Nadya Suleman wasn't always the 15 minutes of fame type. Before she was known nation-wide as "Octomom", Suleman worked for a mental hospital in 1999 when she said she suffered a back injury during a riot.
She later collected more than $165,000 in disability payments and used some of the money to help pay for in-vitro fertilization treatments that produced her first six children. She was once a student at California State University with a bright future, majoring in child and adolescent behavior. She was attending graduate classes when she conceived her famed octuplets.
Confused Paternity
Nadya Suleman dated David Solomon before her children were conceived. Nadya's mother claimed that all of her children were the result of his specimen, and they do in fact all carry his last name.
Nadya's father, on the other hand, claims that this is a complete lie, sensationalized by the media. He said that the father of the children is unknown.
Chasing Clout?
Does anyone else see the similarity between her and Angelina Jolie? It's pretty obvious that she's received multiple Botox treatments on her lips, had her cheeks implanted, and also got a nose job.
She denies the effort to look like Angelina, but society now attributes this type of look with the actress. Her 'fake' appearance hasn't helped her public image as people think she is grasping at whichever camera she can get in front of.
Haunting Decisions
When asked if she regrets having as many children as she did, she said, “You can’t regret children. But the choices were childish. They were immature. They were selfish.
Are we defined by our choices? Our behavior? Our actions? No. I don’t believe that defines our worth. I feel as though I wasn’t thinking at that time. If I could go back, would I make different choices?"
A Chance for Growth
"Maybe. At this point, I know and I need to teach my children that we need to learn, we need to grow, we need to keep on growing and transcending, and we need to make the best possible choices.
And when we make poor choices, all you can do is really, really learn from that and grow from that. Try not to repeat it.” This might be a sign that she wishes she cut herself off and didn't chase after the media spotlight like she did.
Finally Facing Reality
“At this point in my life, that is the furthest thing that I would ever even imagine,” she said. “I cannot grow additional eyes or hands. I’m not an octopus. I can barely give them — nobody could, not two people, not four people even could give them — all the emotional, psychological and physical needs. You can’t possibly.”
At least by now she seems to have her head on straight, at least as much as one could with as many children as she has. We can all imagine how difficult it has to be to raise them all at once.
Rough Year for Nayda
In 2014, Nadya was accused of welfare fraud when she didn't report much of her earnings. This was a rough year for her as it was the same year she had to become a stripper so she and her kids weren't living on the street.
It was also the same year her house was foreclosed on. She didn't have to do serious time with her no-contest plea, which resulted in just 200 hours of community service.
A Mom’s Message
Amerah is Nadya’s oldest child. On Amerah's last birthday, Nadya posted, “Dear Amerah, One of the most important lessons I try to teach you all is that every person that crosses your path is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Be kind, compassionate, and patient with people always; and aware that sometimes the brighter the smile the deeper the suffering. By looking at your beautiful smile no one could imagine the struggle you face, that we all face, daily…”
Nayda’s Need for Attention
When she was younger and before she had kids, she was known to have a bit more meat on her bones than she does now.
Now, she'll do everything she can to find a way in front of a camera, so she obsesses over hitting the gym to conserve what little positive image she has left.
A Vegan Dilemma
She recently posted this image with the following caption, “What raw, ethical vegan becomes stuck in a state of cognitive dissonance in the In and Out drive thru, ordering decayed carcass for their teen? While drinking a healthy turmeric raw shake.”
At Least, They’re Happy
The octuplets are now 8 years old and are looking like normal children. They are all in the same school and are thriving children.
The home life must be hectic, what with 14 children running around. Child services have been around the children since they were young so as to make sure that the living situation was suitable for them.