Why did Natalie Suleman want to sue her fertility doctor? Explained
The upcoming Lifetime biopic, I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story, tells the story of Natalie Nadya Suleman, the single mother who gave birth to octuplets in 2009.
The biopic features Kristen Lee Gutoskie as Natalie Suleman and follows her IVF journey resulting in the birth of eight children. Suleman already had six children before and faced intense media scrutiny after her story went public.
Natalie Suleman was already struggling to raise her six kids when she opted to have one more kid through IVF treatments. Her treatments were administered by Dr. Michael Kamrava, who was supposed to implant six embryos but later admitted to implanting twelve embryos, leading to Suleman’s octuplets.
In an exclusive interview with People on March 6, Natalie stated that she wanted to sue her doctor for his medical malpractice and expressed regret for not doing that. She said:
"I do regret not suing the infertility doctor. I definitely regret that because his insurance would've been the one paying, and it would've been some millions, and it would've been helpful for my family."
I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story is set to premiere on March 8 on Lifetime, at 8 pm EST.
How did Natalie Suleman become the “Octomom”?
Natalie Suleman introduced herself in her People interview, as “just a mom of many and she is very, very, very grateful.” Suleman was a grad student, a single mom, and was living with her parents when she decided to have “just one more” child through IVF.
She revealed during the interview that she was unhappy growing up as a single child and always dreamed of having a big family, ideally seven children of her own. She further explained:
“But it's not enough to say I wanted a big family because I was lonely. There is an amalgamation of factors. I wanted kids to create maybe a safe and predictable little world that I lacked growing up. So then of course, I projected onto my future family.”
Her previous six children were born through IVF treatments administered by Dr. Michael Kamrava. Hence, she went to him when she wanted a seventh child. Kamarava, who was supposed to implant only six embryos inside Suleman, implanted twice the amount, which was much higher than the standard medical practice.
Both Kamarava and Suleman received heavy criticism after their situation came to light. As a result, the doctor’s medical license was revoked once he admitted to the malpractice. Nadia Suleman, in her interview, mentioned that she regretted not suing the doctor, however, she added she “didn’t have the heart to sue him.” She said:
“I regret that I kind of threw myself under the bus to cover for him, and I shouldn't have but I was grateful. I wouldn't have had any of my kids if it weren't for his innovative technique. No one else in the world did this type of procedure so I didn't have it in my heart to sue him.”
Suleman then admitted to suing the fertility hospital for HIPAA violations, claiming that her life story became publicized after hospital employees allegedly shared her private information with the media.
Natalie Suleman, who earned the moniker “octomom,” became the first person to give birth to surviving octuplets in 2009. Since then, her life was invaded by intense media backlash leading her to retreat from the limelight in 2013.
The upcoming Lifetime film, I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story revisits her tale and offers Natalie's perspective. The official synopsis of the same reads:
I Was Octomom stars Kristen Lee Gutoskie (The Handmaid’s Tale, Chicago Fire) as Natalie Suleman; Caitlin Stryker (A Million Little Things) as her best friend Beth; and Anita Wittenberg (Cruel Instruction) as her mother Angela. Told from her perspective, the movie follows Suleman’s journey starting from her decision to have one more IVF procedure to complete her then family of six, to becoming a mother of 14, having survived her life being torn apart by the tabloid media."
Catch the biopic, I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story on March 8 on the Lifetime channel.
