In 2009, Nadya Suleman became famous worldwide as ‘Octomom’ when she had eight babies at once. Before having the first group of surviving octuplets, Nadya already had six children.
After becoming famous for having eight babies at once, Nadya, who didn’t have a job, had money problems and tried lots of different things to support her large family.
She did things like taking naked pictures, working for a short time in adult movies, fighting in boxing matches, and trying to officially own the nickname “Octomom” to make money.
People often wondered about why she did things, but eventually, everyone agreed she worked hard to take care of her big family. By 2013, Nadya chose to stay out of the public eye. “My girls, especially my oldest, Amerah, played a big part in that decision,” Suleman told People magazine in 2016.
“When she was around 10 years old, she started acting like me,” she said. “When I saw my daughter copying me, I realized she might end up in trouble like I did. That’s when I decided I’d rather live in my van with all 14 kids than keep going the way we were. I didn’t want that life for my children.”
The eight babies, named Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, and Makai, turned 15 this year. Their mom shared a picture of them celebrating their first birthday to remember the special day.
Nadya doesn’t often post pictures of her kids, but sometimes she does. When her octuplets started eighth grade, she proudly shared a photo of them and said, “Be proud of yourselves for being kind, respectful, and helpful at school.” She also said her teenagers are great role models for younger students.
She added a red heart emoji and wrote, “I love you,” before finishing her tweet with a message to critics. “My older kids didn’t want me to post a picture of their first day. I respect their decision, and you should too,” she said.
Last year, Nadya celebrated her octuplets becoming teenagers by posting a special message on Instagram.
“You are all becoming some of the nicest, humblest, most thankful, and loving people I’ve ever seen. Each of you has special qualities that make you unique, unlike any other kids your age, especially in today’s world,” she wrote then.
She described her kids as “caring, kind, humble, loving, respectful, and devoted to God.” She said, “I’ve never seen kids care about helping others, especially those in need, as much as you do.” She added, “You don’t follow the shallow ways of the world, but you follow God, who made you and loves you no matter what. I don’t know what I did to deserve such wonderful blessings. I love you.”