MOM'S THE WORD

Octomom Natalie Suleman has decided to speak out about her choices and her 14 children because she's tired of 'living in hiding'

- DENNIS CAVERNELIS

THE woman behind the wheel wears a broad-brimmed sunhat, sunglasses and a full-face covering. It's because of her social anxiety, she tells the interviewer – if she's covered up, people don't stare at her.

It's an unexpected admission from someone who's spent much of her adult life in the spotlight as Octomom, the only person known to have given birth to octuplets who all survived.

Single mother Natalie Suleman (49) made headlines and history and spawned furious debate online and in the tabloids following her decision to have another eight kids when she was already struggling to raise her first six children on government welfare.

Now, after 13 years of “living in hiding”, Natalie is telling her side of the story in the Lifetime documentary series Confessions of Octomom.

“I’d love to explain what happened and why I became Octomom,” she says in a trailer for the show.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mom. I wanted a big family. When I set my mind to achieving a goal, you know, I achieve that goal.

“I think I may have overachieved with being a mom, though, a little too much there,” she says with a chuckle.

She shares her Orange County, California home with her 16-year-old octuplets, Noah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Josiah, Makai, Maliyah and Nariyah.

Her other kids, Amerah, Calyssa, Elijah, Caleb, Joshua and Aidan, range in age from 17 to 23.

And, she told the world last September, she’s also a granny to a baby girl.

“Thank you my son and my lovely daughter-in-law for giving us this beautiful gift!” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“We are so blessed that she is a new addition to our family! Baby girl you are so very loved and we can’t wait to watch you grow.”