An Internal Struggle
While it might not be apparent on the outside, Natalie Suleman has to endure a tremendous amount of physical pain on a daily basis owing to the injuries she incurred from carrying eight kids to almost full term. It’s very difficult for her to run because of the four ruptured discs in her lumbar spine, irreparable sacral damage, bilateral sciatica, as well as the peripheral neuropathy, but she soldiers on! In order to combat the pain and stress, Natalie climbs 10 miles a day on the stair master machine instead of running on a treadmill. She also attends a women’s only gym because she struggled with severe social anxiety since childhood and crowded gyms just made her feel even more stressed. The reason she snapped this workout photo was to express gratitude to the people who sent her a free workout outfit seeing that Natalie couldn’t afford to buy her own gym gear for many years.
The next image proves just how much Natalie has overcome and what a strong woman she truly is.
Little Natalie
Yes, once Natalie Suleman was a small little girl too. She shared this on her social media accounts to reminisce how she dressed up for Halloween way back when smeared lipstick and all. This was all the way back in 1978 when Natalie’s mother dressed her up as a messy clown. She might have changed her name from Nadya to Natalie, but that doesn’t mean that Natalie has tried to erase anything from her past. The only part she wishes to overcome is the persona she took on as Octomom when she made some decisions she wasn’t so proud of. Since then, Natalie has made tremendous strides to be the best mother she can to her octuplets and all her kids for that mother. Being a mother of 14 isn’t easy, but she’s doing a great job of it and sharing her journey with everyone along the way.
Cat Mother
Before Natalie Suleman became a mother to 14 kids, she expressed her motherly love for cats. She had over a dozen cats growing up, whom she jokingly calls her cat siblings, but there was just one cat that stole Natalie’s heart. This picture of Natalie, her mom, brother, and Boots the cat was taken in 1975 when Natalie was just a toddler, but her mother’s natural maternal instinct must have rubbed off on her too. When Natalie shows this to her kids, especially Calyssa who loves cats, they are shocked at how fat her favorite cat Boots was (over 50 pounds and her stomachs would drag on the ground when she walked!). She shared some old pic to give a glimpse at some of her rolls.
Looking Back On History
Now we know where Caleb gets his looks from. This picture is of Natalie Suleman’s mom when she was just two-years-old in Germany. This is a major throwback picture to 1940! This image might explain a lot about why some of Natalie’s kids are fair and some are of a darker complexion. Natalie loves sharing pictures from the past as they get her all nostalgic and appreciative of the beautiful family she feels the privilege to raise every day. It’s not easy for her to be a single mother to 14 kids, but Natalie counts her blessings every day and shares her appreciation for her own parents and everything they taught her while she was growing up.