More than 15 years after she gave birth to the first surviving octuplets, “Octomom” Nadya Suleman reveals her major regret after having 14 children.
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While promoting her new Lifetime film I Was Octomom and the subsequent docuseries Confessions of Octomom, Suleman spoke to PEOPLE about her IVF journeys.
“Natalie Suleman is just a mom of many, and she is very, very, very grateful,” she describes herself. “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.”
When asked why she chose to have so many children, Suleman said her dream of having a big family started in her youth. “I wasn’t happy as an only child,” she explained. “And clearly I projected my dream onto my kids and wanting a big, well, not this big of a family, but I did want seven kids.”
“But it’s not enough to say I wanted a big family because I was lonely,” she continued. “There is an amalgamation of factors. 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.”
When it was time to become a mother, Suleman said she did whatever it took to get pregnant. “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. I may have possibly overachieved with kids. I didn’t intend on having this many.”
Nadya Suleman Turned to Unethical Doctor For IVF Treatments
Nadya Suleman said she had multiple back-to-back rounds of IVF, which was administered by Dr. Michael Kamrava. He helped her conceive all 14 of her children. However, the physician was heavily criticized for implanting 12 embryos in Sulemon at once. This is above the recommended standard practice of two.
Kamrava admitted to implanting 12 embryos in Suleman’s final pregnancy, originally telling her he only implanted six. He was stripped of his medical license not long after.
Reflecting on her IVF experience, Nadya Suleman said she regrets not suing Kamrava. Otherwise, she doesn’t think she would do “too much” differently.
“I do regret not suing the infertility doctor,” she said. “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 further admitted another regret. “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.”
Suleman sued the hospital because the administration breached HIPAA. She claimed several employees shared her name and medical information with the press. “They’re the reason why I ended up in the public eye,” she added.