Despite being a very public figure that the media dubbed “Octomom” in 2009, Natalie (Nadya) Suleman doesn’t feel comfortable going out in public these days.
In the opening moments of Lifetime’s new revealing docuseries, Confessions of Octomom, Suleman appears covered head-to-toe in protective clothing to shield herself from harmful UV rays — and prying eyes.
“I was very consistent for decades, since I was in my early 20s, wearing sunscreen, and I’m really into protecting my skin from the sun, and that’s not the only reason,” she explains while driving her vehicle.
Suleman wears a long-sleeve shirt, fingerless gloves, a neck guard, a sun hat that covers everything but a slit for her eyes and sunglasses. She even wears the outfit to work out in the gym.
“It for sure this is helps with my social anxiety,” she continues. “Nobody knows [who I am], they look and they look away. It doesn’t like draw any attention because people don’t want to look and stare.”
Suleman, now 49, first made headlines in 2009 after she was implanted with 12 embryos and gave birth to the world’s first surviving octuplets.
Soon after, she faced criticism for being a single mom who repeatedly sought out IVF treatments to expand her already large family. She had six children before welcoming the octuplets.
To make ends meat, Suleman did paid interviews, photo opps and participated in a solo adult film.
“When I started going down a dark dismal rabbit hole, I felt like there was no way I was going to be able to extricate myself out of that quagmire that I placed myself in,” Suleman told PEOPLE in a revealing new interview.
After seeking out rehab for anxiety and stress in late 2012, she moved her family back to her hometown and went to work as a counselor in 2013.
“The reality is I didn’t take time to sit and feel and process emotion because that’s when healing begins, when we sit in the pain and we sit in that uncomfortable feelings we don’t want to feel, that’s when we can start healing and growing and changing,” she shared.
Now, she’s taking back the narrative of her life with a new Lifetime biopic I Was Octomom and the docuseries Confessions of Octomom, both on Lifetime.
“My family and I are taking our life back,” she told PEOPLE. “That was really stolen from the tabloid media in particular… They tried to destroy me, but they didn’t know. No one really knew anything about who we were as a family, who I am as a mother.”
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She continued, “In the movie, I was Octomom and the six-part documentary series, I’m not Octomom. It’s really sharing new experiences and new perspectives, and it gives new insights into the history and our present day life.”
Confessions of Octomom airs on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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