Octomom Nadya Suleman and her 14 children are gearing up to share their story in the new Lifetime docuseries, Confessions of Octomom.
“Today, my family and I are taking our life back,” Suleman, 49, told People in an interview published on Friday, January 24. “I’ve been saying, I want to keep them safe and protect my kids, and well, they’re older now. They’re turning 16 and making the decision to really do this.”
Suleman, who rose to fame in 2009 when she was pregnant with octuplets, decided to speak out at the teenagers’ urging.
“My kids are going to share for the first time. Also, my older kids are speaking in the public eye and they did not want to,” she explained to the outlet. “And actually, I didn’t even want [to speak out] to be honest.”
In addition to a docuseries starring the Sulemans, Lifetime will also premiere a sensationalized made-for-TV movie about the brood, titled I Was Octomom, with Kristen Lee Gutoskie portraying the matriarch.
“The movie follows my journey, starting with my decision to have one more IVF procedure to try to complete my family of six,” Suleman told People. “I wanted only one more, to becoming a single mom of 14 and all the trials and tribulations, the challenges and struggles, what I had to do to continue to fight for my family.”
Suleman welcomed her octuplets — Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Makai, Josiah and Jeremiah — in 2009 via IVF. Two years later, the California Medical Board learned that her fertility doctor had allegedly transferred 12 embryos into Suleman’s uterus instead of the six she reportedly requested. His medical license was revoked in 2011.
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As Suleman continued to raise her children, her large family size often sparked fan criticism.
“I’m just very excited,” Nariyah, 15, told People of participating in the documentary. “Our mom would finally be able to say her side of the story because I feel like it was very unfair how she was terrorized and hated for just being a mother. And she had to sacrifice so much just for her children.”
Suleman, meanwhile, hopes Lifetime’s platform will demonstrate that she’s not a “compartmentalized caricature” of a mother to multiples.
“The main reason for me in sharing my true story [is] my perspective is to help people, to help women in particular who are struggling with one child or none,” Suleman said. “Maybe [the doc will] inspire them to pull out the strengths inside that they didn’t know they had to progress forward, to keep progressing in their life.”
I Was Octomom premieres Saturday, March 8, on Lifetime and Confessions of Octomom debuts on the network Monday, March 10.
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