Natalie “Nadya” Suleman has a lot of things to be grateful for — but there is a part of her journey to motherhood that she wishes she had done differently.
Initially gaining popularity almost two decades ago as the first woman to give birth to surviving octuplets, which earned her the nickname ‘Octomom,’ Suleman was happy to step out of the spotlight and live a life of peace with her 14 kids.
Highlights
- Natalie Suleman became famous for giving birth to the first ever surviving octuplets.
- Suleman wishes she had sued her infertility doctor for financial compensation.
- Her doctor implanted 12 embryos, not the recommended two, and lost his license.
She’s now been launched back into the public eye with her film I Was Octomom and the docuseries Confessions of Octomom, which are set to premiere March 8 and 10, respectively.
Natalie Suleman made headlines when she became the first woman to give birth to surviving octuplets
Image credits: Lifetime
In an interview with PEOPLE, Suleman gave a brief glimpse into what she thought of her extraordinary life.
“Natalie Suleman is just a mom of many, and she is very, very, very grateful,” she said during the photoshoot and interview with the majority of her children. “We are a loving family, and we’re there for each other. All of my kids are just very humble, grounded, kind people with good hearts.”
However, Suleman confessed that she had some regrets regarding the back-to-back rounds of IVF administered by Dr. Michael Kamrava, who had helped her conceive all 14 of her kids.
Image credits: nataliesuleman
After her last pregnancy, the 49-year-old wished for “just one more” baby. And instead of implanting the recommended two embryos, Kamrava implanted twelve and was stripped of his medical license.
“I don’t think I’d do too much differently,” Suleman shared. “I do regret not suing the infertility doctor. I definitely regret that because his insurance would’ve been the one paying, and it would’ve been some millions, and it would’ve been helpful for my family.”
She continued, “I regret that I kind of threw myself under the bus to cover for him, and I shouldn’t have but I was grateful. I wouldn’t have had any of my kids if it weren’t for his innovative technique. No one else in the world did this type of procedure so I didn’t have it in my heart to sue him.
“But I did sue the hospital because they breached HIPAA,” she said, as some of the hospital employees had reportedly shared her name and medical information with the press. “They’re the reason why I ended up in the public eye.”
However, the mother of fourteen wishes she had sued her doctor
Image credits: nataliesuleman
Image credits: nataliesuleman
But that’s as far as her regrets go because there is absolutely no way Suleman has any second thoughts regarding her children.
Growing up, Suleman was an only child and always dreamed of having a big family to combat the loneliness she would constantly feel. She knew she wanted seven kids and was focused on becoming the best mother she could be.
But Suleman has confirmed that all of her kids are genuine people with "good hearts"
Image credits: nataliesuleman
Image credits: Lifetime
“There is an amalgamation of factors,” the Californian native said. “I wanted kids to create maybe a safe and predictable little world that I lacked growing up. So then, of course, I projected onto my future family.”
She added, “When I set my mind to achieving a goal, I am laser focused and then I hyper-focus, and then I work relentlessly to achieve the goal,” before joking, “I may have possibly overachieved with kids. I didn’t intend on having this many.”
I Was Octomom and Confessions of Octomom are set to premiere later this month
