Natalie Suleman Revealed the Surprising Way She Could Afford the IVF Treatments That Conceived Her Octuplets—'I'm Not Proud of It'

Yahoo

10-03-2025

It's the return of Octomom. Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman and her family are finally telling their side of the story after she gave birth to octuplets.
Suleman conceived her octuplets via IVF in 2009. She was already a mom to six children before she gave birth, making her total to a whopping 14 children. Suleman and her family garnered heavy media coverage shortly after since she her octuplets were the first to survive after birth. The family has since moved into the private life after the frenzy. 'I've never wanted fame,' she told People. 'That's a number one biggest misconception ever. I sued the hospital because they were the reason I ended up in the public eye.'
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Now the Sulemans are ready to show the world their family life with two Lifetime projects: I Was Octomom and Confessions of Octomom.
Natalie Suleman's net worth is estimated to be around $300,000 according to Celebrity Net Worth. The single mother of 14 has been open about her financial struggles since she entered the spotlight. 'At the time, I was not unemployed. I was on disability,' she told People.
'I did not use taxpayers' money,' she affirmed about how she could afford IVF treatments. 'I'd saved so much money working as a psychiatric technician at a state psych hospital. I saved well over a hundred thousand dollars. I used all of that money. Instead of buying a house I bought in vitros. I also had an inheritance close to $60,000 that paid for it too, which I'm not proud of. It should have gone for my older kids. I also got student loans, but I paid for everything, period.'
Suleman also opened up about her financial insecurity in the early 2010s and how the media painted her to be mooching off the government. According to court papers, she filed for bankruptcy after owing money to Sylvan Learning Center, childcare center Lad N. Lassie and private elementary school Whittier Christian School—debts that combine with others to amount to between $500,000 and $1 million. 'We were always struggling financially but in 2013 that was more than ever. I went right back to my old profession as a therapist working 40 hours a week,' she says. 'I used my education. For years I was typecast as the welfare recipient, unemployed mother, all of which is wrong.'
She left her job in 2018 to take care of her son Aidan who has autism. 'I've always been his only provider, but I never got paid,' she revealed. 'So in 2018, that's when I started to get actually paid. It's decent money, but it's still nothing compared to what we need to make to be comfortable in life.'
The happy family of 14 are currently living comfortably in Orange County, Calif, after they found security and community. She noted that one couple 'offered us to live here half the rent just because they're good Christian people,' she says. 'People at church have made a positive difference.'
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