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Natalie Denise Suleman (born Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman; July 11, 1975), known as Octomom in the media, is an American media personality who came to international attention when she gave birth to the first surviving octuplets in January 2009. The circumstances of their high-order multiple birth led to controversy in the field of
assisted reproductive technology Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes medical procedures used primarily to address infertility. This subject involves procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and cryopreservation of ga ...
as well as an investigation by the
Medical Board of California The Medical Board of California (MBC) is a state government agency which licenses and disciplines physicians, surgeons and certain allied healthcare professionals in California. The Board provides two principal types of services to consumers: (1 ...
of the fertility specialist involved.Octuplets' mom says she had 6 embryos implanted
''Associated Press'', February 6, 2009
Suleman conceived the octuplets and her six older children via
in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the ovulatory process, then removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) from ...
(IVF).


Early life

Suleman was born in
Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and S ...
. She is the only child of Angela Victoria Suleman (born Stanaitis), a schoolteacher of Lithuanian descent and Edward Doud Suleman, a Palestinian restaurant owner turned realtor who served as a translator in Iraq. - references Radar Online article She attended Nogales High School in
La Puente La Puente (Spanish for "The Bridge") is a city in east Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city had a population of 39,816 at the 2010 census and is approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. History The original inhabitants ...
, California, where she was known as ''Natalie Doud'', and later Mt. San Antonio College in
Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...
where she earned a psychiatric technician license. She received a B.S. in child development and worked for a state mental hospital for three years.


Marriage and divorce

In 1996, Suleman married Marco Gutierrez. They separated in 2000. Gutierrez filed for divorce in November 2006, which was finalized in January 2008.


Children

Suleman began IVF treatments at age 21 in 1997, under the supervision of Dr. Michael Kamrava, who was later expelled from the
American Society for Reproductive Medicine The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization for advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine. The society has its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and its administrat ...
. In 2001, Suleman gave birth to her first son, Elijah. In 2002, she gave birth to her first daughter, Amerah. Suleman continued IVF treatments, which resulted in three further pregnancies, including two more sons, Joshua and Aidan, and one set of fraternal twins, Calyssa and Caleb, for a total of six children: four sons and two daughters. In 2019, Suleman revealed that her son, Aidan, is "severely
autistic Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing di ...
" and "requires complete assistance in meeting all needs in activities of daily living." Suleman is a
vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
and says that most of her children prefer vegan food.


Octuplets

In 2009, Suleman stated that she had six embryos left over from her previous IVF treatments. She explained that she requested all of the remaining embryos be transferred into her uterus at one time. A woman her age would normally have a maximum of three embryos transferred. Suleman says that part of her reasoning for attempting a seventh pregnancy was so that the frozen embryos would not be destroyed. Beginning with the first egg retrieval in 2000, Suleman's extra embryos had been frozen and stored with Dr. Kamrava. Despite this, fresh cycles of hormone therapy and egg retrieval were performed for each of Suleman's pregnancies, instead of using the frozen embryos already available. In June 2011, during an investigation by the
Medical Board of California The Medical Board of California (MBC) is a state government agency which licenses and disciplines physicians, surgeons and certain allied healthcare professionals in California. The Board provides two principal types of services to consumers: (1 ...
, it was found that Kamrava had transferred twelve embryos, which the board found to be an "extreme" departure from standard of care. After reviewing Suleman's case, in combination with three other cases, the Medical Board of California voted to revoke Kamrava's medical license, effective July 1, 2011. News of the octuplets caused an international media sensation.. Public response was largely negative and included death threats. There has been much public discussion about Suleman's decision to have the octuplets, including a minor protest outside the Suleman home. Many expressed concern that Suleman's decision to have these children would burden taxpayers with financial support. Suleman claimed to be able to independently support her children, saying she was planning to return to school to complete a master's degree in counseling. Records showed that Suleman was unemployed after having received
disability benefits Disability benefits are funds provided from public or private sources to a person who is ill or who has a disability. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, disability benefits are covered by Department for Work and Pensions. There are numerous b ...
between 2002 and 2008, as compensation for a back injury sustained in September 1999 during an incident at a previous job. In February 2009, television host
Phil McGraw Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...
questioned whether the octuplets would be released from the hospital, while Suleman expressed concern about losing custody of them. In March, Suleman bought a new house in La Habra. In the early morning hours of April 1, the day she would bring home the seventh octuplet, vandals threw a baby seat through the back window of her Toyota minivan. By April 14, 2009, all of the children were home with their mother and grandmother. The octuplets celebrated their first birthday on January 26, 2010. Suleman told ''
People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
'' magazine, "I don't get much sleep, but I'm used to that. Once one of the kids gets up, they all get up. Some nights I don't sleep at all or as little as half an hour. On the good nights, I may get up to two full hours. The longest I've gone without sleeping is 72 hours. It's hard, but I'm continuing to move forward with my life and trying to be the best mother I can be."


Public profile

Suleman quickly became notorious with the birth of octuplets. Within the first week, the media dubbed her "Octomom". Suleman hired the Killeen Furtney Group as her initial public relations company, with Wes Yoder providing a small amount of ''pro bono'' advice. Both groups soon ended their involvement after receiving death threats."Publicists for octuplets' mother quit over death threats"
''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', February 15, 2009.
Her next spokesman was Victor Munoz, who quit on March 6, 2009. Suleman has appeared on many television shows, starting with a February 2009 interview with
Ann Curry Ann Curry (born November 19, 1956) is an American journalist, who has been a reporter for more than 45 years, focused on human suffering in war zones and natural disasters. Curry has reported from the wars in Kosovo, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palest ...
. Suleman rejected suggestions that her decisions have been selfish or that she would not be able to care for her children, stating: "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling. If I were just sitting down watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered, to a certain degree, selfish.""Octuplets' mom: 'All I ever wanted'"
''CNN'', February 6, 2009.
Suleman would make another appearance later in March on ''
Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...
'' alongside fellow guest
Gloria Allred Gloria Rachel Allred ( Bloom; born July 3, 1941) is an American attorney known for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particularly those involving feminist causes. She has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Ea ...
. Allred had a list of criticisms regarding Suleman's performance as mother and homemaker. On April 16, 2009, Suleman revealed she struck a deal for a reality TV show in the UK, though ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said some U.S. networks were reluctant to pick up the show. Suleman signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 24 to have each of her children earn $250 a day to star in a reality show; filming was set to begin on September 1. On May 4, 2009, it was announced that Allred had filed a case with Orange County Superior Court requesting that a guardian be appointed to protect the rights of the infants. FOX later aired its own two-hour special titled ''Octo-Mom: The Incredible Unseen Footage''. There were many parodies and other media events based on the story, including a 2009 musical performed in Los Angeles, which Suleman was not involved with. Suleman was featured in the February 2010 issue of ''
Star A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by Self-gravitation, self-gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night sk ...
'', where she gave an interview. Several pictorials followed, focused mainly on her weight loss since delivering the octuplets a year earlier. In April 2010, Suleman was on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
'' and ''
Idol Gives Back ''Idol Gives Back'' was a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the show. ''Idol ...
'', in which she denied claims that she had received plastic surgery and stated that she refused to star in pornographic movies. She added that she had seriously rethought her decision to give birth to and raise her children, and that she hoped to become a teacher. She made another appearance on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', where she asked and received help from
Suze Orman Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman ( ; born June 5, 1951) is an American financial advisor, author, and podcast host. In 1987, she founded the Suze Orman Financial Group. Her work as a financial advisor gained notability with ''The Suze Orman Show'', which ...
about financial issues that she was then facing with her children and discussed her
hoarding disorder Hoarding disorder (HD) or Plyushkin's disorder is a mental disorder characterised by persistent difficulty in parting with possessions and engaging in excessive acquisition of items that are not needed or for which no space is available. This re ...
developed from childhood. In March 2012, Suleman posed seminude for the UK magazine '' Closer''. On April 30, 2012, Suleman filed for
personal bankruptcy Personal bankruptcy law allows, in certain jurisdictions, an individual to be declared bankrupt. Virtually every country with a modern legal system features some form of debt relief for individuals. Personal bankruptcy is distinguished from corpora ...
. Suleman said she had $50,000 in assets and up to $1 million in debts. Her home in La Habra was set to go up for auction. Earlier, she was accused of neglecting her children while spending hundreds of dollars on herself for services such as Brazilian blowouts. However, after visiting her house,
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
s determined that the children were not in danger and should not be removed. Suleman checked herself into Chapman House Treatment Center in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
on October 23, 2012, for 28 days or more for rehabilitation for
anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...
, exhaustion, and stress. She had been taking
Xanax Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of moderate duration within the triazolobenzodiazepine group of chemicals called benzodiazepines. Alprazolam is most commonly prescribed in the ...
under a doctor's care for her problems. Suleman appears in the music video of Cledus T. Judd's "
Honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...
" as his bride. On January 13, 2014, Suleman was accused of
welfare fraud Welfare fraud is the act of illegally using state welfare systems by knowingly withholding or giving information to obtain more funds than would otherwise be allocated. This article deals with welfare fraud in various countries of the world, and ...
by the state of California for failing to disclose nearly $30,000 in earnings. On July 14, she pleaded no contest to a single count of misdemeanor welfare fraud for failing to disclose income she was receiving from videos and personal appearances while collecting more than $26,000 in public assistance funds to care for her 14 children. Suleman was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and two years of probation, and ordered to pay a small fine. Her attorney, Arthur J. LaCilento, said that with financial help from friends, his client has already repaid the county welfare system. Before making her plea, Suleman had been facing four felony charges, including perjury and welfare fraud, in the case. In 2012, Suleman starred in the film '' 666 the Devil's Child'', a low-budget horror film that centers upon a couple that visits a woman they met on the Internet, only for strange things to occur. Suleman portrays the character Vanessa, a film student. In 2017, Suleman was interviewed for the Bravo network program '' Andy Cohen's Then & Now''. In March 2019, the Australian current affairs program '' Sunday Night'' interviewed Suleman for the octuplets' tenth birthday. She conceded that although at the time she was "absolutely ..young, dumb, irresponsible, selfish, reckless", she does not regret any of her children. The feature noted that the household is run with "military precision", and the children are "happy, healthy, and well-mannered".


Jobs

In June 2012, Suleman recorded a single with recording artist Adam Barta after she appeared in an alternate cut of his "Q&A" music video, where she was heard saying, "Let's do a duet, on my new album!" In 2012, Suleman appeared in the
adult film Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolved from cave paintings ...
'' Octomom Home Alone'' produced by
Wicked Pictures Wicked Pictures is an American independent pornographic Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adu ...
. The film was released on June 20, 2012. In December 2012, ''Octomom Home Alone'' received four
AVN Award The AVN Awards are List of movie awards, film awards sponsored and presented by the American trade magazine ''AVN (magazine), AVN'' (''Adult Video News'') annually to honor achievements in the global Sex industry, adult entertainment industry. ...
nominations and won for Best Celebrity Video. Suleman worked as an adult entertainer dancing in men's clubs. She released a single called "Sexy Party" with Adam Barta in September, and he held her breasts while surrounded by crucifixes on a bed on the compact disc artwork, a cover she said was inspired by the work of
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
.. In October 2012, Suleman was paid to participate in the launch of an internet debate site, Deeyoon.com, including doing an online debate on parenting with
Michael Lohan Michael John Lohan (; born April 25, 1960) is an American television personality, best known as the father of actress Lindsay Lohan. Early life Michael Lohan is the oldest of four children born to Marilyn (née Desiderio) (1942–2020) and Richa ...
.


Adaptation

In 2025, Nadya Suleman's life was depicted in the Lifetime film '' I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story''. While Suleman narrated the film, it also stars Kristen Lee Gutoskie as Suleman, Caitlin Stryker as Suleman's best friend Beth, and Anita Wittenberg as Angela Suleman.


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Suleman, Nadya 1975 births American female erotic dancers American people of Palestinian descent American people of Lithuanian descent People from Fullerton, California Living people California State University, Fullerton alumni Multiple births 21st-century American women 20th-century American women