Time for an octo-check in!
Natalie (formerly Nadya) Suleman, who was dubbed by the media as “Octomom” when she gave birth to octuplets through in vitro fertilization (IVF) eight years ago, is finally “at peace” with all the strife that came after her controversial pregnancy.
The 42-year-old opened up about how tough looking after her 14 children was after giving birth to the world’s only living set of octuplets, admitting her financial problems and parental responsibilities pushed her to the brink of suicide.
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Speaking to DailyMail.com, Natalie said the media persona of “Octomom” had “nearly destroyed me and my family.” She revealed:
“Every day I would wake up with the most ugly, dead, visceral feeling inside of me. I didn’t want to live. I felt less than human as that character I was pretending to be, to survive and provide for my family.”
The “character” of Octomom led Natalie to do a pornographic film, for which she won four Adult Video Network awards, and appear in strip clubs. She felt these gigs were necessary to take care of her family, but they also made Natalie feel “disgusted” in who she had become:
‘What [Octomom] was disgusted me and I did not want my children to remember me like that. I was forced into doing things I didn’t want to do because I was so terrified I couldn’t support them and give them the life I deserved. When I abandoned it and went back to who I really am I had that sense of peace, internal joy.”
But before she could abandon Octomom, Natalie, who was already a mother-of-six before she had the octuplets, had to hit rock bottom. She remembered:
“I was so low I was taking prescription drugs, benzodiazepines. I had to medicate to just get through what I was doing. I would mix it with alcohol which I later found out was what Whitney Houston, died from. I didn’t want to be here anymore, but then I thought about my children and just had to keep going for them.”
Then, one night while working at a strip club, Natalie claims she was approached by a strange man who gently told her to change her life — a man she believes might have been an angel:
“I was in a strip club in Florida in February 2013, and this very tall man, this stranger came in. He walked straight to me and looked straight into my eyes. He took my hand and grabbed my arm and said in a very gentle but firm way: ├óΓé¼╦£You do not have to do this.’ He repeated it five times. I couldn’t control the tears that were streaming down my face. I had that ugly feeling of nausea. I looked down for a moment, and looked up and he was gone.”
Sounds like someone was looking out for her!
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After speaking with the mysterious visitor, Natalie said she knew she had to make a change:
“I knew I had to be my healthy self again. I didn’t want my kids not to have a mom.”
Making such a 180 turn wasn’t easy, however. After moving her family back to her hometown in Orange County, CA, Natalie was found guilty of welfare fraud — charges that were “totally expunged” after she pleaded no contest and blamed her management. Now, Natalie works part time as a counselor, working with men and women who suffer from drug and alcohol abuse.
Sure, money is still “a struggle every day,” but the family is making it work. The tribe lives in a two bedroom townhouse in Laguna Niguel, where they have converted the office into a third bedroom so all her children have beds to sleep in.
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The octuplets, she revealed, “fight, play, fight and play again” like any normal kids — but they are aware their household is different from most:
“The whole family, we are all kind of different. The kids say, ├óΓé¼╦£oh are we weird somehow?’ and I say, ├óΓé¼╦£it’s OK to be different if there is nothing wrong with it.” The kids are happy and that is all that matters.”
The “shy and introverted” children also look out for one another. 12-year-old Aiden has autism, but Natalie said his siblings look after him “like his guardian angels,” adding:
“His brother Makai, he literally shadows him, and helps give him bites of food ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ they have a very special bond. Aiden has the mind of an 18-month-old, he’s still non-verbal and in his diapers 24/7. I am open with the kids and I teach them about autism.”
All of these challenges have inspired Natalie to write a book she is hoping will inspire other women to keep pressing forward. She explained:
“It’s a story that needs to be told and I think it will encourage a lot of women to draw up strength they didn’t know they had. I believe it will help inspire women to keep pressing forward despite the pain and suffering they may be experiencing. If you set a goal you can achieve anything.”
And Natalie is doing just that — despite raising 14 children on her own, the mother formerly known as Octomom isn’t looking for a partner:
“That’s just not me. My calling was to be a mom. I am happiest at home with the kids. And I knew when I did this I would be sacrificing a social life. But that’s OK because I’m not social.”
Looking back, Natalie admits she was “very foolish, immature and selfish” to have 14 kids, but couldn’t see her life turning out any way else. She reflected:
“I was on a mission. I just wanted to have a bunch of kids. But I couldn’t imagine my life at this point in time any different than it is.”
Wow. Who knew Octomom would be the inspiring figure we needed to end this very uninspiring year?
[Image via WENN.]
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