‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman speaks out following years of hate. ‘Taking our life back’

On Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman’s eight youngest children will turn 16 years old. And for the first time since their controversial birth, they are speaking out.

Suleman, more widely known as Octomom, has remained largely out of the public eye for the last 12 years as she raised her 14 children as a single mom.

Now, she and her kids are ready to speak in a new Lifetime movie and docuseries, titled “I Was Octomom” and “Confessions of Octomom,” respectively.

In 2009, Suleman, who then had 6 kids and was looking to become a parent of 7, was implanted with 12 embryos by her longtime IVF doctor, Michael Kamrava, according to People.

As a result, Suleman became pregnant with octuplets and was the first woman in history to give “birth to the first ever surviving octuplets.”

In a rare interview with People, Suleman is now talking about that time in her life and the things she felt she had to do in order to survive.

According to Suleman, “I Was Octomom” details her “journey, starting with my decision to have one more IVF procedure to try to complete my family of six.”

“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,” she told People.

“In the beginning it was complete pandemonium,” Suleman told People. “There was of course all of the details of the death threats and fearing for my family’s life. And then on the other hand, I had to continue to sacrifice my integrity repeatedly to survive and provide for my family.”

During the early years of her octuplets’ lives, Suleman participated in adult films and collaborated with tabloids on stories about her life to provide for her 14 kids.

“It wasn’t until they were maybe about 4 years old, I finally was able to escape all of that, the attack it felt from the world... and all that global scorn and condemnation, being the target of misplaced hate. I could escape and finally go back to the life I had once known before,” she explained to People.

“Eventually I just had to lean in really to my faith, my very strong faith in God. And it wasn’t until I did that, everything fell into place beautifully.”

Now, after years of wanting to keep her children “safe and protect my kids,” the family has made the decision together to speak out.

“They’re turning 16 and making the decision to really do this,” she said, adding that despite being reluctant at first, her oldest six kids are speaking out too.

“Today, my family and I are taking our life back,” the mom of 14 said, saying she hopes her “perspective” will help inspire other women “to pull out the strengths inside that they didn’t know they had to progress forward, to keep progressing in their life.”

One of Suleman’s octuplets, daughter Nariyah, told People she’s “excited” to be able to share the truth about their lives.

“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.”

“I’m not this compartmentalized caricature,” Suleman added. “I am not Octomom, I’m a mom.”