dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 This is crazy. Octuplets' mom: 'All I ever wanted' LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The mother of octuplets, whose story has sparked controversy around the world, rejects suggestions that she may not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children and that her decisions have been selfish. Nadya Suleman, speaking to NBC, said of her 14 children: "I'll stop my life for them." "I'm providing myself to my children," Nadya Suleman told NBC in her first interview. "I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally, everything I do. I'll stop my life for them and be present with them and hold them and be with them. And how many parents do that? I'm sure there are many that do, but many don't. And that's unfortunate. And that is selfish." NBC's "Today Show" ran a portion of the interview Friday. Suleman, a 33-year-old single mother, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, while already having six young children and no clear source of income. "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling. If I were just sitting down, watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered to a certainly degree selfish," she said. She said she plans to go back to college to pursue a degree in counseling, NBC reported. She also said all 14 children have the same biological father, a sperm donor whom she described as a friend. A spokeswoman for Suleman has told CNN that she is being deluged with media offers but denied any suggestions that Suleman may have had a monetary incentive for having so many children. The spokeswoman, Joann Killeen, told CNN's Larry King Live that Suleman "has no plans on being a welfare mom and really wants to look at every opportunity that she can to make sure she can provide financially for the 14 children she's responsible for now." Suleman, in the NBC interview, complained that she is being judged differently from how couples are judged, because she is a single mother. "I feel as though I've been under the microscope because I've chosen this unconventional kind of life. I didn't intend on it being unconventional. It just turned out to be. All I wanted ... was to be a mom. That's all I ever wanted in my life." In quotes from the interview NBC posted on its Web site, Suleman linked her decision to what she felt was missing from her youth. "That was always a dream of mine, to have a large family, a huge family, and I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that I really lacked, I believe, growing up," she said. Asked what was lacking, she cited a "feeling of self and identity ... I felt powerless. And that gave me a sense of predictability. Reflecting back on my childhood, I know it wasn't functional. It was pretty dysfunctional, and whose isn't?" Of the octuplets' birth, Suleman said she had been hoping to have one more child and had six embryos implanted, two of which led to twins. She said she knew she would not selectively reduce. "Sometimes we have that dream and that passion and we take risks. And I did and it turned out perfectly." The babies were born nine weeks premature, but all survived. Doctors say giving birth to extreme multiples comes with tremendous risks for the mother and the babies. Risks for the children include bleeding in the brain, intestinal problems, developmental delays and lifelong learning disabilities. Suleman said her fertility specialist told her about risks for the children. But she did not want to have only one or two embryos implanted. "Of course not, I wanted them all transferred. Those are my children. And that's what was available and I used them. I took a risk. It's a gamble. It always is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 From CBS's story:Nadya Suleman, 33, became pregnant with all 14 of her children after a 1999 injury during a riot at a state mental hospital where she worked, state Division of Workers' Compensation documents show.This lady needs to go back to the loony bin. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I just have a few questions regarding this: 1) Who is going to be taking care of the 14 kids while she is in school and then while she is working to provide for them. 2) Who is going to be providing financial support for the 14 kids while she is in school? 3) Why have 14 kids and then go to school to get then get a job to support the kids. Why not get the education, then the job, then the kids? 4) Who is supporting the kids now? How are the medical bills being paid while the babies are in incubators. 5) Why did the fertility specialist implant 6 embryos when this is against the medical standard for a woman at her age. 6) How does the cost of the care for the 8 babies in the hospital impact health care costs and an already strained health care system? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Also from CBS's story:NBC News says it didn't pay for the interview, but her spokesman, Mike Furtney, made it clear to Kauffman that Suleman hopes to make money from her story. "What we'd like to see her wind up with is the means to raise her 14 children in the way that she wants to do that," Furtney said. In the months after her injury, orthopedists recommended back surgery and injections of steroids into her lower back. But Suleman didn't want to undergo the treatments, saying the surgery seemed too risky. At one point, she rejected to have X-rays taken because she feared they would interfere with her fertility treatments. "The patient is reluctant to have surgery. She desperately needs surgery," orthopedist Dr. Daniel Capen wrote in February 2000. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 What a dingbat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 From L.A. Times:Left unspoken was the question dogging NBC as it promotes Curry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 "NBC News says it didn't pay for the interview, but her spokesman, Mike Furtney, made it clear to Kauffman that Suleman hopes to make money from her story. "What we'd like to see her wind up with is the means to raise her 14 children in the way that she wants to do that," Furtney said." ah, the new approach to life, have 14 kids to then make millions off of exploiting the 14 kids to make enough money to pay for the 14 kids. what is the story actually? they already made a movie called Cheaper by the Dozen...oh wait maybe that's what this is, she saw that movie and decided life should imitate the movies. another question: Who is paying the publicist? Who payed for the fertility treatments? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 What freaks me out a little bit more is the tons of people who do similar things except in twins or triplets that you don't hear about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 something that irks me is the number of people that have the means to care for a child, but aren't able to conceive and can't afford the cost of having fertility help or the cost of adoption and she somehow got the help with no income. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I would rather media outlets pay to support those kids than us taxpayers. Publicist might be working on spec.Obviously, I don't endorse this kind of thing, but since I am rabidly pro-choice, I will hold my tongue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I would rather media outlets pay to support those kids than us taxpayers. Publicist might be working on spec.Obviously, I don't endorse this kind of thing, but since I am rabidly pro-choice, I will hold my tongue. you make a good point. but oyi, what kind of example and continuation of this do you think her story will inspire in others? what a hornets nest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
embiggen Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 What a dingbat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 you make a good point. but oyi, what kind of example and continuation of this do you think her story will inspire in others? what a hornets nest.That's a good idea. Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 If she could come up with a religion, a cult, a gang or something as part of her story - she could have a show. The Duggars Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 If she could come up with a religion, a cult, a gang or something as part of her story - she could have a show. The DuggarsThere's no way I'm not going to hell after what I just said while reading that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 There's no way I'm not going to hell after what I just said while reading that.I said, "This makes me want to work in an abortion clinic." Was it worse? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Author Share Posted February 6, 2009 Oh yeah. Along the lines of, "God, step into my office. You're fucking fired"! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 PM? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 "babyists" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Can someone post that pic with the caption "A vagina is not a clown car". Thank you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 Can someone post that pic with the caption "A vagina is not a clown car". Thank you.I can't believe that hasn't already been done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 She might want to talk to Kate Gosselin for pointers on how to exploit her kids. Kate's done a pretty stellar job at that over the past couple of years. No doubt she'll have a TLC reality show any time now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 What freaks me out a little bit more is the tons of people who do similar things except in twins or triplets that you don't hear about.Modern fertility treatments like IVF and Chlomid often increase the likelihood of multiples. My wife and I did IVF and had 2 fertilized eggs implanted. They both survived. Not sure if that's a problem in your eyes. We explored other options like adoption, but since my insurance covered fertility treatments, this was the most financially and logistically feasible option for us. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 something that irks me is the number of people that have the means to care for a child, but aren't able to conceive and can't afford the cost of having fertility help or the cost of adoption and she somehow got the help with no income.I am very curious who paid the bill on all these treatments and the birth. I mean, I think women should do what they want with their bodies, be it have an abortion or have 18 kids at one shot like some fat sow, but there are so many people out there who need medical care and can't afford it...did Kaiser Permanente foot the bill for all this? I guess they have the right to do with their money what they want, but honestly. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I think we should all collectively write a book and title it, How to Properly Live Your Life by the Via Chicago Message Board. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.