Nadya Suleman
Encyclopedia
Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman (born Natalie Denise Suleman; July 11, 1975), known as Octomom in the media, is an American
woman who came to international attention when she gave birth to octuplets
in January 2009. The Suleman octuplets
are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. One week after their birth, they surpassed the previous worldwide survival rate for a complete set of octuplets set by the Chukwu octuplets
in 1998. The circumstances of their high order multiple birth have led to controversy in the field of assisted reproductive technology
as well as an investigation by the Medical Board of California
of the fertility specialist involved. Public reaction turned negative when it was discovered that the single mother already had six other young children and was unemployed and on public assistance
programs. She denies ever having used public assistance. She conceived the octuplets and her six older children via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
. She is the only child of Angela Victoria (born 1940) and Assyrian
Iraqi American
Edward Doud Suleman (born 1942). Her parents married in Las Vegas
in 1974, and divorced in 1990.
After graduating from Nogales High School in 1993, she held a psychiatric technician license, and worked as a psychiatric technician at Metropolitan State Hospital
, where her back was injured while at work. She attended California State University, Fullerton
(CSUF) and received a Bachelor of Science degree in child and adolescent development in 2006. Suleman returned to CSUF to pursue a master's degree in counseling, leaving the program in 2008.
Gutierrez explained their divorce was due to failed attempts to have children. Suleman was desperate and wanted to try in-vitro fertilization, but he disliked the idea of test tube babies, and refused. Gutierrez said he is not the father of any of Suleman's children and that he wishes his ex-wife the best. Gutierrez later remarried and has two children of his own.
. After reviewing Suleman's case, in combination with three other cases, the Medical Board of California
voted to revoke Kamrava's medical license, effective July 1, 2011.
News of the octuplets caused an international media sensation. Public response was largely negative and even included death threats. There has been much public discussion about Suleman's decision to have the octuplets, including a minor protest outside the Suleman home. Many expressed concern that Suleman's decision for more children would burden taxpayers via public support. Suleman claims to be able to independently support her children, saying that she is planning to return to school to complete her Master's degree
in counseling, but records show that Suleman is currently unemployed after having received disability between 2002 and 2008 as payment for a back injury suffered during a riot in September 1999.
As of March 2009, Suleman bought a new house in La Habra, and many stories questioned that the octuplets would be released from the hospital, while Suleman expressed concern about losing custody
of them. In the early morning hours of April 1, the day she would bring the seventh octuplet home someone threw a baby seat through the back window of her Toyota minivan. As of April 14, 2009, all of the children are home with their mother and grandmother.
The octuplets celebrated their first birthday on January 26, 2010. Suleman told People Magazine, "I don't get much sleep, about two or three hours a night. But I'm continuing to move forward with my life and trying to be the best mother I can be."
In a June 2011 interview, Suleman purportedly told In Touch
: "I hate babies, they disgust me. … Obviously, I love them - but I absolutely wish I had not had them." Suleman later stated she did not give an interview with the magazine, but a recorded audio tape surfaced three weeks later.
providing a small amount of pro bono advice. Both groups soon ended their involvement after receiving death threats. Her next spokesman was Victor Munoz, who quit on March 6, 2009.
Suleman has appeared on many television shows, starting with a February 2009 interview with Ann Curry
. Suleman rejected suggestions that her decisions have been selfish or that she may not be able to care for her children, stating, "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling. If I were just sitting down, watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered to a certainly degree selfish". Suleman would later make another appearance later in March on Dr. Phil
alongside fellow guest Gloria Allred
. Allred had a list of criticisms regarding Suleman's performance as mother and homemaker.
On April 16, 2009, Suleman revealed she struck a deal for a reality TV show in the UK, though The Hollywood Reporter
said some US networks were reluctant to pick up the show. Suleman signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 24 to have each of her children earn $250 a day to star in a reality show; filming was set to begin on September 1. On May 4, 2009, it was announced that Allred had filed a case with Orange County Superior Court requesting that a guardian be appointed to protect the rights of the infants. Later Fox aired their own two-hour special titled, Octo-Mom: The Incredible Unseen Footage, aired on August 19. There were many parodies and other media events based on the story, including a 2009 musical performed in Los Angeles, although she was not involved in its production.
Suleman was featured in the February 2010 issue of Star
, where she gave an interview. Several pictorials followed, focused mainly on her weight loss since delivering the octuplets a year earlier.
In April 2010 Suleman was on The Oprah Winfrey Show
and Idol Gives Back, in which she denied claims that she had received plastic surgery and stated that she refused to star in pornographic movies. She added that she had severely rethought her decision to give birth to and raise her children, and that she hoped to become a teacher. She made another appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, where she asked and received help from Suze Orman
about financial issues that she was then facing with her her children and discussed her compulsive hoarding disorder
developed from childhood.
In January 2011, videos and images surfaced on the Internet depicting Suleman participating in a fetish video. The video showed Suleman whipping an acquaintance of hers, Los Angeles radio personality, Tattoo, inside her home.
. Property records show the Suleman house in mortgage default, scheduled to be sold at auction in May 2009. Suleman's parents filed for bankruptcy
in 2008, citing nearly $1 million in liabilities. In March 2010 it was reported that Suleman's own La Habra house was facing foreclosure.
Suleman's father, Edward Doud Suleman, identified himself as a former Iraq
i military man and said he would be returning to his native Iraq as a translator and driver
in order to financially support his daughter and her fourteen children. Suleman's mother, Angela Victoria Suleman, a retired high school teacher, has helped to look after the first six children. She has indicated that she is overwhelmed looking after them, and has been critical of her daughter in her earlier public statements. Amongst similar interviews, she revealed that her daughter never expected to give birth to the large number of children, nor did she expect to be unemployed and use public assistance.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman who came to international attention when she gave birth to octuplets
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
in January 2009. The Suleman octuplets
Suleman octuplets
The Suleman octuplets are six male and two female children conceived via in vitro fertilization and subsequently born to Nadya Suleman on January 26, 2009, in Bellflower, California. They presently reside in La Habra, California...
are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States. One week after their birth, they surpassed the previous worldwide survival rate for a complete set of octuplets set by the Chukwu octuplets
Chukwu octuplets
The Chukwu octuplets were the first set of octuplets live-born in the United States.-Family history:The six girls and two boys were born in December 1998 at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas. Their parents — mother, Nkem Chukwu, then 27, and father, Iyke Louis Udobi, then 41 — were...
in 1998. The circumstances of their high order multiple birth have led to controversy in the field of assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology is a general term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. It is reproductive technology used primarily in infertility treatments. Some forms of ART are also used in fertile couples for genetic reasons...
as well as an investigation by the Medical Board of California
Medical Board of California
The Medical Board of California is a state government agency which licenses and disciplines physicians, surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions in California...
of the fertility specialist involved. Public reaction turned negative when it was discovered that the single mother already had six other young children and was unemployed and on public assistance
Welfare
Welfare refers to a broad discourse which may hold certain implications regarding the provision of a minimal level of wellbeing and social support for all citizens without the stigma of charity. This is termed "social solidarity"...
programs. She denies ever having used public assistance. She conceived the octuplets and her six older children via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Early life and education
Suleman was born in Fullerton, CaliforniaFullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
. She is the only child of Angela Victoria (born 1940) and Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
Iraqi American
Iraqi American
Iraqi Americans are Americans of Iraqi descent, including those who are expatriates in exile or permanent immigrants. The number of Iraqi Americans is around 140,000 according to the Arab American Institute....
Edward Doud Suleman (born 1942). Her parents married in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
in 1974, and divorced in 1990.
After graduating from Nogales High School in 1993, she held a psychiatric technician license, and worked as a psychiatric technician at Metropolitan State Hospital
Metropolitan State Hospital (California)
Metropolitan State Hospital is an American public hospital for the mentally ill, located in the city of Norwalk in Los Angeles County, California. Metropolitan State Hospital provides mental health care and treatment to forensic and civilly committed patients in need of a structured and secure...
, where her back was injured while at work. She attended California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...
(CSUF) and received a Bachelor of Science degree in child and adolescent development in 2006. Suleman returned to CSUF to pursue a master's degree in counseling, leaving the program in 2008.
Marriage and divorce
In 1996, Suleman married Marco Gutierrez. They separated in 2000 and he filed for divorce in November 2006, which was finalized in January 2008. In an interview with Inside EditionInside Edition
Inside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
Gutierrez explained their divorce was due to failed attempts to have children. Suleman was desperate and wanted to try in-vitro fertilization, but he disliked the idea of test tube babies, and refused. Gutierrez said he is not the father of any of Suleman's children and that he wishes his ex-wife the best. Gutierrez later remarried and has two children of his own.
Children
Suleman began in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments in 1997, when she was 21 years old, under the supervision of Dr. Michael Kamrava, who was expelled from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in October 2009. In 2001, Suleman gave birth to her first child, a son named Elijah. After her first daughter, Amerah, was born in 2002, she received additional IVF treatments, which had resulted in three additional consecutive pregnancies and a total of six children (four sons, two daughters).Octuplets
Suleman stated that in 2008 she had eight embryos left over from her previous IVF treatments. She explained at the time that she requested that all of the remaining embryos be implanted, despite the norm for a woman her age being two or three implanted at the most. Suleman states that part of her reasoning for attempting a sixth pregnancy was so that the frozen embryos would not be destroyed. Supposedly, the six remaining embryos were implanted and two of the embryos split into twins, resulting in a total of eight embryos. Dr. Kamrava stated recently that she insisted on all 'fresh' cycles, and in fact she still has embryos stored with Dr. Kamrava. In June 2011, during a California Medical Board investigation, it was found that Kamrava had implanted twelve embryos, which the board found to be an "extreme" departure from standard of care. Five fetuses were evident after just one month but Suleman declined selective reductionSelective reduction
Selective reduction is the practice of aborting one or more fetuses in a multifetal pregnancy. Such an abortion procedure is often performed after a congenital defect has been identified...
. After reviewing Suleman's case, in combination with three other cases, the Medical Board of California
Medical Board of California
The Medical Board of California is a state government agency which licenses and disciplines physicians, surgeons and certain allied healthcare professions in California...
voted to revoke Kamrava's medical license, effective July 1, 2011.
News of the octuplets caused an international media sensation. Public response was largely negative and even included death threats. There has been much public discussion about Suleman's decision to have the octuplets, including a minor protest outside the Suleman home. Many expressed concern that Suleman's decision for more children would burden taxpayers via public support. Suleman claims to be able to independently support her children, saying that she is planning to return to school to complete her Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in counseling, but records show that Suleman is currently unemployed after having received disability between 2002 and 2008 as payment for a back injury suffered during a riot in September 1999.
As of March 2009, Suleman bought a new house in La Habra, and many stories questioned that the octuplets would be released from the hospital, while Suleman expressed concern about losing custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
of them. In the early morning hours of April 1, the day she would bring the seventh octuplet home someone threw a baby seat through the back window of her Toyota minivan. As of April 14, 2009, all of the children are home with their mother and grandmother.
The octuplets celebrated their first birthday on January 26, 2010. Suleman told People Magazine, "I don't get much sleep, about two or three hours a night. But I'm continuing to move forward with my life and trying to be the best mother I can be."
In a June 2011 interview, Suleman purportedly told In Touch
In Touch
In Touch may refer to:* In Touch Weekly, a celebrity and lifestyle magazine* In Touch Ministries, a Christian Evangelical organization* In Touch, a programme on BBC Radio 4...
: "I hate babies, they disgust me. … Obviously, I love them - but I absolutely wish I had not had them." Suleman later stated she did not give an interview with the magazine, but a recorded audio tape surfaced three weeks later.
Public profile
Suleman quickly captured the public eye with the birth of octuplets. Within the first week, the media dubbed her "Octomom". Suleman hired the Killeen Furtney Group as her initial public relations company, with Wes YoderWes Yoder
Wes Yoder is the founder of Ambassador Agency Inc., a Christian-based literary agency and speakers bureau. He was raised on a dairy farm in the Amish and Mennonite community of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife.-Career:Yoder moved to Nashville,...
providing a small amount of pro bono advice. Both groups soon ended their involvement after receiving death threats. Her next spokesman was Victor Munoz, who quit on March 6, 2009.
Suleman has appeared on many television shows, starting with a February 2009 interview with Ann Curry
Ann Curry
Ann Curry is an American television news journalist and co-anchor on NBC's morning television program Today. She is the former news anchor on Today, a role she began in March 1997, and was the host of Dateline NBC from 2005-2011.Curry is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Biography:Curry was born in...
. Suleman rejected suggestions that her decisions have been selfish or that she may not be able to care for her children, stating, "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling. If I were just sitting down, watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered to a certainly degree selfish". Suleman would later make another appearance later in March on Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil (TV series)
Dr. Phil is a reality/talk television show hosted by Phil McGraw. After McGraw's success with his segments on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil debuted on September 16, 2002...
alongside fellow guest Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred
Gloria Rachel Allred is an American lawyer noted for taking high-profile and often controversial cases, particulary those involving the protection of women's rights.-Early life:...
. Allred had a list of criticisms regarding Suleman's performance as mother and homemaker.
On April 16, 2009, Suleman revealed she struck a deal for a reality TV show in the UK, though The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
said some US networks were reluctant to pick up the show. Suleman signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Superior Court on July 24 to have each of her children earn $250 a day to star in a reality show; filming was set to begin on September 1. On May 4, 2009, it was announced that Allred had filed a case with Orange County Superior Court requesting that a guardian be appointed to protect the rights of the infants. Later Fox aired their own two-hour special titled, Octo-Mom: The Incredible Unseen Footage, aired on August 19. There were many parodies and other media events based on the story, including a 2009 musical performed in Los Angeles, although she was not involved in its production.
Suleman was featured in the February 2010 issue of Star
Star (magazine)
Star is an American celebrity tabloid magazine.-History:Star was founded by Rupert Murdoch in 1974 as competition to the tabloid National Enquirer with its headquarters in New York City. In the late 1980s it moved its offices to Tarrytown, NY and in 1990 Murdoch sold the magazine to The Enquirers...
, where she gave an interview. Several pictorials followed, focused mainly on her weight loss since delivering the octuplets a year earlier.
In April 2010 Suleman was on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
and Idol Gives Back, in which she denied claims that she had received plastic surgery and stated that she refused to star in pornographic movies. She added that she had severely rethought her decision to give birth to and raise her children, and that she hoped to become a teacher. She made another appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, where she asked and received help from Suze Orman
Suze Orman
Susan "Suze" Lynn Orman is an American financial advisor, author, motivational speaker, and television host.Orman was born in Chicago and received her B.A. in social work. She worked as a waitress in Berkeley, California before becoming a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch...
about financial issues that she was then facing with her her children and discussed her compulsive hoarding disorder
Compulsive hoarding
Compulsive hoarding is the acquisition of possessions in excess of socially normative amounts, even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary...
developed from childhood.
In January 2011, videos and images surfaced on the Internet depicting Suleman participating in a fetish video. The video showed Suleman whipping an acquaintance of hers, Los Angeles radio personality, Tattoo, inside her home.
Extended family
Before knowledge of the octuplets became public, Suleman had been living with her six older children and mother in a small three-bedroom house in Whittier, CaliforniaWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
. Property records show the Suleman house in mortgage default, scheduled to be sold at auction in May 2009. Suleman's parents filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 2008, citing nearly $1 million in liabilities. In March 2010 it was reported that Suleman's own La Habra house was facing foreclosure.
Suleman's father, Edward Doud Suleman, identified himself as a former Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i military man and said he would be returning to his native Iraq as a translator and driver
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
in order to financially support his daughter and her fourteen children. Suleman's mother, Angela Victoria Suleman, a retired high school teacher, has helped to look after the first six children. She has indicated that she is overwhelmed looking after them, and has been critical of her daughter in her earlier public statements. Amongst similar interviews, she revealed that her daughter never expected to give birth to the large number of children, nor did she expect to be unemployed and use public assistance.