The family of Bringing Up Bates star Erin Bates Paine is asking fans for prayers for the former reality star, who remains hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) one week after giving birth to her seventh child.
Erin— who, along with her husband Chad Paine— welcomed son Henry on August 25— suffered serious health issues from her labor. Chad had posted to the couple’s joint Instagram after the baby’s birth, writing that Erin remained in the hospital due to “complications.” On Sunday, he took to Instagram again to reveal how serious the situation with Erin’s health has become, due to her going into septic shock from severe infections.
“It’s been a week since our miracle, Henry came into the world. He is doing well in the NICU and is our bundle of happiness,” Chad wrote. “We had asked for prayer for recovery for Erin due to complications. Her labor was longer and more intense than previous births. She has been fighting through it and has been such a light and sweet testimony of grace to nurses, staff, and doctors alike. We are all moved by her kindness and gratefulness in the midst of pain.
“Erin developed a severe UTI and kidney infection, which sent her into septic shock. She is currently still in the ICU as doctors continue to treat, diagnose, and search for answers. We would covet your prayers for this beautiful girl who is such a light in a dark world. We are holding onto God’s promises. -Chad”
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Erin has struggled with her health for years. Before her first son, Charles, was born in 2015, Erin suffered three miscarriages, which she has said were likely due to a blood clotting disorder she has. In 2019, the couple spoke to People after being told Erin’s health issues may prevent them from having any more children. (At the time, Erin and Chad were already parents to Charles, as well as daughters Brooklyn, Everly and Holland.)
“After consulting with our doctor, we realized having another baby was not going to be in our future. It was sad, just because we both really love kids, but I knew Erin’s health was the biggest priority, and we were overwhelmingly grateful for the four little blessings God has already given us,” Chad said. “We were content knowing that God sometimes has a different plan than our own.”
In 2021, Erin had multiple surgeries due to ruptured cysts, resulting in her having one of her ovaries fully removed, and the other partially removed. In 2022, she had her gallbladder removed.
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Erin has gone on to have three more babies at a very fast pace. Daughter Finley was born in January 2022. Less than two years later, Erin and Chad welcomed son William (prematurely) in October 2023. Less than 22 months later, they welcomed their newest son Henry.
Erin— who is 34 years old and the third eldest of Gil and Kelly Bates‘ 19 kids— received plenty of support from her family in the comment section.
“We are all praying!” wrote her brother Lawson Bates.
“She really is a light here!” her mom wrote using the family’s Instagram account. “Every nurse adores her and though she’s in pain, she’s still a ray of sunshine.”
On Friday, Chad posted a video of Erin and baby Henry being reunited in the hospital. In the comment section, Chad and Erin received some negative comments regarding their decision to continue to have babies, despite doctors warning them several pregnancies ago of the dangers more babies could pose to Erin’s already fragile health.
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“I think people are genuinely concerned for Erin’s health and don’t want her to potentially lose her own life by continually having more children,” one person wrote.
“As happy as I am to see them together, Erin doesn’t look healthy,” someone else wrote. “Her kids need her in their lives so I hope she considers her health over having more children. Especially since the last 2 have been in the NICU after birth. A loss of a child or Erin will devastate the families.”
RELATED STORY: ‘Counting On’ Star Jessa Duggar Seewald Reveals How She Deals with the Negativity She Gets For Having So Many Kids
(Photos: YouTube; Instagram)
46 Responses
Geez, people…How about we stop with the judgment and pray she recovers, to whatever source you look for answers and blessings. Or if none, at least hold a good thought for this family in your heart that she will live and recover to be the mother her children adore and need and her husband deeply loves! This is no time for The Blame Ga.e! #ReadTheRoom!
These fundies really are something else. It’s a shame that apparently there wasn’t as much time to educate some of you on basic spelling and grammar as there was to brainwash you into being baby factories for creepy men in the name of a floating man in the sky.
On well, when the next one actually kills her will the dick head husband just replace her with another baby making machine?
So if I read that correctly, in 2021 she had one ovary removed and “most” of the second one removed, but was still able to get pregnant THREE more times…with only part of one ovary??? I’d say that qualifies as a medical miracle AND a sign from God
No. Her parts are still there enough to work…that’s just biology. The screaming, glaring sign is that she gets severely and dangerously sick after childbirth multiple times.
Just because you can get pregnant doesn’t mean you should of you want to be around for your children that are already here.
I see the Fundies have come to defend their fellow cult members.
I’m sorry to say but it is incredibly selfish to continue getting pregnant and risk the kids you already have growing up without their mother. This isn’t religion. This is a mental illness. Being a parent is about putting your children first. Having as many children as you possibly can is not okay. It’s not fair to the kids.
From a nurse standpoint, healthy young people don’t remain in the ICU for long. It’s stabilize, then get them out to a regular floor. The fact that she is there for a week tells you a lot.
She has an arterial line, so her BP is probably still requiring very close monitoring. Hopefully she hasn’t needed any forms of dialysis (which I don’t see a catheter for, but it could be hidden.) While getting a UTI following childbirth is something that happens, requiring ICU care and sepsis intervention is not normal. I hope these fundies can see this as a clear sign from God that her body is done tolerating childbirth.
All of these things that all of you are saying may or may not be true but at this moment we need to be praying for Erin and her family….she needs our prayers for God to heal her
For a family that follows God’s word so strongly, how can they not take all of these complications as a message from God to stop with the babies???
Erin and Chad
Love and prayers are with you. I have been through one of the surgeries as Erin due to female issues that are genetic. Also having Kidney disease is not fun. Praying for your recovery.
I also recall Covid rocked her some years ago and she also lives with Lyme Disease. Seven is a beautiful “bouquet,” I hope they shift their priorities.
We need to please stop judging this family. There life there family, there medical problems are not ours. They are going through so much heartache with her in hospital fighting for her life, lets back off with the cruel remarks and give it all to Almighty God. Encourage Chad and his family.
Actually, we do need to judge these two. Judgment helps people realize that their choices and behavior are selfish, misguided, and reckless. Their behavior does not keep their children’s welfare in mind and that deserves judgement.
I had almost the same thing happen to me after my oldest was born and it was torture…would not wish sepsis and it’s equally painful treatment on my worst enemy.
God grant her healing, her doctors and nurses wisdom, and open the ears of ALL those involved to listen to any medical advice given. God blessed the world with people smart enough to be doctors…just a reminder that trusting in a plan does not mean one should play fast and loose with their health.
This has absolutely nothing to do with how many kids she’s had. I got a wicked uti after my first son. They were doing quick catheters. My friend became septic after her second child. This is a sad situation and I would never wish it on a new mother. People are jumping all over them about things that are out of their control. I’m pretty sure any female can get a uti/kidney infection. I have. My great grandmother died from one after becoming septic.
Yes, anyone can have a UTI, anyone can have a kidney infection, at any time, even without serious medical conditions, that’s quite true. But you’re completely ignoring the fact that they knew after Charles (their first) was born that she had some major health issues that would make conceiving and carrying to term complicated up to and including (with higher probability than typical) death for her and any unborn babies. She already knew about other health issues she had long before he was born. Her health conditions are what contributed to her multiple miscarriages and the premature birth of one baby. They had 100% control over her continuing to put her health and the health of any unborn babies at risk.
I wouldn’t wish this on anyone either, but the reality is, they likely caused the kidney problems (by ignoring sound medical advice for years and doing the exact opposite), which can often lead to a UTI, and sepsis. They are literally ignoring it to simply reproduce as their cult tells them they should. They are playing with her life and the lives of unborn babies, willingly, that’s not cool and definitely not out of their control.
I’ve had sepsis and it can (usually does) cause lifelong issues after the fact, it’s no joke, it’s serious af. I do hope she recovers and with the least amount of damage possible. But I still hope it’s the wakeup call she needs to stop this nonsense before she kills herself or an unborn baby simply because her husband told her to keep making them. If not for herself, than at least think about the kids she’s already brought into this world who need her.
Yes, it can happen to anyone as a fluke. But, this is a person who has a long history of pregnancy and health complications. So, don’t act like she wasn’t more susceptible to complications and this was some fluke thing they couldn’t have foreseen.
In fundie families, this is actually very normal. It’s seen as them trusting god to the absolute fullest extent possible. They’re trusting that god will heal her, that if god wants them to have a baby, then they will. There no critical thinking or common sense involved. People like this, who will risk life and limb for god, are held in high regard and seen as something to aspire to. I can guarantee that as long as she’s producing eggs, they’ll keep producing children until her body shuts down.
Unfortunately, she won’t stop having children even though her life is at risk. They believe the lie that children are blessings from God and you aren’t blessed unless you keep having children. The more children, the more you’re blessed considering her dad is on the board of the IBLP and Chad works for them. She’ll die a young death. If not from. This pregnancy, it will be from the next in the next year or 2
He’s an asshole, and she’s not that bright….full stop. She’s allowing his desire to have a huge family to overshadow the fact that it *will* eventually kill her, not might. They knew after their first child that more children had the potential to not just compromise her health, but kill her. They chose to have 6 more, with multiple miscarriages and major health crises that almost killed her every time leading to major surgeries and time spent in the hospital. It’s also not just her own life she’s playing with, but also the babies she chooses to carry who are compromised and at least half of them have the potential of carrying the same health concerns she does (so, playing with their future families’ lives as well).
Still, he wants a football team and she can’t think of the ones she has-along with her own life, rather than pleasing him and giving him what he wants. Such a selfish way to create a family, no thought whatsoever put into the lives you may bring into this world. You can have a large family a multitude of ways in this day and age, no excuse for this sort of selfish behavior.
That said, I do hope she recovers and I really, really hope she finally gets smart and A-gets the hell away from him (let’s not forget the cult they are in, of course, which dictates she is to continue having babies until god says she can’t, in her case, likely menopause or death) and at least if not that B-stops trying to please him by having more babies.
The problem with this particular cult is that a lot of them think when you adopt a child you are adopting the sins of the kid’s biological parents. One of the Duggar daughters revealed that insanity. Also with the amount of kids they already have an adoption agency is going to side eye them hard. They just need to stop. I’ve had septic shock. Three years later, I have both POTS Syndrome and minor heart failure from it. You rarely recover fully.
I don’t think the Bates family is against adoption, I know Kelly Jo has two adopted sisters and she said once that they were the best decision her mama ever made, and I think Michaela and her husband are fostering and planning to adopt.
A lot of the Bates kids don’t seem to follow the IBLP stuff, they’re just not vocal about leaving (except one of the boys that spoke out against Gothard, I think).
Chad and Erin Bates have no adopted children, and have never stated they believe the same thing about adoptees that Jim Bob and Michelle do (a belief is super whacky). This comment has nothing to do with Erin having septic shock. The discussion instead should focus on the fact that her family (and the movement she grew up in) believe in having as many children as possible, without regard to the mother’s life. She could easily die – septic shock is often fatal.
You obviously have NO Clue Who God IS and Will do for those who put ALL their hearts and souls And Trust in Him which makes me feel sad that you don’t feel or understand the supernatural power God has for His Own. And anyone can be HIS if you ask Jesus to live in your spirit and trust him as well. God bless
How do you know I don’t?
But since you want to go the religious route, we can do that too….
God has been telling this woman and her husband for years that this is not his plan for them, that this may take her from the earth, that this may take (and already has done so with multiple babies) their babies from this earth….and they’ve chosen to ignore him and any divine intervention he has sent their way each and every time. Clearly this family is who you need to be telling to trust in him, because they obviously don’t!
You need to mind your business. They don’t need to hear all the negativity. How do you know her husband is pushing her to have more children? I know someone right now that got a UTI ended up in the hospital with a kidney infection that went septic. No pregnancy involved. Are you a Dr! If you can’t say something nice keep your mouth shut. She is the most sweetest person ever. They are not a cult. There family is beautiful.
Because he said so himself as did she, years ago, and they have maintained that ever since. They have both stated that she is to continue having children until god stops her from being able to (and in her case that would be menopause or death) and not a moment before, even if it puts her life and health at risk. They literally said they had to have their children quick and in a hurry before she couldn’t have anymore, despite her nearly dying multiple times, them losing multiple babies, their one child almost dying at birth and now having health concerns because of a premature birth. They’re the ones that put their entire life on display for the world to see, there’s not much reason to be mad when people point it all back out again. THIS COULD HAVE KILLED HER AND COULD STILL KILL HER! Is that loud enough for you? Doctors have been telling them this since Charles was born, and just how dangerous it is for her and any unborn baby.
You don’t need to be a doctor to actually listen to them, or to learn. I have had sepsis myself, so yes, I do know a lot about it and just how serious (and potentially fatal) it actually is. This isn’t just some infection that can happen at random, like it can and does for so many others. This is a direct result of ignoring medical advice. She has major kidney problems which come with a much greater risk of sepsis, she’s had this, again, for many years. I have similar issues, the difference between me and her is that I’m not willing to gamble with my life or the life of any unborn babies and certainly would never do so in the name of religion or because some man told me I had to keep having babies quickly before my time ran out. FFS man.
They are, absolutely, in a cult. Their religious teachings, those that they follow, is literally classified at the federal level and by basic definition, as a cult.
This is incorrect. I’m not sure if you’re confusing them with another fundamentalist couple, but I’ve studied groups like this for years (and grew up in a similar Baptist church). The widespread analysis of this couple is different. Chad isn’t considered an a-hole like some other husbands in this movement; in fact he is considered more supportive and comforting to his wife throughout the years (which can be a rare find among fundamentalist men). I’m not standing up for them, but have some compassion. They are victims of the system they were raised in. But yes, I do believe it is incredibly dangerous for both of them to decide to continue to have children, despite the health dangers.
After Erin had her ovarian cyst surgery and had an ovary removed several years ago, then became pregnant, Chad expressed some fears about continuing to have children – especially due to Erin’s blood-clotting disorder. However, he went along with it because Erin doesn’t believe in preventing children.
This can all be traced back to the fact that the church and movement she was raised in (IBLP and the wider-spread evangelical fundamentalism that she and I both grew up in) instills a deep fear in its members (often from childhood, which appears to be accurate in her case) regarding following different beliefs, such as not preventing pregnancy, no matter how much your life may be at risk.
It doesn’t help when outsiders call these girls and women “stupid”. Many of them are simply sheltered and like I said, operate based in fear.
You have no idea what it’s like unless you grew up in it and have it imprinted in your brain from an early age. Imagine believing you will go to Hell and be permanently separated from your family, all because you tried to prevent a pregnancy. That’s what she and many other women I grew up with, believe. It’s terrifying and I am really concerned for her. Septic shock has a high fatality rate. Her children need her, but what’s worse is that I doubt she will stop having children after this.
I know exactly what it’s like, and also what it’s like to be a grown adult and use your own adult grown up brain to make better life choices than those you were brought up in. At some point, you stand on your own two feet and you have to stop blaming the cult you were raised in. They aren’t teenagers, they don’t have limited access to information and they’ve seen dozens upon dozens of specialists over the years. The excuses have left the building.
Yes, he is an asshole because he is pushing for children just as much as she is, and even more so. Yes, he did state he wanted more children and they needed to have them quickly before her health “made it impossible”. His only expressed actual concern was once and that was for a single interview, every other instance he was all gung ho with have them babies fast and in a hurry, DESPITE being told for years that it could kill her and any unborn babies. They lost multiple babies because of it (as crass as this sounds, and as tragic as these losses are-as ALL losses are, this is the reality and it needs to be stated). They have nearly lost her multiple times because of her health issues. They had a child born premature with health issues because of it too.
All the information is there to STOP, they were advised to stop after Charles and chose to ignore, and after numerous different health issues, near death experiences, losses and nearly the death of one of their babies…..they are still ignoring any and all medical advice. People should be concerned for her, not just because this could kill her, but also because it may not be the wake up call she listens to. I’m not just concerned for her recovery from this, but also her life moving forward. Part of that concern involves bringing some reality to the table. The reality remains, this was 100% preventable and any further pregnancies are more than 95% likely to kill her and the unborn child (most people who have sepsis are told it’s 80% or greater likelihood, with her added medical issues, it’s far greater than that). No one likes to hear reality when it’s not sunshine and rainbows, but that’s just how life is sometimes.
They are gambling with her health because of their fanaticism and they will end up with 7 orphans as a result
I pray that she and the baby both come through this with restored health. I also hope that they decide to either be content with the seven they have or pursue adoption later on if they absolutely want more.
Absolutely. This is so concerning.
Here’s a thought. Be healthy for the kids you have instead of dying trying to have another.
It’s unfortunately been imprinted in her from an early age, and that’s hard shake. She literally believes she will go to Hell if she prevents pregnancy (a sin)- and believes she will be separated from her children and loved ones forever- vs. continuing to have children, possibly dying, but later being reunited with her children in Heaven.
Wow so one second they’re saying that they’ve consulted with doctors and realized that they aren’t going to be able to have more kids because mom’s health is the biggest priority, and then less than 2 years later they have another one, with 2 more quickly following that one? Soooo mom’s health suddenly became not a priority anymore, got it. Very sad for those 7 kids who could quite possibly lose their mom as a result of this 😥 I know they will say that it was God’s plan or whatever if the worst happens, and they really believe that. I’m a believer of God as well, and I believe that God gave us common sense as well as medical technology and doctors to assist us with making wise medical decisions. They could have chosen ways, permanent ones, to prevent pregnancy and preserve mom’s life, and they did not.