06 Feb Octuplets Mother Nadya Suleman NBC Interview Photo
Octuplets Mother Nadya Suleman & Anne Curry. Photo: AP
Here are some highlights lowlights from the NBC Interview:
For seven years beginning in her teens, Nadya Suleman tried to have a baby. She suffered three miscarriages. She tried artificial insemination and fertility drugs, to no avail. By 2000, a back injury and her inability to bear children had sent her into a deep depression, in which she told a psychiatrist that she had suicidal thoughts.
On many days, she did not get out of bed. One doctor asked her what activities she had given up. Her answer: “Everything.” That same year, she tried in-vitro fertilization and became pregnant.
“And then,” she said, “I just kept going in.”
“I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that I — I really lacked, I believe, growing up,” Suleman said. “I didn’t feel as though, when I was a child, I had much control of my environment. I felt powerless.
And that gave me a sense of predictability. I — reflecting back on my childhood, I know it wasn’t functional. It was pretty — pretty dysfunctional, and whose isn’t?” Suleman didn’t elaborate in the portion of the interview released by NBC (more will be broadcast on “Today” on Monday and on “Dateline NBC” on Tuesday). But she said her childhood made her yearn for many children of her own.
“That was always a dream of mine, to have a large family, a huge family,” she said.
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Hmm. I wonder if it was always a baby’s dream to have 13 brothers and sisters and perhaps struggle with life because a mother thought of her dreams and wishes before what is right and better for the children. Just because you can have 14 children, doesn’t mean you should have!-Dr.FB
Elizabeth King
Posted at 01:16h, 19 Julyfertility clinics are on the rise these days because people still want to have kids even if they are already old””
Marietta Loven
Posted at 19:24h, 30 JuneThanks for the profound, complicated response. I am certainly I will be reflecting on this for quite some time.
Tilly Holmes
Posted at 11:41h, 18 MayFertility Clinics really helped a lot in getting my wife to conceive a child. Just make sure you get a reliable one.,,,
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Posted at 09:40h, 18 February[…] biggest story of the month was the Octuplets story with CNN linking to us as one of the top blogs talking about […]
kirkpatris
Posted at 12:32h, 10 FebruaryYou have got to be kidding me? Don’t doctors have some sort of ethical or moral sense to know this woman is already in over her head with her other children. I say the Doctor should be the responsible person and should foot the bill for his stupidity.
de
Posted at 14:35h, 09 FebruaryAt first i thought, What! But after seeing these precious babies, I think she’ll do it. We shouldn’t judge her anymore, that’s stupid. Pray for her and her beautiful family….& help if you can.
nile
Posted at 22:13h, 08 FebruaryI’m upset that this single and unemployed woman intentionally brought so many children into this overcrowded world. What makes me even angrier though is that for the past 10 years Nadya Suleman has been receiving disability payments (for a work related back injury in 1999) and though she’s been deemed “completely unable to work”, she’s felt well enough to undergo IVF treatments and have 14 children during this time. Her doctors even advised her earlier not to get pregnant since this could worsen her back condition. She told a workers’ compensation judge in 2001 that her condition was so disabling that she spent most of the day in bed and had been unable to care for her first child.
This woman Nadya Suleman possibly lied to the Disability Judge and physicians about her condition and then used her disability payments for IVF treatments. This makes me really angry.
Caycee
Posted at 01:55h, 07 FebruaryI guess Christina and other clueless nuts just don’t get it. Hmm …unemployed, mentally incompetent and has physical issues dictating she can’t stand, sit or walk for long periods of time. Says she’s working on a degree but if she can’t even sit what kind of job can she maintain – can everyone say none. Oh yeah and let’s not forget can’t lift heavy objects her “back problems” prohibit her from picking up her own children – wonderful. Per her interviews she wanted a large family because of her own dysfunctonal childhood – who the hell hasn’t had a dysfunctional childhood to some degree. Yea she sounds like a fine specimen for IVF.
There shoud be a psychological examination (if there isn’t) for those seeking IVF and unless they are financial able to support children without welfare they should be denied. This woman is repulsive and a burden on society. It galls me she has the nerve to whine about negative publicity, maybe she should have thought about that before leaving the taxpayers footing the bill for her and her overly large family. When people heard the word “unemployed” did she think they were going to do a happy dance about another welfare case pumping out kids!
The guideline for IVF is TWO embryos not four and the doctor who performed this procedure should be stripped of their license. Incompetency is not a quality I look for in a doctor, nor is publicity seeking. This doctor is well aware of the fact some people will not opt for selective abortion and multiple births increase the chance of serious problems with the babies. The doctor is a quack and obviously has no concern for children.
I feel sorry for the kids they’ll have a rough time because their mother is a selfish cow.
Doris
Posted at 20:12h, 06 FebruaryYa, there’s so much wrong with this it’s hard to know where to start. If nothing else I’m hoping this disaster puts the kybosh on our national glorification of mass reproduction. Zero population growth, people… replace yourself and call it a day. Anything more is the height of human arrogance and selfishness.
Mike in California
Posted at 19:20h, 06 FebruaryThis woman can’t see more than a few days ahead of her life. Sadly, we all know that she will ultimately fail in her quest to successfully raise all 14 kids to adulthood. There will be anger. There will be resentment. There will be chaos and disorder. I could care less about that woman’s welfare, but my heart goes out to those children, who even at birth are already stacked against the odds of developing into normal, happy youngsters.
Lisa
Posted at 18:08h, 06 FebruaryThe details of this insanity: she doesn’t work – the state supports her. She doesn’t have health insurance – Kaiser took her in for the notoriety of the case. She’s been on Worker’s Comp. for TEN YEARS but hardly ever worked the actual JOB – just used it to the get workers comp. Then she had ALL 14 kids in the last 10 years while collecting taxpayer monies. She wanted a huge family – GEE, HOW ABOUT A HUSBAND FIRST!? She is SICK and SELFISH and she should lose custody of ALL the kids AND be admitted to an insane asylum. And she thinks we are going to turn to HER for PARENTING ADVICE!
Rob DJ
Posted at 18:07h, 06 FebruaryI have the solution.
The sperm donor ( a friend ? ), should have his wages garnished to help support the gang. If he was willing to be a good friend, then be one…
The idiot doctor who implanted the eggs should hire the mom and make her his example for what NOT TO DO !. Create an ad campaign and provide the proceeds for the raising of the gang. Have the gang playing in his waiting room to show all the other implantees what is comming.
Grandpa and grandma should become permanent care givers providing all “horsie rides”, “butterfly kisses”, “boo boo mending”, “wipe changing”, nose blowing, butt wiping, scrapes, scratches, spittles, pukes, collics, accidental bumps on the head, sniffles, vaccinations, complications from vaccinations, colds, fevers, rashes, mosquito bites, etc… The mom blames them for not giving her a bigger family and causing her to want 14 kids. This will remind them how hard they worked all their lives in order to enjoy their golden years.
As for the baby dispenser, someone sow her shut….
Emma
Posted at 17:36h, 06 FebruaryI am so confused by this situation. What doc would do this procedure and where did she get the money? I fault reality tv partially… with shows like Jon & Kate plus 8 and then the couple who just had their 19th child. People see the glamour on TV the nice things that these people were given and the trips they get to take all sponsored by the tv show and others. She wants that same dream. We should all stop watching and supporting these shows. Look what happened. IThey want big families let them support them on their on. They shouldn’t be allowed to exploit the children for money and fame. Get a job. you chose to have a large family.
Atl Belle
Posted at 17:19h, 06 FebruaryNews said today that this kook has already racked up more than $160,000 in taxpaper funding for her previous litters. No trust fund baby…just another leach on the system…
send her to iraq with her father who said he was going back there to drive a car so he could send money home LOL
Katelyn
Posted at 16:51h, 06 Februaryamen Kim boy is she in for a rude awakening when she realizes what she’s done!! Four. Teen. Kids. That’s like a full daycare, with one person running it. Impossible. Not improbable. Impossible. No one can do this.
And I totally agree with Dawn- It is EXACTLY like when teenagers get pregnant on purpose to fill a void. Times 14.
Shannon Heme
Posted at 16:47h, 06 FebruaryIf this woman was longing so much for a large family, why didn’t she adopt?!?! Probably because with suicidal thoughts, no apparent way to support children and living with her parents, an adoption agency would not let this woman adopt. So how does a physician not take into account that this woman cannot be capable of caring for this many children financially or emotionally. Just because she wants a large family does not mean she should have one. If I was living with my parents, unemployed and had 6 kids already, I think I would be laying off the IV and focusing on the group of kids that are already here and need love and attention.
Kim
Posted at 15:59h, 06 FebruaryI’m just disappointed in this entire scenario. What exactly has the world come to. I saw the interview this morning where the settlement was mentioned. It was $165,000. Theoretically, she would have exhausted that with just basic pre-natal care from the first group of chilren. She has no job or medical insurence. Who’s paying the bill on this? The average person can’t even be admitted to a decent hospital without insurance. How did she afford the treatments for this pregnancy? What about the pending hospital bill? I didn’t have a referral once and the bill was $111.00. I’m not interested in helping this woman – life is about choices. You made this choice. Help yourself and stop acting like the world owes you. Now she says she wants to further her education. HONEY – that shipped has sailed!!!!! You have 14 kids to raise. Your free time is over. Most people can’t get a sitter for 2 or 3 kids. Who’s going to watch 6 younger kids and 8 preemies while you are out?
Steph
Posted at 15:52h, 06 FebruaryWhether she has money or not to support 14 children, whether she is crazy or not, whether she is a single mom or not, I feel so strongly that the responsibility is very much on the doctor(s) who interviewed her then approved and performed the procedure knowing that she already had six children. I feel it is very much an ethics issue for those doctors and I would really like to hear their side of the story and the factors that went into their decision to proceed.
Susan
Posted at 15:42h, 06 FebruaryShe needs to have her tubes tied and get one of those coats with the sleeves in the back. My friend just had a baby and we counted that she used 175 diapers in a month. and this woman thinks she will have time for school. A daycare is not even allowed to have that many young children.
Ana
Posted at 15:26h, 06 FebruaryI believe this is insane. She is crazy. She is an Angelina look alike. The the help she can get from the goverment is to get the Children away from her. This children are going to suffer, because who is going to take care of 14 kids by themselfs.
And the doctor who preform the invitro needs to be penalize. Who accepts this situation.
Oscar
Posted at 15:19h, 06 FebruaryThis is how screwed up this woman is, the father of the babies isnt even her husband, who she just divorced in 2008. Who is this mystery donor? And ethics are thrown out the window when you take the 3 hour drive to Mexico and get the procedure done in multiple offices. She needs to get examined mentally, and the kids needs to be taken away from her fast!
Dawn
Posted at 15:17h, 06 FebruaryShall we say in the “Twilight Zone”? Let’s hope it’s not genetic, if you get my drift. I think the courts should take the sperm donor (her friend) to task for child support. Husband or not, the welfare system is cracking down on finding the biological “daddies” of the children on welfare. The articles that I have seen do not say she is currently on welfare. As a government assistance program, paid for by the government, (aka you and I), shouldn’t that info be public knowledge? And if her parents are helping her, you know, the ones that were dysfunctional and raised dysfunctional children, then she’s just put 14 more children in the dysfunctional category.
This young lady (I use the term loosely), is stuck in the teenage years where young girls that don’t get the attention they crave sometimes want babies to fill that need to be wanted and loved by someone else. She is very immature. And, obviously, emotionally dysfunctional. It’s a shame the children will suffer.
karin
Posted at 15:05h, 06 FebruaryNot only should a pysch exam be manditory before any form of IV treatment, but the Dr’s./clinic should be responsible for all financial needs of these kids. There’s no way she can look after the emotional needs of t14 kids if she’s working and no way she can support them if she’s not… Unless of couse there’s more to the story we haven’t heard.
LexAve456
Posted at 15:04h, 06 FebruaryThat broad is plain NAA-STY. The fact that she intended on getting pregnant with no regard for her parents who have to pick up the slack because of her selfishness is disgraceful. Even worse those 14 kids are going to pay dearly for what their mom did. How will she be able to give her kids all the love and attention that they will need? I feel so sorry for those kids. I hope they find the doctors who did the procedure so that they can strip them of their licenses. And I have to pay for all of them kids with my taxes too! That’s BS right there. Everything about this story is just plain wrong and disgusting. I hope she loses her kids and that they get real parents who can give them all the love and care they will need. That woman is just pimping her kids out. B*tch is nasty as hell.
Chace
Posted at 14:55h, 06 FebruaryI think she is looking for a book, movie, or TV show deal and what is sad is that there is a possibility that she could get it. There are millions out of work, people who have children responsibly, and people who desperately want just one child and can’t, and here she is taking advantage of the system. She & the doctor/medical staff should be ashamed of themselves.
She may have had a dysfunctional childhood BUT who hasn’t – get help – not pregnant!