Latest news with #ConfessionsofOctomom
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Octomom Natalie ‘Nadya' Suleman Revealed the Jaw-Dropping Amount She Spends on Groceries Each Month
Despite being known as the Octomom, Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman is actually a mom of 14, and with 14 kids comes a hefty grocery bill each month. In an interview with Us Weekly, while promoting Lifetime's docuseries Confessions of Octomom, Suleman talked about how she manages to buy groceries for a household of 15. More from SheKnows Ashlee Simpson Shared Daughter Jagger's Reaction to Chopping off Most of Her Hair 'We find a lot of things on sale. I budget really well, and we all eat very, very healthfully,' she said, talking about how her children are vegan, so she avoids buying meat, dairy, or eggs. 'I focus mainly on what matters — the plant-based whole foods, the fruits and vegetables.' She noted how her grocery bill at Gelson's, an upscale Southern California-based grocer, was $366.94. 'I spend that maybe every other day. So it's still $4,000 or $5,000 a month on groceries on average. And now, if we went above and beyond and we got extras and extra food, we could easily be $10,000 a month. Because of the budgeting, it's about half,' she said. So, they at least spend $48,000 on groceries, and at most, around $60,000. Despite previous bankruptcies and bounding around homes in the early 2010s, she and her children now live in a three-bedroom townhome in Orange County at a discounted rate thanks to someone she met at church, per People. To gain this type of money, there's obviously her public projects like this Lifetime special, she is reported to be working as a counselor full time, occasionally does 'international photoshoots' and uses public assistance. Before the octuplets, she did IVF treatments, she had her first son named Elijah in 2001, then a daughter named Amerah in 2002. She then welcomed two more sons named Joshua, born in 2003, and Aidan, born in 2005, and fraternal twins named Calyssa and Caleb in 2006. Then, many may know, she welcomed eight kids in Jan 2009 named Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Josiah, Jeremiah, and Makai, giving birth to the first surviving octuplets. Before you go, check out below: Best of SheKnows 30 Ina Garten Dinner Recipes That Will Impress Everyone at Your Table 34 Ways to Turn Costco's Rotisserie Chicken Into a Five-Star Meal Baking Without Eggs Is Possible With These 8 Substitutes
South China Morning Post
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Who is ‘Octomom' Natalie Suleman's ex-husband Marcos Gutierrez? He's not the biological father to any of her 14 children, and their marriage was apparently ‘loveless', but he ‘wants her to be happy'
In 2009, Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman garnered major media attention when she gave birth to the world's first surviving octuplets. Dubbed 'Octomom', Suleman became a tabloid sensation and the subject of several documentaries. Natalie Suleman identifies as asexual. Photo: @nataliesuleman/Instagram Suleman, who's now 49 years old, was already a mum of six through IVF when she underwent another IVF procedure for her seventh and final child – she ended up giving birth to octuplets prematurely when her fertility doctor, Michael Kamrava implanted 12 embryos in her instead of six like he told her. Advertisement The mum of 14 went into hiding in 2012 after receiving an onslaught of criticism for turning to nude modelling and working as a stripper to provide for her family. At one point she was cruelly dubbed the 'most hated mum in America'. Marcos Gutierrez and Natalie Suleman married to appease her tradition family. Photo: People/CBS Thirteen years later, Suleman, who is now a grandmother of one, is back on our screens with a new Lifetime film, I Was Octomom, and six-part docuseries, Confessions of Octomom, that provide insight into her struggles and her children. In a March 6 interview with People, the single mum disclosed that she identifies as romantically asexual and has abstained from sex for the past 25 years. She was married once before to Marcos Gutierrez but they divorced after four years of marriage. Suleman claimed their relationship was 'loveless', per the Daily Mail. Here's everything to know about her ex-husband, Marcos Gutierrez. Suleman and Marcos Gutierrez didn't marry for love Natalie Suleman got married to placate her traditional Middle Eastern family. Photo: @nataliesuleman/Instagram In her interview with People, Suleman revealed that she'd only married Gutierrez to placate her 'very, very old-fashioned Middle Eastern family'.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Octuplets Describe What It's Been Like Growing Up Without a Father (Exclusive)
In the new Lifetime docuseries Confessions of Octomom, the details of the paternity of Natalie "Nadya" Suleman's 14 kids, including her history-making octuplets, who were conceived via IVF with the sperm of an anonymous donor, are set to be revealed. That said, the now 16-year-old octuplets tell PEOPLE the topic of their father was never a very important one in their household. "I don't think we really thought about that," says Maliyah. Adds her brother Jeremiah, "Mom filled in as the father role, and then after that Elijah," he says of his older brother. Maliyah agrees, "I think Elijah filled that role. As we grew up." If you ask Nariyah, who her siblings call the leader of the pack, "I personally think that our mom, she takes over the father role and the mother role and she is fully capable of doing that," she says. "She's been an amazing mother and father figure for our whole lives." Still, Suleman's youngest children have had questions over the years. "I'm honest, I'm very transparent with everyone," she says. "I told them that they come from an anonymous frozen donor and I bought one, it was one dad. And I saw them actually, I saw the creation in the lab in the petri dish. And then they joke, "Oh, so we're test tube babies?" I'm like, "Yeah, but you're more than that." But we joke about it." She adds, "We delve into a lot of the details of the donors and how they feel and their experiences in the show." Related: Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Opens Up About 'Profoundly Autistic' Son Aidan: 'I Knew When He Was Born' (Exclusive) When it comes to her older children, also conceived via IVF using the sperm of Suleman's platonic friend, they have long known who their donor is. "I was never hiding that," she says. "They can make a decision if they want in the future or now or whenever they want to to meet him. My oldest sons have absolutely no interest because they say it'd be like meeting a stranger. They may change their mind in 10 years." Related: Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Shares 'Shocking' Experience of Discovering 'Hidden' Baby No. 8 During Delivery Even through media scrutiny, she's always kept his identity a secret from the world. "25 years ago or more, when I told the donor that I'm going to keep him private, I didn't have to say it twice. I said it once. I'm loyal," she says. "So there's no way I was going to disclose his name and let him be dragged through the mud. His whole life destroyed just for money? And I was offered money, quite a bit, to disclose his name." But Suleman teases that in the new docuseries, "we delve into a lot of the details of the donors and how they feel and their experiences." I Was Octomom premiered March 8, while Confessions of Octomom airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET, both on Lifetime. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Shares 'Shocking' Experience of Discovering 'Hidden' Baby No. 8 During Delivery
Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman is ready to tell her story. During the docuseries Confessions of Octomom, the mom of 14 opens up about everything, from her in vitro fertilization journey to harrowing moments in the delivery room. Despite being told that she was only carrying seven children at the time, Suleman said she knew there was an eighth child, calling it "mother's intuition." "Something in the back of my mind told me there's eight. It's mother's intuition," she said. "I kept asking. I keep reiterating over and over, 'Are you certain there's not an eighth?' and [the ultrasound technician] said, 'Absolutely not. I'm a very skilled ultrasound technician. If there were eight, I'd see them.' " "Not that he wasn't a skilled technician, but the more [children] there are — all the doctors were confirming — the less likely you are able to discern exactly how many there are," she continued. "So after [the seventh baby], a resident went in to examine the uterus to make sure everything's okay, and he felt a hand. So, there was a hidden baby H. He was one of the biggest. How did they miss a 3 1/2 pound baby? He was pretty big, so that was shocking." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Related: No Meat, No Phones, No Social Media: Inside Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman's Strict Rules for Teen Octuplets (Exclusive) Suleman admits that her pregnancy with her octuplets "shockingly enough had zero complications," as she continued her life as usual. The proud mom said she was "extremely active" until one move landed her in the hospital. "I was making myself a lot of food in the kitchen, and I went back to the room to bed and laid down and I started eating my food," she explained. "I crunched on a cracker, and then I turned and I heard cracking." "My ribs were broken and I was in such excruciating pain, but I had to force myself to get to the phone to call 911, so I kind of flopped myself down on the ground from the bed, like a beached whale, and I pulled myself to the phone and I opened it, called 911, and I said, 'I need help.' " she continued. It's been 16 years since she first made headlines and history, giving birth to the world's first surviving octuplets, a feat that earned her the nickname Octomom and led to a chaotic life of infamy before she retreated from the spotlight in 2013. As she remerges with a push from her now 16-year-old octuplets, and with the help of a new Lifetime film I Was Octomom and subsequent docuseries Confessions of Octomom, Suleman is taking stock in her incredible, and at times harrowing, journey. Suleman was already a mother of six children — Amerah, Calyssa, Elijah, Caleb, Joshua and Aidan — when she gave birth to her octuplets, Noah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, Makai, Maliyah and Nariyah. The docuseries will feature the octuplets and her six older children, who were all born via IVF. Ahead of it all, she opened up to PEOPLE exclusively, saying, "My family and I are taking our life back," as she works to own her complicated narrative. "I've been saying, I want to keep [her children] safe and protect my kids, and well, they're older now," she shared. "They're turning 16 and making the decision to really do this." I Was Octomom premiered on March 8, while Confessions of Octomom premiered on March 10, both on Lifetime. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Opens Up About 'Profoundly Autistic' Son Aidan: 'I Knew When He Was Born' (Exclusive)
Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman's son Aidan has a special place in her heart. "He's the light of my life and I love him," says Suleman of her adult son who has autism and is non-verbal. Aidan along with his 13 siblings will be featured in Lifetime's upcoming docuseries Confessions of Octomom, premiering March 10. "He's the biggest blessing of my life," she says. He's also the child who has needed her the most. "I'd say the greatest struggle for me, and it always will be a struggle, is caring for my son, Aidan. He's profoundly autistic, he's total care." One of her six older children who she welcomed via IVF prior to welcoming her octuplets, Aidan was diagnosed early on. But when it comes to Suleman, "I knew when he was born, mom's intuition," she says. And, "because he never made eye contact. He never achieved the milestones that babies do in child development, and he never crawled. He scooted on his butt. There was holes in all the bottoms of his pants." Related: No Meat, No Phones, No Social Media: Inside Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman's Strict Rules for Teen Octuplets (Exclusive) Furthermore, she describes, "His first words were not words. They were babbling, and they never changed. So immediately, he was maybe 15 months, I started taking him right away to get assessed he got diagnosed by 17 months with autism." Years later, after she welcomed the octuplets, "he was just like one of the eight, and I would just have him more with me than anyone," she says. "The kids would always be around him, and he wouldn't require too much. His diaper, he had a bottle when he was younger, feeding him. And I would talk to him, sing to him all the time." But, she says, "Now he's big, so he requires a lot more. I'm very fortunate, actually that he's not violent. There's some kids that are adults that are really violent and they're dangerous. Poor Aidan, he's actually been bitten by kids that were more severe at his school. But he'd never hurt a fly, so that's really, really a blessing." Back in 2013 Suleman left the spotlight and returned to work as a counselor. But in 2018, "I had to leave my job," says Suleman. "Aidan's needs were becoming overwhelming. He's like a full-time job for four people. I've always been his only provider, but I never got paid. So in 2018, that's when I started to get actually paid." She adds, "It's decent money, but it's still nothing compared to what we need to make to be comfortable in life." Related: Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Reveals Why She Disappeared from the Public Eye in 2013 (Exclusive) But when it comes to caring for Aidan, Suleman isn't alone. "The kids all look out for him," she says of her 13 other children. Especially, her youngest octuplet, 16-year-old son Makai. "I really love my brother Aidan and I especially love helping with feeding him and giving him water," he tells PEOPLE. Adds his mom, "You'll hear him singing to him and teaching him or showing him his iPad and all that. Aidan is like our baby." "But," says Makai, "still he's very smart." I Was Octomom premiered March 8, while Confessions of Octomom premieres March 10, both on Lifetime. Read the original article on People
