Baby news

“Octomom” Nadya Suleman has become a grandmother

Nadya Suleman in 2009 with her newborn octuplets. Now she is a grandmother.(Bild: Viennareport/Nancy Pastor / Polaris)

Californian Nadya Suleman, who became known as "Octomom", has become a grandmother for the first time. 

The 49-year-old, who rose to fame in 2009 by giving birth to octuplets, shared a photo on Instagram at the weekend showing a baby's tiny foot peeking out from under a pink blanket. The baby, a girl, was born at the end of August. The father is one of her sons. 

"Beautiful gift"
Without revealing which of her ten sons made her a grandma, she wrote with the picture: "Thank you to my son and my lovely daughter-in-law for giving us this beautiful gift!"

The new addition to the family blesses the family. To the new arrival, who will be surrounded by lots of aunts and uncles, Suleman wrote: "Little girl, you are so loved and we can't wait to see you grow up!"

Instant fame
The birth of octuplets 15 years ago made Suleman instantly famous and sparked a debate about artificial insemination in the USA and around the world. 

The then unemployed and unmarried mother already had six children from sperm donors when six more fertilized eggs were implanted during IVF treatment. Two of them each became twins. In total, Sulemann, who sold her story to talk shows and magazines, has 14 children. 

"Violated her own self"
According to People magazine, she withdrew from the Octomom spotlight in 2013, although she continued to share photos on social media.

Years later, she confessed in an interview with the magazine that she didn't want it all from day one. "I violated my boundaries and my value system and my own self. I didn't think about it at the time because I was in survival mode and doing everything I could to provide for my children."