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How Octomom Nadya Suleman & Her 14 Kids Are Taking Their Lives Back
When Natalie "Nadya" Suleman welcomed the world's archetypal acceptable of surviving octuplets successful 2009, she besides gave commencement to an wholly caller persona.
"Octomom was conceived by the media," Suleman elaborate in an exclusive interrogation with E! News, calling the nationalist cognition of her pursuing the Jan. 16 arrival of her kids Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Makai, Josiah, Jeremiah and Jonah "this caricature" that was "the polar other of my existent character."
At the time, alleged the Fullterton, Calif. native—also ma to Elijah, 23, Amerah, 22, Joshua, 21, and Aidan, 19, and 18-year-old twins Caleb and Calyssa—the state was successful the mediate of a recession, leaving the nationalist "subconsciously seeking retired a societal scapegoat."
A single ma with 14 kids, connected disablement from her occupation arsenic a psychiatric technician, she acceptable the bill.
These days, said Suleman, "I don't judge I would person been the people of specified misplaced hate." But successful the precocious aughts, she was leveled with endless insults, aggravated scrutiny, adjacent decease threats arsenic she went into combatant mode, doing everything and thing (including agreeing to paid photograph shoots, interviews and adjacent an big film) to survive.
And yet, she'd bash it each again the exact aforesaid way. Mostly.
The 49-year-old called her determination not to record a suit against Dr. Michael Kamrava, the antheral who helped her conceive each 14 of her children done successful vitro fertilization, "most apt the lone regret I have."
"I went backmost to person 1 more," Suleman explained to E! News. "Based connected my past reproductive history, he's ever transferred successful 5 to six embryos." And different than her twins, each circular resulted successful what she called "singletons."
Courtesy of Lifetime
As they had discussed, Kamrava implanted the six embroyos (far beyond the modular proposal of two) and "my uterus started to heavy contract," Suleman recounted, "and according to the doctor, they each were expelled." Though she was "heavily sedated," the ma of 14 continued, "He asked maine if helium could transportation successful the different six that were successful the petri dish."
Not wholly lucid, she signed his declaration without speechmaking a word "and the remainder is history," said Suleman. "It was similar the full the trajectory of my beingness changed considerably."
And if she could spell back, she'd decidedly effort to propel herself onto a caller path.
Feeling "under onslaught and interrogated" and wholly unprepared from the abrupt spotlight she was thrust into, said Suleman, she did small to support herself. (Kamrava, meanwhile, was yet stripped of his aesculapian license.)
"I privation I had secured immoderate benignant of ineligible assistance from the beginning," she admitted. "I would person recovered immoderate ineligible help, an lawyer to assistance support maine arsenic a mother."
And possibly unafraid a fiscal windfall that would assistance enactment her outsized brood.
Instead, "I was connected autopilot, conscionable moving, moving, moving," Suleman recounted. "And I was besides surviving successful a authorities of palpable anxiousness and fear, each the decease threats and past the stalkers."
For years, "I was successful a authorities of combat oregon flight," said Suleman, "and I'm a fighter. So, I kept fighting. I volition ne'er halt warring for my family."
She didn't shy distant from detailing the hardships successful her six-part Lifetime docuseries Confessions of Octomom (Mondays, 10 p.m.).
"There's excessively galore moments of adversity and the trials and tribulations to adjacent discuss," she said erstwhile asked to sanction the lowest point. Digging heavy during the filming process, said Suleman, who besides served arsenic an enforcement shaper connected the network's based-on-real-events movie I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story, "I was powerfully encouraged to beryllium successful it. I didn't privation to. It's painful."
But the result was worthy it. "That’s the clip erstwhile we really commencement to heal," she reasoned, "when we beryllium successful the symptom and we beryllium successful the suffering and we process those feelings."
Courtesy of Lifetime
She's encouraged her brood to travel suit.
"They person experienced trauma from what I experienced," Suleman shared of her kids, stressing that her "being that people of planetary scorn and condemnation" was thing that "trickled down to my kids."
She credits her absorption connected open, honorable connection with helping to supply immoderate healing, but she feels their information successful the docuseries mightiness beryllium the existent antidote.
"They wanted that voice," the erstwhile therapist said of her kids. "They wanted that level to instrumentality up for each of us, to acceptable boundaries and to beryllium capable to stock and take our communicative back."
Her now-adult children "deserve to archer their existent communicative and stock their experiences and their perspective," Suleman continued, which is wherefore they were consenting to measurement successful beforehand of the camera.
"People bash proceed to ask, ‘Why now? You privation fame,'" she said of the absorption she's received from her Lifetime projects. "No, I don't privation fame, but wherefore should I let things that are lies retired determination to stay and for the nationalist to judge that. We merit to stock our existent story. The nationalist deserves to cognize the truth."
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
With her youngest conscionable celebrating their saccharine sixteen, "This is the cleanable time," Suleman reasoned. "It's a caller play of our lives. My kids are older, and they're much than acceptable to stock their, our existent story."
Because erstwhile upon a time, a azygous ma of 14 was conscionable trying to marque it work. Keep speechmaking to spot however Suleman's communicative began.
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Making Memories
Natalie "Nadya" Suleman celebrated her archetypal grandchild turning six months aged with immoderate saccharine photos.
"I can’t judge our small angel is already 6 months old!" she wrote connected Instagram successful March 2025 alongside pictures of the small one, who is the girl of her lad Joshua. "You person been 1 of the top blessings successful each of our lives. Your beautiful, saccharine grin fills my bosom immeasurably. I emotion you much than words could express. We are each truthful grateful to ticker you turn and thrive each azygous day!"
Borrowing the words from the children's publication Love You Forever, Natalie added, "I’ll emotion you forever. I’ll similar you for ever As agelong arsenic I’m surviving My grand-baby you’ll be."
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Happy Thanksgiving
Natalie thanked her children Noah, Nariyah, Jonah, and Isaiah for their "hard enactment and dedication successful the kitchen" for Thanksgiving 2024.
"Your steadfast works based, full food, nutrient dense creations are compassionate and delicious!" she wrote connected Instagram astatine the time. "We are each grateful and blessed."
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Halloween Fun
The ma of 14 marked Halloween 2024 by sharing a throwback photograph of her and immoderate of her kids dressed up successful their costumes successful 2015.
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Becoming a Grandma
In September 2024, Natalie announced that she'd go a grandma.
"Thank you God for blessing my lad Joshua and beauteous girl successful instrumentality with this beauteous gift!" she wrote connected Instagram. "We are truthful grateful she is simply a caller summation to our family! Baby miss you are truthful precise loved and we can’t hold to ticker you grow!! 8/30/24."
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Surrounded by Love
While her kids smiled for the camera, Mom snuck successful a privation connected her 49th day successful July 2024.
"Thank you kids for making my day yesterday truthful special!" she wrote connected Instagram. "I emotion you all."
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Compliments to the Chefs
Jonah, Nariyah, Noah and Jeremiah were successful complaint of the family's vegan feast connected Native American Heritage Day successful 2023.
"Happy belated Thanksgiving and Happy Native American Heritage Day!" Natalie wrote connected Instagram successful November 2023. "Thank you to the caput chefs Jonah, Nariyah, Noah, and Jeremiah, who worked relentlessly cooking delicious meals for the family. You are loved and appreciated, and deserved those 2 overflowing plates of your creations! Hope each our benignant supporters had a harmless and blessed peculiar clip with loved ones!"
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Girls Night Out
Mom took Amerah and Calyssa out for ramen (vegan, of course) successful August 2023.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Birthday Bliss
In lieu of 48 candles, the kids brought balloons for their mom's day successful July 2023.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Young Queen
Natalie's eldest girl Amerah celebrated her 21st day successful July 2023.
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Dynamic Duo
The 2 enjoyed a parent girl movie nighttime successful July 2023.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
We've Got Each Other
Natalie marked twins Caleb and Calyssa's saccharine 16 with this adorable throwback pic.
"Happy saccharine 16th day to my, (couldn’t beryllium much polar opposite), twins Caleb and Calyssa!" she wrote connected Instagram successful October 2022. "Calyssa, you person grown into a kind, loving, compassionate (towards each surviving things), intelligent, beauteous young lady. Words cannot picture however arrogant I americium to telephone you my daughter. You are a talented writer and artist, and volition execute immoderate extremity you acceptable for yourself, arsenic agelong arsenic you ne'er springiness up. I respect your intelligence strength, determination, and perseverance, and americium blessed to beryllium your mom. Caleb, you person grown into a loving, caring, highly intelligent, comedic, speedy witted, perceptive, and devoted young man. I americium blessed to person you arsenic a son. May God proceed to bless you some abundantly. I emotion you."
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
First Day of School
In August 2022, Natalie celebrated her octuplets starting eighth grade.
"Be arrogant of yourselves kids for being kind, respectful, and adjuvant to each your chap peers, teachers and staff," she wrote connected Instagram alongside their archetypal time of schoolhouse photo. "You are exceptional relation models to the 6th and 7th graders. I emotion you."
And to immoderate "critics" wondering astir wherefore her older kids weren't successful the snap, Natalie made it wide "their older siblings did not privation maine to station a representation connected their archetypal day. I respect their choice, truthful should you."
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Beloved Cats
The household loves their fur babies too.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Look What I Made
Showing disconnected a feline and crafts connected the couch.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Twinning!
Maliyah and Nariyah were a coordinated sister act.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Fur Baby Bonding
The Sulemans are a feline family, truthful Maliyah took the accidental to bash immoderate dog-sitting.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Man of the House
Natalie snuck a uncommon caller pic of eldest lad Elijah onto her provender successful grant of his 21st birthday successful 2022.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Every Day is Mother's Day
Mother's Day is ne'er lonely for Natalie, present celebrating with her octuplets and their large sister Amerah successful 2022.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
12th Birthday
"Happy 12th day to 8 of the astir kind, caring, and respectful kids I person ever known," Natalie wrote to her octuplets connected Instagram successful January 2021. "Your compassion for each surviving things and the worth of humbly serving others is the explanation of love. You marque my bosom full, and person blessed our lives abundantly. I americium honored to beryllium your mother."
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Brotherly Love
Noah and Jonah got acceptable to excavation in.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
14 and Counting
The Suleman octuplets enjoyed baked goods connected their 14th birthday.
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Throwback Photos
Joshua, sporting the impermanent look tat, and large member Eli were astir to instrumentality formation successful this throwback pic their ma shared.
Instagram / Natalie Suleman
Loving Siblings
In this throwback photo, Natalie reflected connected however "Makai has ever been Aidan’s guardian angel, looking retired for him from time one."
Natalie Suleman/Instagram
Santa's Helpers
Getting 8 children to enactment up and grin for a pic sounds similar a Christmas occurrence to us.
