Remember Octomom? What Nadya Suleman Is Doing Today

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She made headlines, that’s for sure. Back in January 2009, Nadya Suleman, better known as OcotMom, was on every front page of every magazine and newspaper. She even was even the top liner on some of America’s favorite news shows and gossip channels.

Why? Because she was a single mom, who gave birth to eight babies at the same time. It was a huge ocoto-mess. She was unemployed, had eight newborn babies to take care of and was either loved or hated by the world. But she didn’t care. Ever wonder what happened to the infamous OctoMom? Here’s an update of what she and tall those kids are doing today.

 Dreams come true

Nadya Suleman was an only child and had always dreamed of having brothers and sisters. So when she knew that wouldn’t ever happen, instead she decided to start her very own family.

What Suleman didn’t know was that in her quest for a big and happy family, something completely unexpected would flip her life upside down. Little did she know that her dreams would come true in one big, and we mean really big pregnancy.

 Her Big First Love

When Nadya Suleman was in her early twenties, she met a produce manager named Marcos Gutierrez. He must have been an especially charming produce manager because she felt an immediate connection with Gutierrez, one which was deep and meaningful. The two fell in love.

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From the start, of course, Nadya made it clear that having kids was of extreme significance to her. Plus it did not seem to be an issue at first, because Gutierrez also was intrigued by becoming the father of her children. Little did Nadya know, there wasn’t even the slightest chance she and Marcos Gutierrez could have kids together.

 Stressful Job

The same year Suleman wed Marcos Gutierrez; she made a psychiatric technician permit from Mt. San Antonio College and started working in Metropolitan State Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Norwalk, California. Working with mentally troubled patients is rewarding, but far from a simple task. And it would prove just as strenuous as it sounds for Nadya.

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Family life might have been her primary purpose; a Career has always been a part of her plan as well. Something happened at that facility. It had been a painful experience that would put the rest of her life out of a roller coaster ride.

 Disaster Riot

Sept 18, 1999, was the day tragedy struck in the psychiatric facility that Nadya Suleman worked, and that she ended up right at the center of it all. Twenty patients began a riot, and the obedient Nadia intervened. Throughout the chaos, one of the female patients flipped over a desk, and it landed right on Nadya’s back.

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She also suffered a disk failure as a result and registered for workers’ compensation benefits, earning $170, 000. It had been enough to help her get by for some time. But as you will soon find out, the wound was the last thing that bothered Nadia in the time.

 Bigger Problem

Nadya Suleman’s work-induced injury affected her capability to work and did it a lot of distress and bodily pain. The compensation she received helped her to cope, but there was a larger problem at hand. During all of it and before, Nadya was struggling with a struggle that threatened her legacy.

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She and her husband of three decades had actively been working to meet Nadya’s dream of starting a family. They attempted to have kids, but somehow it just did not work out.

After visiting physician after physician, Nadya Suleman and Marcos Gutierrez received advice about the way to better conceive. They had been determined to have a young kid, and as such, the two took each step as educated by various doctors. After all of that, they did not have luck.

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The constant failure started to reduce Nadya’s morale. It had been frustrating for her that she became miserable. Eventually, they learned the truth. It had been not that they had been doing something wrong; it was that Gutierrez was just sterile. It was far from easy, but Nadya ended her relationship with former husband Marcos Gutierrez in 2000 and decided to pursue having kids through IVF

Welcome, Baby Elijah!

The operation was successful, and in 2001, Nadya had her first child, an adorable boy named Elijah. Finally, after years of struggle, her dream of becoming a mother became a reality! But that wasn’t it for Nadya.

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In 2001  Nadya had her first child, an adorable boy named Elijah. Finally, after years of struggle, her dream of becoming a mother became a reality! But that wasn’t it for Nadya.

Babies, Babies, Babies!

A year after her first child was born, Nadya Suleman had a daughter named Amerah. The IVF worked so well, and Nadya’s thirst for having babies wasn’t yet quenched. She had such a positive experience with it that, after some time passed, she decided to continue the treatments, eventually ending up with fraternal twins and two more children – that’s six in total!

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Psst: You do the math. The news reported that deep down inside, she wished she hadn’t had the ready-made family and that she hated babies.  “They disgust me, she said.” News flash, then don’t get IVF!

 Instant Fame, Not Fortune

She looked like an everyday, average gal. Then overnight and eight babies later, she was an instant celebrity. People couldn’t get enough of her “eight is enough” made for a movie story. She was the very first woman in the entire world to give birth to healthy octuplets, that’s eight yes, repeat it, eight babies, at the same time.

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Mother Nature must have had something special in mind for this instant family because all eight babes and mom, given the nickname, OctoMom survived. This birth started a hell of a roller-coaster ride, including broken ribs for Nadya and her multi bundles of joy. Some might call it a nonstop joy ride!

She kept caring for her babies, thanks to the outpouring of donations from her fans but as in every flavor of the month headline, she faded into the background and went on to live a somewhat normal life.

 More Than Mother Nature

Since she became an overnight celeb, right up there with the A-Listers, journalists and news reporters wanted to get to the bottom of this bigger than life fairy tale. And what they found was almost like a Frankenstein freak show. Thanks to reproductive technology and a mad scientist of sorts, what she did to get prego was controversial.

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Before she was given special hormone treatment and in vitro fertilization or IVF to get pregnant, it turns out this unemployed woman was already a mother of six other children. IVF, it’s more like WTF! Talk about a mother of a scandal! Not to mention, she couldn’t even afford the kids she already had and was on public assistance.

What was that quack doctor thinking! What was anyone at that medical center thinking? We don’t think anyone was thinking. OctoMom took on a life of its own. The media was in love, and Nadya was on fire!

11. Nadia’s History Of IVF

Ok, we need some transparency here. Nadia and the doctor that treated her for IVF had a bit of an exciting history before she was knocked up with eight little test tubers. Well, at least that is what her former hubby called them. Nadia was married before she had kids and since her ex didn’t want to have anything to do with the IVF process he called test-tube babies; they divorced, and Nadia began treatment to have kids.

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She was successful, first getting pregnant with a healthy son, then a daughter and then fraternal twins and then two more totaling six. Welfare here I come!

Why oh why she needed more kids in her life is a mystery one would say and one any doctor should have realized was unrealistic…or was it? How was she paying for these little bundles of expensive joy?

 The Baby Plot Thickens

Ok, so to have IVF, Nadia had to freeze her eggs, and as the story goes, she got impatient to make more babies so instead of having one egg implanted, she insisted that the doctor implant all six! Well, it gets even better, the infamous doctor she had worked with so many years before injected not only six but when it was all said and done, 12 embryos into her. Experts say this was a very unhealthy, unethical number.

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OctoMom stated that she didn’t want any of her frozen embryos to “perish” because they were reaching their expiration limit. Can you imagine, an expiration on embryos?

The doctor did just what she wanted, and instead of what the doctor ordered turned into what the patient ordered. She got pregnant with eight, and he lost him a medical license. Sorry, doctor, so much for the customer is always right!

Protests Too Close For Comfort

Nadia’s overnight success was needless to say, “controversial” based on the larger than life and belly facts.” She had fans beyond her wildest dreams. People were so curious to know everything there is to know about OctoMom and her lifestyle.

Some were so obsessed with her; they wanted up close and personal information. People from all walks of life constantly convened on her driveway, including news reporters, journalists, and curious neighbors. She was known all over the world for her extreme once in a lifetime story.

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Some were friendly; some were foes. Believe it or not, she even had death threats. Some say she thrived on the limelight, but with good press always comes the bad news, too. And it seemed our OctoMom was surrounded by a shadow of both that gets better and better.

And at times it seemed she had her best interests in mind, not the 13 kids that needed taken care of. Rumor had it she used the money to get some nips and tucks to keep her body photogenic.

 Snapped From Headlines To Welfare Fraud

Nadia knew how to work the system. Notorious for much controversy, she had no fear of pushing the limits.

If having eight babies at once when you already had a boatload of kids at home while at the same time had no husband, no family and better yet, no job to support them, what’s an OctoMom to do? Get help from the good old U.S.A government.

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She’s already taken substantial amounts of money and donations from her adoring fans. When that dried up, she took more than her share from Uncle Sam and landed her in big trouble.

 Big bucks for television

Back in 2014, our colorful character was accused of Welfare fraud taking $9,814 in CalFresh aid, a food assistance program that is part of SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and $6,667 in state aid from CalWORKS that helps needy California families.

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Some reports say she owned the government $30 grand when it was all said and done. The only problem with her getting the money is she neglected to disclose her income. She was getting some big bucks for television appearances and interviews. She was on Oprah for goodness sakes. This is in addition to the big money she was paid for bearing it all.

 Octomom’s A Ha Moment

 Before fame and somewhat fortune, Octomom wanted to go back to college and earn her degree. While stripping and appearing in men’s clubs one night a man walked up to her and said, “You don’t have to do this,” and Nadya calls this her A Ha Moment.

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That was the night she decided to change her life for the better and do something that would make her family and herself proud. She moved forward, making some huge changes that didn’t include the limelight, sex tapes, or even her Octomom status.

 From Nadya Back To Natalie

Nadya changed her name back to her birth given name, Natalie so she could abandon OcotoMom and start over as a plain old mom. This was a symbolic way of starting over. She explains that she is her oldest daughter, who opened her eyes to what her celebrity life was creating.

Amerah, her daughter, who was 10, started behaving just like “me” and that she didn’t want her to go down the same destructive past.

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“It was not what I wanted for my children,” she said. She said so long to her celebrity persona and never, well not very often, looked back. She and her kids moved to Orange County, CA and in a way started from square one, with all her clothes on

 From Therapy To Therapist

Nadya, we mean Natalie went back to school, earned a degree, and started a new career as a family counselor which she explained was her passion. She said that it makes her feel alive. Now, as a therapist, she also works with her kids to keep a constant open line of communication.

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Her oldest daughter has some memories of her mom’s colored and naked past, and they discuss how her poor choices effected her and the kid’s lives. Nadya has many regrets (ya think?) and the porn movie she made $8,000 for is the biggest one. Even though she did it for the money and to keep from losing their home,  she said that it wasn’t her finest hour.

Bad Mom, Good Mom, OctoMom

Nadya, now Natalie is working to move ahead with her life and go from being a bad mom to transforming into a good mom. She doesn’t like it when people say she isn’t a good mom.  Afterall she has 14 kids and is a single mom. And she is a very hands-on mother.

She knows, really knows each one’s personalities and what makes them tick. Yes, she admits she made a few mistakes, but she’s made it through the best of times, the worst of times. Let’s face it, the fact of the matter is she wanted to commit suicide during her OctoMom era and is now living a normal everyday life if there is such a thing when you have 14 kids living with you in a two-bedroom apartment.

 Living In Loving Pain

Nadya, now Natalie shares that she has both mental and physical scars from her OctoMom days. Not only did all of the international fame cause her emotional issues (we’d say she was a hot naked mess back in those days. Rumors has it she was drinking and self-medicating and even wanted to commit suicide.)

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Now it’s all physical with war wounds from carrying a freakish amount of babies in her belly at once. These include four extremely painful ruptured or herniated discs in her back, bilateral sciatica, irreparable sacral damage and neuropathy, numb fingers and toes, endometriosis and a migraine now and again. Consequences of bad choices.

 Kids, Kids Everywhere

One wonders how a mom can keep track of all 14 kids. Not an easy task when you have the first six, Amira, Elijah, Aidan, Calissa, and Caleb. Then the octuplets are Maliah, Nariah, McCai, Josiah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Noah. They all have the same middle name, Angel. It sounds like a bit of faith was involved in her name choices.  And in true OctoMom push the limit form, none of them are vaccinated, get traditional medicine or go to the doctor.

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She’s the same way. They believe medicine is poison and stay away from it. They are also vegetarians and stay away from meat products. She says this keeps them all very healthy. We hope for their sake, she is right. It’s a California thing, they say.

Getting Her Kids To School and Smile

Cheese! Natalie Suleman has her hands and her car full of kids when it comes to getting them to school. The 43-year-old single mom calls herself the official bus driver, and both drops off and picks up the 14 from school every day. This is transportation that takes up most of her day!

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That and cooking and cleaning. But the whole family helps prepare the meals, and everyone has a part in the preparation. Taking the first day of school photos is another story. Can you imagine trying to get 14 kids to smile at the same time for the camera? Talk about a stressful, but wonderful moment in time.

Natalie’s DeStressing Routine

As if her naked on cameral days didn’t get being in the limelight out of her system, Natalie now posts her comings and goings on Instagram. She claims she wants to help other mothers who may be going through the same thing as she is. That being said, she shares her coping and destressing mechanisms.

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She goes to the gym for an hour or two each day for a physical workout. She opts for the stair master instead of the treadmill. It’s easier on her back.  Nat says the stress drips right off of her and exercise helps her stay trim and sane. Sane is the main point here.

Remember she did try to commit suicide, but she claims those dark days are over and her kids are the bright spot in her life. 14 bright spots. No one can argue with that.

 Mother-Daughter Bonding

Natalie Suleman loves being with her kids and bonds with them as much as time allows. She explained that one of the fondest memories she has with her boys is movie night and enjoys spa nights with the girls. They also enjoy Family Fun Night to enjoy each other’s company.

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They do manicures, pedicures, and even clay masks to keep their skin fresh and clear. Now in her mid 40’s Natalie knows how important skincare and whole health care is and wants to pass it down to her eight-plus six little miracles.

 Running For The Health of It

Natalie Suleman still appears on television shows like the Dr. Oz Show. She and her kids who announced their YouTube Channel and their current happy lifestyle. They are all not only vegetarians; they are avid runners and run together in various marathons. Natalie Suleman wants them to have values and virtues that she left behind during her OctoMom celebrity years.

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Her kids may have had a rocky start but are growing into productive, caring young people. Running in races that support a cause is both healthy and healthful. Natalie’s fans are very happy to hear that her kids are doing great things for the world.

 Mother’s Day Is A Great Day!

Natalie Suleman is proud of her 14 wonderful kids but doesn’t like to brag. It’s a different story on Mother’s Day. They all make her a custom Mother’s Day card that she is happy to share with her fans. Who couldn’t resist a personal card and hug from 14 of your very own special kids?

One of the boys, Aiden, has unique needs. He is autistic and gives her another challenge. But all the kids chip in and help whenever needed.

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What are big families for? Helping one another and Natalie says, “helping each other is getting out of your own head. She knows a few things about getting out of your head. They can learn from her not so perfect past.

 OctoMom Puts Thoughts on Paper

Natalie Suleman might just become an author. Her son Aiden has autism who is still in diapers and non-verbal. Her story will be all about the challenges she faces with Aiden and how the other children cope with his issues.

She loves teaching her children about autism and hopes others, especially mothers, fathers, and siblings with the same struggles will learn from her book; she hopes to publish very soon.

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A big stretch from her controversial OctoMom days. She says she doesn’t want to forget them but has learned from he mistakes in more ways than one. In a way, they may have made her a better person for her family today.

My Family Is In The Spotlight Now

No dating for Natalie Suleman since she’s stepped out of the OctoMom dark spotlight.

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She said that she puts all of her time and energy into her kids, so there isn’t any time for dating or much else. “It’s 14 of them and me. I have to give all my energy and all of me to my kids,” she said.