Nadya Suleman, the media sensation known as “Octomom,” is opening up about her life, and the struggles of raising 14 children alone after giving birth to octuplets nearly ten years ago.
Suleman spoke with The New York Times for an article published Dec. 15, and discussed how her life continues to evolve since she gave birth to octuplets, via in vitro fertilization, ten years ago in January.
The mother-of-fourteen, who already had six other children through IVF, said she never intended to have eight more.
She claimed she only wanted twins, but Dr. Michael Kamrava, a Beverly Hills fertility specialist, pressured her to consent to having more embryos implanted while she was in a medical office and under the influence of heavy narcotics.
“I was misled by my doctor,” Suleman told The Times about the procedure in which Kamrava implanted 12 embryos. The doctor has since lost his medical license and can no longer practice in the U.S.
“He told me we lost six embryos, he said they were expelled out of me, and that’s why he wanted to implant another six,” she stated.
Kamrava has previously disputed Suleman’s claims.
The mother-of-fourteen — who now goes by the name Natalie — told the paper she is writing a book that’s been in the works for 13 years. “That’s why I want to do this interview,” she explained. “I’ve been writing this manuscript since graduate school.”
She also got candid about turning to adult films, stripping and celebrity boxing matches to support her children. She admitted to abusing alcohol and Xanax after becoming overwhelmed by her instant fame and the responsibilities that come with raising 14 children.
“I was pretending to be a fake, a caricature, which is something I’m not, and I was doing it out of desperation and scarcity so I could provide for my family,” she said. “I’ve been hiding from the real world all my life.”
She has a B.S. in child development, and currently works full-time as a counselor. But admitted that she receives additional government assistance and does “international photo shoots” to keep a roof over her head.
Suleman and her children live in a three bedroom townhouse in Southern California. She said she doesn’t date, and has no contact with the men who fathered her children.
“Maybe the kids will meet him at 18, the donor,” she said about the father of her octuplets. “I don’t know.”
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