Erin Bates' Health Complications Through the Years Explained

Bringing Up Bates alum Erin Bates experienced numerous health problems in her efforts to have at least 10 children with husband Chad Paine.

Erin suffered several miscarriages before her son Charles (a.k.a. Carson) was born in 2015 and later underwent three surgeries to remove ovaries, as well as enduring long-term complications from COVID-19. (Erin and Chad share seven children: Carson, born in May 2015, Brooklyn, born in August 2016, Everly, born in March 2018, Holland, born in November 2019, Finley, born January 2022, William, born in October 2023, and Henry, born August 2025.)

In September 2025, Chad revealed that his wife, Erin — who rose to fame on the UpTV reality show with her 18 siblings — suffered serious complications following the birth of their seventh baby, Henry. According to Chad, Erin went into septic shock and later experienced a “lengthy and severe seizure” in the days after her labor.

“Up to this point, Erin’s infection was getting better, but we found ourselves back in a place of heartache, uncertainty, and tears,” Paine wrote via Instagram on September 4. “She is in the ICU, and the doctors are running scans and tests to determine the cause. Erin is extremely weak and spent hours only half conscious.”

Keep scrolling for a look back at all the adversity Erin faced in order to grow her family.

Pre-2015

Following her marriage to Chad in 2013, Erin had multiple miscarriages due to a blood-clotting issue as they tried to have their first child.

Erin looked back on this painful period of her life in an April 2025 vlog, recalling that there were many “nights that would end in tears” early in her marriage.

“[Chad and I held] each other as our hearts ached,” she told viewers. “We would cry out to God, asking for a baby. We wondered if we would ever hold a little one in our arms. Heartbreak followed heartbreak, and the waiting felt endless.”

Erin and Chad ultimately were able to welcome their oldest son, Carson, in May 2014.

“Our hearts overflowed with joy. He was everything we prayed for and more,” Erin remembered. “We couldn’t imagine life without the light he brought to our family.”

January 2015

Speaking to People, Erin described her multiple miscarriages as “one of the hardest things” she’d been through in her life.

“You build up all these expectations, and you prepare, and you have the date in your mind, and it’s just, it’s heartbreaking when that ends,” she acknowledged. “It’s like your world’s been crushed.”

Erin credited her husband with supporting her through the physical and emotional trauma she experienced.

“When you go through something difficult, it just makes you all the more strong and it makes you look to each other for comfort,” she said. “It made us look to the other people who had gone through difficult situations and really, hopefully, encouraged them through it, as well.”

October 2017

With the birth of daughter Everly on the horizon, Erin admitted to People that she had “a certain level of fear” with every pregnancy given her previous health issues.

“I think I will always have a certain level of fear during pregnancy, since I have had miscarriages in the past, but I know I have a great doctor who reassures me we are doing everything to keep baby and mom safe and healthy through this,” Erin said at the time. “I am so grateful for the love and support from Chad as well. I’ve been pampered.”

February 2021

Erin explained via Instagram that her lengthy social media absence was due to having “three surgeries over the past few months” to repair damage caused by “cysts that have ruptured and caused a lot of internal bleeding.”

“I ended up having to have one ovary removed and most of my second removed as well,” she wrote. “It has been scary and really discouraging at times, but we have been so grateful for the medical doctors who have helped us navigate through these uncertainties.”

Once again, Erin thanked Chad for being “such a hero” throughout her latest medical ordeal.

“He has pampered and waited on me hand and foot all day and all night. He has been so patient and caring, and he’s not too shabby as a cook, and for sure better than me at laundry, dishes, and mopping,” Erin revealed to her followers. “His daily love notes have made me cry and smile at the same time, and nothing is sweeter than hearing the kids belly laugh as he chases them through the house for hours, or makes his stories come to life every night. I am so blessed.”

February 2021

During an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Erin went into detail about the myriad of health issues she was dealing with.

“I’ve had COVID twice and ever since the second time that I had it, I started having all of these female issues and it caused a lot of internal bleeding,” she told Us. “So with the first surgery, they just removed all of the blood. The second surgery, they ended up taking out one of my ovaries. And then the last surgery, they removed most of my second ovary. So right now, we’re just dealing with trying to balance hormones with hormone therapy and stuff like that.”

While Erin and Chad weren’t ruling out having baby No. 5, she admitted it would take “a huge miracle” since she only had “one third of an ovary left.”

“[The remaining ovary is] very scarred from three surgeries,” she said. “So at this point, it’s not in the question at all, which is sad because me and Chad always talked about having at least 10 children, but you never know what God has for the future. Sometimes it’s not like what you plan or how you envision it. So I don’t know what God has for us down the road, but we’re definitely open to many options.”

August 2021

Chad and Erin announced that — despite facing very low odds of having another baby — they were, in fact, expecting a daughter, Finley.

“Every day life is a miracle, but this is such a special miracle for our little family,” they said in a joint statement to People. “For the past year, Erin has experienced different health problems, which ended up leading to multiple surgeries.”

Chad added, “We were overwhelmingly grateful for the four little blessings God has already given us. We were content knowing that God sometimes has a different plan than our own. As you can imagine, we were absolutely blown away when we found out the good news and really in shock!”

August 2025

Ahead of the birth of their seventh child, Henry, Erin and Chad opened up about their anxiousness for their son to arrive in an August 2025 vlog. The couple were told by their doctor that they were in the “home stretch,” leading Chad to admit he felt “a mixture of a lot of different emotions” given his wife’s past complications.

“I just keep thinking. ‘God’s got this. He’s going to take care of this and he loves baby Henry more than we do,’” Erin assured her husband. “We cannot wait to hold him in our arms. We’re so excited.”

September 2025

Chad announced via Instagram that Erin had given birth to Henry and that their son was “doing wonderful,” however, his wife had experienced some serious complications. Over the next several days, Chad shared that Erin went into septic shock because of “a severe UTI and kidney infection” and later had a “lengthy and severe seizure.”

“As her husband, it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever faced — to sit by her side and watch her struggle while being so helpless to ease her suffering,” Chad wrote. “I love her more deeply than words can express, and I can’t even imagine life without my best friend. The hours have been long and heavy, and I know many hearts are aching to see her this way, along with mine. We hold on to faith that healing is coming, even in the midst of the unknown. Your prayers are felt and we are forever grateful.”

If you or someone you know were impacted by this post, contact the March of Dimes or Postpartum Support International for support.