Along with six previous children, this mother, nicknamed Octomom, has had to raise 14 children alone for more than a decade. It has not been an easy journey at all!
More than a decade ago, a woman in California (USA) attracted international media attention when she gave birth to 8 children at once. Although many years have passed, the attention for Natalie "Nadya" Suleman has not waned.
In January 2019, the then 33-year-old Suleman caused a media storm when she successfully gave birth to 8 children. This is the second 8th birth in the United States. It is known that Suleman previously had 6 children and all were in vitro fertilization.
The Positioning of Babies in the Womb
Natalie "Nadya" Suleman and her 8 kids
"I never came up with the word Octomom." - Suleman told Inside Edition in 2017 and called it the creation of media. It is known that Octomom is the nickname given to this energetic mother by the press.
As a single mother, Suleman attracted even more media attention. The day when 8 babies including: Noah, Josiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Makai, and Maliyah went from the hospital to their small house in La Habra, California, there were already many paparazzi, reporters waiting around. outside.
And thanks to the popularity after giving birth to 8 children in 1 time, Suleman got a job at a mental hospital. She previously studied for a degree in child and adolescent development at California State University, pregnant with eight children while still attending the school. In 1999, after being traumatized during a patient riot, the single mother received more than $165,000 in disability benefits.
Taking care of 14 children at once is not easy. Not to mention, the mother's daily life is always disturbed by the paparazzi, especially when she takes the children out.
In her first interview since the successful birth of 8, Suleman shared that she loves children and has a strong desire to be a mother. "I do everything for my children, I love and accept them unconditionally." - said the mother.
Having a bad past and being threatened with death, the mother became even more confused when she had to take care of many children alone. Speaking to Inside Edition in 2011, Suleman said that because of fear for the safety of her children, the mother only slept 4 hours a night.
In 2012, Inside Edition visited Octomom's house, they took pictures of many of the damaged parts and even drawings of the Suleman children on the wall. However, Ms. Suleman did not care much about her living conditions. The mother thinks that she does not live to impress others.
Although she loves her children unconditionally, it is extremely difficult for a mother to raise 14 children. Also in 2012, Octomom had to file for personal bankruptcy when it was unable to pay a debt of up to $1 million. She had to move her children to another place because the house they were living in was foreclosed on by the bank. Since then, Suleman has had to work a lot to raise his children.
Suleman was involved in the porn industry and thanks to his previous popularity, Octomom quickly achieved many successes in this field. For a short time, this mother also had to work as a stripper to have more money to support her life.
"I broke my boundaries and my core values. In my mind, it was an investment that I could support my family. It had a huge impact on my psyche. To do this. To calm those feelings down, I had to take a mood-altering substance. It was very toxic and horrible." - Octomom shared in an interview with The Doctors in 2016. She said she was addicted to Xanax and had to go to rehab.
The difficulties did not stop there. In 2014, Suleman was convicted of fraud and appropriation of welfare money. She was sentenced to 2 years of probation, 200 hours of community service and had to repay US$26,000 illegally declared.
Going back to Octomom's kids, Suleman raised her kids to be vegetarians. Every day, she gets up at 6 o'clock to prepare lunch and school bags for the children. In addition, the mother also teaches her children to do housework to help her.
"It's a bit messy, but our family is strong and cohesive. We're like a team." - Sulema said. Almost everything is done by the mother herself, from picking up the children to picking them up. Because the kids go to different schools, it makes it more difficult for Octomom.
"Help? I don't need anyone's help. I've been doing all this on my own for years now." - shared by the mother.
Suleman is now 44 years old and in 2018, in an interview with the Daily Mail , the mother said that she is working with patients who are having problems with alcohol and drugs. She lives on her salary with a little support from the government and the remainder after filming.
Last year, Suleman revealed to the New York Times that she was in the process of completing a book about her experience with a broken back after giving birth to eight babies. 4/5 discs in the lumbar spine were completely broken. Octomom treated it with exercise instead of medication.
Currently, her family lives in a three-bedroom house in Orange County. The single mother also does not date, but focuses on taking care of her 14 children. She often shares pictures of the kids on her Instagram page.
