Latest news with #OctomomNatalie'Nadya'Suleman
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
Octuplets' Older Sister Speaks Out for the First Time, Says 'I Had a Lot of Anger' After Siblings Were Born (Exclusive)
Being an older sibling to octuplets is as hectic as it sounds. Amerah Suleman, Octomom Natalie "Nadya" Suleman's eldest daughter, 22, takes part in the upcoming Lifetime docuseries Confessions of Octomom. Ahead of the March 10 premiere, she opens up to PEOPLE and speaks out for the first time about what life was like with her history-making younger siblings. "At first I felt shut out," Amerah shares candidly of her unique childhood experience. Back in 2009 she was 6 years old when her mom brought home eight babies, who joined her and five other siblings. Thinking back, "It was a complete 180 in our lives, so I think we really didn't know how to handle it, especially me, but I think over time I just decided I had to step up and be a second mom figure, and that's what I did." When she first learned of her mom's pregnancy, "I think I was confused more than anything. And then over time my mom started explaining to me, we had good close friends that started to explain more to me as well," she says. "And I started to understand what is actually going on. It's a lot for a 6-year-old at the time to take in, but I've always been told, you're so mature for your age." Related: No Meat, No Phones, No Social Media: Inside Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman's Strict Rules for Teen Octuplets (Exclusive) Even so, there was a lot to navigate. "The paparazzi and the media, it was confusing, frustrating, upsetting, all of those things combined into one," says Amerah. "But going through it, there was a lot of emotions from all of us." One of those emotions, she admits, was anger. "Growing up from the ages of birth to 6 years old, right before the eight were born, my mom basically gave us anything we wanted. She definitely did spoil us. She made sure we had everything and anything we wanted or needed," says Amerah. She continues, "Then when the eight were born, she tried to maintain that normalcy, I guess you could say with us. But slowly down the line, throughout the years, it trickled. We got tighter and tighter and tighter with money. We were penny pinching. And I remember just having a lot of anger." Related: Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Reveals the Truth About Her Finances for the First Time: 'I Did Whatever I Needed to Do' (Exclusive) Those emotions, says Amerah, stemmed from what she'd lost. "I never meant it in a spoiled brat way, but it was more so, 'What do you mean I can't keep cheering because you can't afford it? What do you mean I can't do my sports or do the things that I've been doing my whole life because we have to save money?'" To this, she says her mom would always explain, "We're not rich with money, but we are so rich in family and love. So I think it took a toll, but we got so used to it that we were kind of like, this is life and we're just going to roll that way. And as long as we have each other, we're good." When it comes to what it was like being surrounded by 13 other siblings, "Chaotic is probably the best way to explain it," says Amerah. "There was never a dull moment in the household. We are very loud people to begin with, so when you multiply us, it's pretty insane. I'd come into the restroom and do my homework. It is a lot. But it was so fun." These days, Amerah, who is an operations manager for a bank, is experiencing life on her own. "When I first moved out of the home, it was a complete culture shock," she describes. "I went from a chaotic household, always loud, something's always going on to basically complete silence. That was honestly a bit scary for me at first. The first year was the most difficult, emotionally, financially, spiritually to go through that 180 change once again." Related: Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman Shares Biggest Regret After Having 14 Kids: 'I Should Have Sued My Fertility Doctor' (Exclusive) Now, she says of living alone in Orange County, "I could never move back. If I'm being honest. Now that I'm settled and living by myself, I'm right down the street from my family, and that's where I want to be. I don't want to move anywhere far because we have that super close connection." It's a bond she's hoping to have with her own large family. "I loved the big family dynamic. For myself, I wouldn't want as big as a family as my mom has, don't get me wrong, but I definitely want more than two, three kids." I Was Octomom premieres March 8, while Confessions of Octomom premieres March 10, both on Lifetime. Read the original article on People
