OCTOMOM PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT HER LIFE IS NOT AS ORDINARY AS ANYONE OF OURS
“Motherhood is a choice you make every day to put someone’s well being and happiness ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons and to do the right things, even when you are not sure what the right thing is…and to forgive yourself over and over again for doing everything wrong”.
Nadya Suleman, now known as Natalie and even more popularly known as the “Octomom” suddenly disappeared after being in the limelight for years after her pregnancy and giving birth to octuplets at once. No one ever captured her life after turning into a mother and taking those challenging sips of motherhood.
Read in here to find how drastically has her life changed. Did it change for something better or was it something even worse?
Mother Of 14
Natalie is a mom of fourteen children. Yes, you read that right. Very few people are aware of this. When she became the fodder for gossip, she was pregnant with eight children at a time, but she already had six children prior to the upcoming eight ones. She became famous for this act of hers in the year 2009. Soon only she turned “infamous”. Why? There was a lot more to her story which had never been clearly talked about before…
The Octomom
Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in the month of January in the year 2009. She became a public figure and is now known as the American media personality. She captured the media’s eye after giving birth to eight children in a single go. Soon, the media dubbed her identity as the “Octomom”. Suleman has appeared on many TV shows and has always curbed the questions on her being not able to afford the future of these eight children, with already six children prior to these. Her journey from a school girl to an Octomom has been a rollercoaster…
Why 8 More
Before entering the glamor world with her octuplet pregnancy, Nadya was an unemployed mother of six children. She lived in total crisis. There was barely any food to serve to those growing babies. They lived in a total hand-to-mouth kind of atmosphere. When already there was so much of cash crunch then why did Nadya plan for eight more children? What were her plans on bringing them up in such tight financial situation?
Fame Over Family
Many believe that the act of giving birth to an octuplet was to gain the media popularity. Nadya was looked upon as a lady, who, to gain the limelight and earn the celebrity status risked the life of not just the newly born eight children but her already existing six older children. After the birth of the octuplets only, has Nadya been able to attract the much-craved attention. People claim that she has kept the need for fame over her family. Nobody knows how true is that, but there are possibilities that it could be one of the reasons for her turning infamous.
The Reality Show
Nadya reveals that she struck a TV Reality Show in the UK on April 16, 2009. However certain reports show that some networks were reluctant to go about this show. The reality Tv show would showcase the Octomom and her daily chores on managing with the eight children at once. She even filed an agreement in the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 24 promising that her children would earn $250 each for casting in the reality show.
The Big Question
Everyone wanted to know how did she manage to give birth to eight children at a time and earn the title of “Octomom”? The Natalie’s octuplets were the only second set of octuplets been born completely alive in the United States. She even holds a Guinness World Record for that. It was through IVF treatment that she gave birth to her children. And not just once she used this treatment for some three times. You will be amazed to know how it all began…
At 21 And Continued
Nadya was only a 21-year-old girl when she gave birth to her first child, a son. She began with it in the year 1997. After that, she became a mom to six children (four sons and two daughters) via the same IVF (in-vitro fertilization) procedure. With this procedure, she could get her fused eggs implanted in her uterus after they were fertilized outside the body. Even after being the mother of six children, she got all her embryos implanted at once in the year 2008. How did she get money for following up with this procedure?
Early Life
Before being recognized as the “Octomom”, she was a student at California University pursuing her studies in Child and Adolescent Behavior. Later, Nadya was working in a mental hospital, where she claimed have been hit by a back injury during a riot. In the name of disabled payments, she collected a sum of money more than $165,000 and used it for her proceedings with her treatment. She was still taking her graduation classes when she conceived her octuplets. But, everyone was curious to know who was the father of these children?
The Controversial Father
Nadya dated David Solomon before she conceived her octuplets. Her mother says that these children were a result of his specimen. However, Nadya’s father declines this and says that this is all that the media reports. The actual father of these children is unknown. However, these children carry David’s last name as well. Little is known about the true identity of the father of these fourteen children. Rest that is known is all a part of the big controversy. How did she remember the names of so many children?
Naming Them
It is quite interesting to know, how did she name her children. All her children carry “Angel” as the middle name because she believes it was by the grace of God that she could give birth to these eight children at a time. It was a superhuman task. The name of her children beginning from the oldest one to the youngest one is Amerah, Calyssa, Elijah, Joshua, Aidan, and Caleb.
And her octuplet names Noah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Isaiah, Makai, Nariyah, and Maliyah.
Not everything is as charming as it sounds…
The Story Behind Names
Not only the octuplets are a cover story but their names too are one. There is no evidence about why did Nadya change her name to Natalie. Nor is it known why did her children carry the surname as “Solomon” and not “Suleman”. Even after breaking up with David, her ex-boyfriend, why do her children carry his last name? Also, why do the middle name “Angel” holds that much importance?
There is quite more beyond the birth of these octuplets…
Specially-Abled Children
Nadya now tells that of her 14 children, two were born with some birth defects. One of her children named Calyssa who is 11 years old is specially abled and another one named Aiden who is one of the twins is suffering from autism and thus demands extra care and nourishment. She says,” I have to wake at 5 in the morning to just dress my children for school. You really need to be fast in dressing 14 children at a time”.
She too was named something which was really amusing…
Angelina Jolie
Nadya once again got famous but this time for a wonderful reason. She somehow looks like the very famous Hollywood Actress “Angelina Jolie”. Not only was Nadya a replica of her in looks but she too was a mother to many children like her. People reported that Nadya had undergone many plastic surgeries to look like the famous actress. She is assumed to have got a botox treatment for her lips, cheek implantation, and a nose job as well. But, this all could not change the Octomom’s infamous public image. But why was Nadya associated with wrong deeds?
Affordability of 14 Children
Nadya though was a public figure and had a worth of $1 million after giving birth to eight children was bankrupt later. While Nadya was already living in a crisis, barely surviving on food stamps, it was quite obvious that growing these children now, was a challenge. The reality show alone was not enough to make up for the survival of the family. Soon she realized this and undertook some of the really tough decisions of her life. And she had to go through a lot more…
Financial Crisis
Nadya says that her notoriety took her to the adult entertainment industry. In the year 2012, she became the part of the movie “Octomom home alone” which was awarded the Best Adult Movie in the year 2013. She now tells that she never wished to do this but to give her children a better life she had to continue here. She was even on heavy drugs and medication to bear with all that she was doing. She even had a phase of life which she termed as “Self-exploitation”.
Self-Exploitation
In an interview conducted after years, Nadya says,” we were on the verge of homelessness. Instead of putting my children on the camera, I thought to put myself up there. I fully exploited and dehumanized myself with the act of stripping and working in adult films”. It had some major consequences for her, self-disgust and shame. To cope with all these happenings she began with prescriptions and medications.
There was a dark side to this as well…
Unsettling Living Conditions
The protective services kept on visiting the Suleman’s house for keeping a check over the children’s living atmosphere. There was a suspicion that the money from taxpayers which was being provided to the single mother to take care of her fourteen children was spent by the mother in fulfilling her desires. In front of media, Nadya never portrayed herself as a struggling mother on welfare. Why was that could never be understood? Rather she was spending dollars on her hair treatment. She was even a costume at Halloween…
That’s Cool
Nadya had to face all kinds of shame in her life. People already criticized her for becoming a mom, who gave birth to 8 children at a time, now they were looking at her as even more of an amusing figure. They designed special costumes relatable to the “Octomom” and dressed in it at Halloween. At every point, life was throwing challenges at her. And she had no other option than facing them until the day she…
Life Changing Decision
This adult industry could serve her the much needed financial support but Nadya lost her cool. She was not in a state of peace and was under depression. She would mix her medicines with alcohol and consume them. She, later on, discovered that she was doing the same mistake from which Whitney Houston, died. And then a life-changing night happened when a man approached her in the strip club…
An Occurrence
That night Nadya reached her breaking point. She was already not able to digest this shame and then a male approaches her in the strip club in February 2013 in Florida. In one of her interviews, she recalls how a quite tall looking man came to her and looked deeply into her eyes. She thought him to be a random guest at the club but no he was someone who changed her life forever. Who was he?
The Stranger
The stranger grabbed her by her arm and took her to the corner. He was firm in his words which said, “You don’t have to do this. You really don’t need to”. And he repeated it for some five times. As the man spoke these words, Nadya went weak. She began crying like a baby. She experienced the ugly feeling of nausea and looked down to cover her face. As she grabbed her breath to see who the man was, the man had already left.
Though the guy left, he marked the beginning of a change in Nadya’s life. What was that change?
The Change
Nadya didn’t know who that guy was. But who so ever he might have been, for her he was no less than an angel. Just the words of the anonymous man were enough for Nadya, to quit her job at the stripping club and begin with a new life.
Nadya recalls, a phase from her past life where she says that she woke up with an ugly, dead and visceral feeling inside her. She was so done with her life that she wanted to commit suicide. But then something stopped her…
The Desire To Change
Nadya herself wanted to come out of this mean and vicious circle of life she had ended up in. She wanted to change her life for better and most importantly for her children. She did not want her children to remember their mom for all the things the media had been broadcasting. She wanted them to remember her as just like any other mom, a decent citizen of the nation. Nadya says, “I was forced into doing things I didn’t want to do because I was so terrified I couldn’t support my children and give them the life I deserved”. How she went about is really inspiring…
A Major Shift
To start her life afresh, Suleman took a major call. Her octuplets are now, the only set of eight children to survive. They turned nine years old in January and then Nadya decided to go back to her homeland. She took her children to Laguna, in Orange County, CA, where she had grown up. She wanted a healthy and stable life and was all set to leave behind her life which made her infamous. And then again she regained the media attention for something not good…
Legal Trouble
In the year 2014, when Nadya was trying to get her life back on track she was found guilty of welfare fraud. She was sentenced to 200 hours of community service along with two years of probation for failing to report income while on public assistance. She was accused of not reporting a major part of her income. But she was ordered a no consent plea. What she had to say about it was an altogether different story which none reported…
The Managers
In the words of Nadya, she was innocent. She handed over the charge of managing her accounts to her managers. It was the managers who were to be blamed for this. Nadya wanted to devote her time to her children who were young and needed her attention. She handed over the cards and checkbook to her managers as she wanted to manage her children and not the money. She now says that she was foolish to trust those men with this then.
Luckily, the fraud was expunged and she could again start with the awaited change…
A Public Speaker
Nadya Suleman is now a public speaker. She makes money by appearing in various public events. She interacts with other men and women who are habitual to drugs and alcohol. She is a part-time counselor. She is trying her best to make a change in their lives. She would be educating them about the deadly consequences of these and would even inspire them with her story.
If you are wondering about her children, then Voila! It’s a happy one now…
House Of Own
Nadya is currently living with her children in Laguna, in Orange County, CA. They live in a two bedroom townhouse there. Also, she has converted her office to a third room so that all her children could get proper space to sleep. From being on the verge of homelessness to a home it had been a tough ride. But as she changed, her life too did and so did of her children…
Bonding
Though she has been working, there are times when it gets difficult to make up for the needs of the family of fifteen. Nadya says, that her family receives government aid which helps in supporting her family. Moreover, the government provides them with food stamps which help in feeding her children. Being occupied with her 14 children has made her an anti-social being, but that doesn’t bother her up much as she never wanted to be a “social-figure”.
Sibling Love
Aiden is suffering from autism and his siblings understand that. They treat their little brother with all the love and care. Nadya even tells how Mkai, her other son follows Aiden like a shadow. He even gives him bites of his food. They share a very special bond. While her other children would act as guarding angels for Aiden. Her family is just like the majority of the families.
Aiden has a mind of an 18-month-year-old and is still in diapers. We wish for a speedy recovery of this special child.
The Vegan Lifestyle
Her octuplets and she follow a vegan diet now. However, her other six children are omnivores. They survive only on plant-based foods and don’t consume any sort of dairy products. They are healthy and fit beings who are too energetic for everything. They have incorporated a healthy lifestyle into their routines.
The Fitness Regime
To maintain her public image Nadya follows a strict fitness regime. When she was young and had no kids, she was quite healthy. But after being the part of the glam and adult world she has shed weight to ensure that the little clean image she has still persisted. Now, she does everything to be in front of the camera for a good reason.
Why No Partner
Nadya never wanted a partner in life. But, why? When she was having a tough time in bringing up her children she said that she never wanted a partner. She could easily look after her 14 children. Nadya wanted to be a “mom”. She craved for the feeling of belongingness which her children could easily fulfill. She desired attachment in life and no significant other could provide it better than what these children were.
More Children?
When someone asked Nadya about her plans for having more children, she laughs at it now. She calls it to be the farthest thing she could even imagine now. She is no longer having the plans of producing more hands and legs, but she will all her life provide her children with emotional and psychological needs. This statement of hers undoubtedly tells how hard time she has had in growing her 14 children.
The Book
Nadya plans on getting her book published. Her son had inspired her to write one. The one who was suffering from autism inspired her to write that. The book talks about the challenges of growing a child with a disability. She says that though the book wasn’t a memoir, her children had made it all and more interesting. She believes her book will not only inspire other women but it will also strengthen their hopes of fighting the challenges in life…
Any Regrets
In an interview, someone asked Nadya, “if she has any regrets in life”? Her answer to it was the most surprising one. She says that she doesn’t regret having as many as 14 children, but, yes, she does regret her choices and decisions in life. She says, ” I was very foolish, immature and selfish to have 14 children, and didn’t really think through the consequences. I was on a mission. I just wanted to have a bunch of kids. But I couldn’t imagine my life at this point in time any different than it is”.
A Wise Advice
Nadya from her past experiences gives her children a very wise advice in life. She says, ” Maybe, at this point, I know and I need to teach my children that we need to learn, we need to grow, we need to keep on growing and transcending, and we need to make the best possible choices. And when we make poor choices, all you can do is really, really learn from that and grow from that. Try not to repeat it.”
She is giving her children the freedom to make their varied choices and learn something out of them. That’s a pretty cool advice mom.
Amerah Solomon
In this image what you see is Nadya (on right) and her eldest daughter, Amerah Solomon. Nadya posted this picture of her’s on Amerah’s last birthday. She captions the image with a heart-melting message. A message which makes everyone question that whether all of us were judging Nadya from the eyes of media?
The Caption
The caption read, “Dear Amerah, One of the most important lessons I try to teach you all is that every person that crosses your path is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, compassionate, and patient with people always; and aware that sometimes the brighter the smile the deeper the suffering. By looking at your beautiful smile no one could imagine the struggle you face, that we all face, daily…”
This was a touching one and generated sympathy as well.
A Hope
Nadya has made many public appearances in her life. Though initially, they were quite fast, with time it even declined. She has been trying hard to shed away the image of the infamous Octomom, but she has not been very successful yet. People continue to judge her for bringing so many lives into existence and into the state of hunger. All one can hope is that people begin looking at her as a human who wasn’t selfish but the one who genuinely loves kids!
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