This story began in 2009, when on January 26, Nadya Suleman became a mother of 8 twins. Today, the mother of many children is already 48 years old, and she looks great.
In 2024, the octuplets turned 15 years old. What is known about the life of this unusual family, and how was Nadya Suleman able to raise so many children on her own, despite the condemnation of society?
Nadya Suleman, known as “Octomom”, broke the world record
In 2009, the Californian accomplished a real feat. Nadya carried and gave birth to 2 girls and 6 boys. All the children were born healthy, which in itself is a miracle. However, Nadya had to raise all these babies alone, since their father disappeared at the planning stage.
Nadya, being the only child in the family, dreamed of a large family since childhood. But for a long time she could not become a mother. At 20, she got married and, knowing about her health problems, immediately began to treat infertility. This treatment gave results.
To fulfill her dream of having children, Nadya decided to resort to IVF. In 2001, she gave birth to a son, then a daughter. And by the age of 30, she had four more twins. A few years later, Nadya became a mother again – this time she gave birth to octuplets, increasing the number of her children to 16. For a woman who was once diagnosed with infertility, this was a real achievement.
Her husband did not support the idea of having many children and left. But Nadya did not give up – she got divorced, took a vow of celibacy and continued to give birth to children from anonymous donors using IVF. And so she continued on her path.
Nadya Suleman lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles, in the small town of Whittier, where she is considered a real heroine. Her achievements are not only recognized locally – she set a world record for the number of surviving children.
Hardships and persecution: the fight for survival
Unfortunately, not everyone considered Nadya a hero. Local residents condemned her for not having a husband or a stable income, as well as for the fact that she received a disability pension due to a spinal injury. Nadya faced a wave of negativity and was constantly worried that child protection services could take her children away from her.
Fame brought Nadya only trouble. She was threatened with violence, and her earnings were limited to participating in talk shows and telling stories about her life. However, these attempts to earn money were unsuccessful, and she was accused of trying to profit from her children.
Nadya then turned to charities for help, which not only provided financial support, but also helped her cope with the emotional problems caused by the attacks. Luckily, her mother was there, although she couldn’t be her constant support either.
Today’s life of the family
Nadya’s octuplets are already teenagers — they turned 15, and they get along great with each other. The family lives in a townhouse in California, follows a vegan lifestyle, goes to church and is actively involved in sports. Nadya avoids posting information about her older children on social media.
Nadya herself, at 48 years old, looks great thanks to her healthy lifestyle. Of the octuplets, two suffer from autism, and another son was born with a disability. Nadya provides round-the-clock care to the children.
Despite all her achievements, the reputation of the mother of many children remains under attack. In her youth, she had to agree to unsightly ways of earning money in order to feed her large family. Today, she regrets this and seeks solace in prayer. Although criticism towards her does not subside, Nadya has learned to ignore the hate. Besides, her children are already old enough not to fear intervention from guardianship authorities.
