Octomom’s Biggest Regret: Why Natalie Suleman Wishes She Had Sued Her Doctor
Sixteen years after shocking the world with the birth of the first surviving octuplets, Natalie “Nadya” Suleman—better known as Octomom—is stepping back into the public eye. The now 48-year-old mother of 14 is opening up about her journey, struggles, and one major regret.
With a new Lifetime movie, I Was Octomom, and an upcoming docuseries, Confessions of Octomom, airing in March, Suleman is revisiting the whirlwind that changed her life forever. Sitting down for an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, she reflects on her decision to have so many children and what she would have done differently.
A Childhood Dream That Got Out of Hand
Suleman admits that her desire for a large family stemmed from her own lonely upbringing as an only child.
“I wasn’t happy as an only child, and clearly, I projected my dream onto my kids and wanting a big—well, not this big—of a family,” she confesses. “But I did want seven kids.”
But what started as a dream quickly spiraled. “When I set my mind to achieving a goal, I am laser-focused, and then I hyper-focus, and then I work relentlessly to achieve the goal,” she explains. “I may have possibly overachieved with kids. I didn’t intend on having this many.”
The Controversial Fertility Treatments
Suleman conceived all 14 of her children through IVF with the help of Dr. Michael Kamrava, a fertility specialist whose name became synonymous with controversy. When news broke that he had implanted her with 12 embryos—far beyond the standard medical recommendation of two—public outrage followed. Ultimately, Kamrava lost his medical license for his questionable practices.
While Suleman acknowledges her doctor’s unconventional approach, she admits she never intended to have octuplets. “For my last pregnancy, I was hoping for just one more baby,” she says. However, Kamrava later admitted to implanting double the number of embryos he initially claimed, leading to the historic birth of eight babies in 2009.
The Regret That Still Haunts Her
Looking back, Suleman doesn’t have many regrets—but one thing she wishes she had done was take legal action against Dr. Kamrava.
“I do regret not suing the infertility doctor. I definitely regret that because his insurance would’ve been the one paying, and it would’ve been some millions, and it would’ve been helpful for my family,” she says.
In court, Kamrava testified in 2011 that Suleman insisted that he implant her with those embryos.
While she chose not to sue her doctor, Suleman took legal action against the hospital where she gave birth. According to her, hospital employees violated HIPAA laws by leaking her medical information to the press, which led to her becoming an overnight media sensation.
Despite the challenges of raising 14 children as a single mother, Suleman remains grateful for her unconventional family. “We are a loving family and we’re there for each other. All of my kids are just very humble, grounded, kind people with good hearts,” she says proudly.
For now, Suleman seems focused on telling her story on her own terms.
