got it for me already?
01:39Uh-huh.
01:41Plug that up for me, too.
01:42Okay.
01:44It looks like the kids are a lot of help.
01:45What did you used to do before?
01:46They could bring stuff and move around so much.
01:49I would just have to struggle.
01:51Just do it myself.
01:54Tevius, can you pull the baby a little closer to me, please?
01:56Is your mom a good cook?
01:58Yeah.
01:59What's your favorite thing that she makes?
02:00She makes bacon and pancakes and with syrup, with pancakes.
02:07Is that your favorite thing?
02:09Yeah.
02:09My oldest, Montavious, was diagnosed with autism when he was five years old.
02:15He's like the biggest help.
02:18I have two baby daddies.
02:19My girls share a dad.
02:20My son has his own dad.
02:22They are still present in the children's lives.
02:24They're just two hours away, so it's just me by myself.
02:28I would definitely be bound to break if I fell off of this thing the wrong way.
02:36I've broken over 20-something times.
02:40My first fracture happened when I was four months, the same age as Milani.
02:46Ready to play your clothes on, girl?
02:47When did you learn that this was a condition you could pass on to your kids?
02:51In 2016, when I got pregnant, I was 17 years old.
02:55I was not aware that I could pass it down to my child.
02:59When I was 20 weeks pregnant with my son, they ran my blood and they said,
03:03hey, you have type 4.
03:04This type right here is like very high, high risk.
03:09So I had a lot of ultrasounds, a lot of prenatal appointments.
03:15Everything was good.
03:16C-sections went smooth.
03:18Babies came out good.
03:20When I did become pregnant with Milani, I felt very confident that, hey, if my first two are without OI,
03:28she's not going to come out with OI third time's the charm, right?
03:31And unfortunately, we had that final ultrasound getting ready for the birth.
03:36And he told me, hey, there's a chance that she's probably going to have OI.
03:41Literally cried so bad.
03:43I did have a lot of guilt when I was pregnant because she is not going to have a regular
03:48life like her brother and sister.
03:50She's going to have to be cautious of everything that she does.
03:53I'm going to have to be cautious.
03:54The whole thing is super scary.
03:56It's so scary because you do not want to hurt your baby.
04:00And who wants to break a bone, you know?
04:03I don't want my baby to go through anything that I went through because it's not easy.
04:07I'm tough, but seeing it on your child and repeating that cycle, it's like trauma.
04:15It felt like trauma to me, and I'm just like, I'm not going to be able to do this.
04:18How is she progressing?
04:20Honestly, I feel like after all the breaks and stuff, she's getting stronger.
04:26How many breaks does she have?
04:27She's had nine breaks total, but she's very brave and very strong.
04:32She likes to explore.
04:33She is very dare-double-ish caring for her.
04:37It's a challenge.
04:38It's not easy.
04:40I've had that guilt on me, like letting her stand up, and she's broken her ankle before.
04:46And I'm just like, oh my God, that's all my fault because I'm letting her do anything a normal baby
04:52would do.
04:52Just can't do anything any type of way with her.
04:56Does all of this ever feel like just a lot to manage?
04:58After I had Milani, I felt like it was just a lot on me dealing with three kids.
05:04It does get very overwhelming, but I don't regret any of my babies at all.
05:09What judgment have you received in relation to having children with your condition?
05:13People are always questioning me on why am I doing this?
05:16Why am I continuing to have children?
05:18When people call me selfish for wanting to keep having children, that's like probably mentally the hardest part for me.
05:26They're not putting themselves in my shoes as a human.
05:30I'm still human.
05:31So my feelings still matter.
05:35Producers ask the audience, is it selfish to have children if you know that you could pass on a rare
05:40condition?
05:41And I just kind of wanted to show you some of the responses they got and kind of get your
05:45thoughts on what people have to say.
05:47That's so very selfish.
05:49If they want to feel loved by a dog and a cat, don't reproduce is kind of crazy.
05:55Just add the dog and the cat.
05:56Having children and reproducing is not for everyone.
05:59I disagree.
06:01Everyone deserves their own family.
06:03With a physical disability, mental disability, any disability, I feel like, hey, reproduce.
06:09I mean, the world is going to judge you either way it goes.
06:13And you just have to be a very strong individual to do what's best for you.
06:17I just don't let that sound good to me.
06:18I'm going to do what I want to do regardless.
06:20It doesn't matter what you think of me.
06:23I'm still going to have more children.
06:26And I'm still going to be a great single mom to them.
06:30Oh, it's granny.
06:33Hey, school.
06:34My grandmother, she is the one who raised me.
06:39She's very helpful with everything.
06:41We talk to her every day on FaceTime.
06:43Hi, Cherry.
06:44Hi.
06:46Oh, my goodness.
06:48It's Monday, Monday.
06:51Cherish, she's my childhood friend.
06:54We've been friends since we were babies.
06:57She's more like a sister.
06:58Yeah, growing up.
06:59Oh, my goodness.
07:00I'm getting big.
07:02My grandmother was against me having a child.
07:05She was very shocked.
07:08You say, I'm pregnant.
07:09I'm like, I don't know she now.
07:11I don't even know who she talking to.
07:13I was furious.
07:16It's the worry of it.
07:18Each time I got pregnant, she was just very, very concerned about my health and the baby's health.
07:27I see the both, and I know that she's going to need the same surgery that you had.
07:33My grandmother assumed that I would get my toots tied, and I did tell her, like, I don't plan on
07:40having any children right now.
07:42Today, I'm going to tell my grandmother that I want more kids.
07:45She's going to explode.
07:46How do y'all feel about me having more children?
07:49Are y'all scared?
07:49No more kids.
07:51Because, three, you got so lucky.
07:54I did.
07:55But that's, Melania's going to be a job.
07:58I know, yeah.
07:59Like a full-time job.
08:00Yeah, I know.
08:01Don't take a chance.
08:02Well, you just open my eyes.
08:04I get it.
08:05I understand.
08:06You still, to this day, worry about me.
08:09Of course.
08:10I know.
08:10But I have to let you, you know, you do have to let go eventually.
08:14You're a very strong young lady.
08:16You are very strong.
08:18I mean, you blow my mind.
08:20I'm just like, I can't believe it.
08:22Honestly, like, you achieved so much already.
08:24It's like, there's nothing you can't do.
08:26I think you're doing so good, and I'm just so proud.
08:29Thank y'all.
08:31What she was saying about having more kids, you think she can handle it?
08:34I wouldn't want her to do it, but it's not my decision.
08:38She takes very good care of her kids, and she's adventurous.
08:42She'll do what she thinks she won't.
08:45She really will.
08:48I don't have any regrets on having children as a person with OI.
08:52I've achieved a lot of my goals with my children, and I feel like we're living a very peaceful life.
09:02So, I love it.
09:05We're good.
09:06What's impressed you most about her raising these kids on her own?
09:09She takes good care of her, and she doesn't really ask for help.
09:13If she want to go, she going.
09:14If she want to do, she doing.
09:15She doesn't let none stand in her worth.
09:17What would you say to other young disabled people out there considering that I'm dependent?
09:21Go for it.
09:22Don't care about what others have to say about you because it's your life,
09:27and you deserve to be happy no matter what.
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