Life & Style interviews Octomom
Nadya Suleman’s home in La Habra, Calif., should be a scene of chaos, yet when Life & Style arrived on April 4, things were quiet and serene. Nadya seemed less concerned with her appearance than spending time with her kids. “This is who I am,” Nadya says. “There are so many lies out there, and they’re all just so different from the person I really am.” Here, in her first extensive print interview, Nadya finally sets the record straight for Life & Style.
You’ve never talked about the birth itself. What did it feel like to give birth to eight babies?
It was extraordinarily painful. With that many babies, it feels like your insides are being torn apart. The babies were ripping apart my organs. Afterward, people thought I went into hiding. I wasn’t in hiding — I was in pain. I could hardly move.
Did you ever dream of having a family the traditional way?
No. I was married at one point, but it didn’t work out. I decided to go on my reproductive journey alone. But people think I just woke up one day and decided to start a family. I’ve been trying to have kids since I was 19 years old! I’m 33 now. I’d just been saving my money. I was a psychiatric technician — almost every day I was working 16-hour days. For years, I worked non-stop until I saved for the first four in vitros.
How did you approach the babies’ father to donate the sperm?
Years ago, I said, “Hypothetically speaking, would you ever help a friend have children?” He said he would. And I said, “Then help me.” And he did. I kept going back to him, and year after year, he kept helping me. He was upset when I did it again. He said the same thing everyone else did: “You have six beautiful children — why do you want more?”
Baby No. 8, Jonah, is still at Kaiser Permanente Hospital waiting to be released. What’s wrong?
He has a little cleft on his lip. But it’s not a big deal. It’s cosmetic. Eventually, they can close it. Jonah won’t be coming home until he gains a little weight. He’s only 4 pounds but he’s growing bigger and stronger every day.
Are you going to do a reality show?
Absolutely not! I have no interest in being famous. I’d love to vanish from the public eye as soon as I can.
April 8th, 2009 at 7:56 am
No interest in being famous? That is a load of BS. If she had no interest in fame she would have never said anything to the press, hire any PR person, etc. She is bat*&^%$ crazy and those children deserve better then to be raised by someone as delusional as her. Its bad enough we have a country full of ignorant, self centered, morons raising 1 or 2 children, but to have her shedding a light of how insane you can be and still be allowed to raise a over a dozen children,is indescribably pathetic.
Sorry, but all persons that are going to undergo such medical procedures to have children, need to be screened carefully. Its one thing to be mentally competent to raise one or two children, its another to be mentally competent to be able to raise 4 or more, the same age, at the same time.
April 8th, 2009 at 10:22 am
This woman sickens me. She sickens me. I cannot fathom how such a scammer can live with herself. She abuses the system. No interest in being famous? She’s on the cover of a magazine! She is a despicable human being.
April 8th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I just heard on the Portland radio station that she has signed on to do a reality dating show?!? But she said that she doesn’t want to be famous or a reality show. Get these kids away from this delusional lying self-centered famewhore before something really bad happens.
April 14th, 2009 at 5:17 am
It seem as though people don’t have anything to do these days but twitter.I belong to a part of the world where people do not care if you have 40 or 16 babies. Raise your hand in the air if you have no fault or “do you have a perfect family circle”? If I was her, I would tell every interview a different story. She has 14 and one day, she will get lots of blessings. I wish her all the best