Time flies! ‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman celebrates her octuplets’ 12th birthday by sharing photos of her brood posing in animal onesies – while praising the ‘kind, caring, and respectful’ children
The 45-year-old, who has a total of 14 children, took to Instagram on Tuesday night to wish a happy birthday to the eight children she famously welcomed via in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2009.
‘Happy 12th birthday to 8 of the most kind, caring, and respectful kids I have ever known,’ the Los Angeles resident wrote. ‘Your compassion for all living things and value of humbly serving others is the definition of love.’
Her post went on: ‘You make my heart full, and have blessed our lives abundantly. I am honored to be your mother. I love you Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, and Makai.
‘I know grandma would be incredibly proud and is lovingly looking down upon you from above.’
While the birth of the octuplets 12 years ago made the family famous, it was the fact that Nadya already had six kids at home that really raised eyebrows.
Nadya was 21 years old and divorced when she began IVF in 1997, using money from a $165,000 settlement she got from suffering a back injury at her job.
While the birth of the octuplets 12 years ago made the family famous, it was the fact that Nadya already had six kids at home that really raised eyebrows.
Suleman began IVF treatments in 1997 when she was 21 years old, and she welcomed her first child, Elijah, in 2001. She gave birth to her first daughter, Amerah, a year later.
She continued IVF treatments, which resulted in three further pregnancies, including fraternal twins Calyssa and Caleb.
Suleman made medical history when she delivered her youngest eight children — six boys and a girl — on January 28, 2009. The siblings became the longest surviving set of octuplets to be born in the U.S.
When Nadya gave birth to the octuplets at 31 weeks in 2009, 46 doctors and nurses were on hand to perform the C-section, delivering six boys and two girls weighing between 1 lb. 8 oz. and 3 lbs. 4 oz.
Now, Nadya’s younger kids are featured predominantly in her social media photos, but she will occasionally post pictures of the older ones with their permission.
Earlier this year, she opened up about her family’s healthy lifestyle, sharing that 13 out of her 14 kids are vegan.
She said her children eat ‘whole, plant-based foods with nearly no added ingredients’ aside from spices while claiming their vegan lifestyle has prevented them from getting sick.
‘Though the byproduct of leading this lifestyle is strengthened immunity (my kids and I have never had a flu shot), increased energy, a heightened sense of mental clarity, physical fitness, and slowing the aging process.’
Nadya has remained focused on maintaining their vegan diets amid the global crisis, and the mother of 14 has shared numerous photos of her younger children accompanying her on her grocery shopping trips to Whole Foods.
‘Plants supply our bodies with a vast array of micronutrients (more essential than macronutrients). Though my kids eat a plentiful variety of both, I ingest so many raw plants, it became more pragmatic to blend.’
Like most parents across the country, Nadya has also been dealing with the stress of trying to navigate distance learning.
“Guaranteed I’m not the only parent slightly stressed; though gleaning out the good in every situation, and teaching my children to do the same, is imperative.”
