Documentary Description
Nadya Suleman became the focus of the world's media when she gave
birth to eight children in January 2009, who have since gone on to be
the only octuplets to survive for as long as they have. She
provoked a huge backlash when it emerged that she was a single mother
who conceived the octuplets following IVF procedures, despite already
having six children. Nadya's story created a media storm but this
film, for Cutting Edge, tells the inside story of what life is really
like for 'Octomom' Nadya Suleman: an unemployed parent, with 14
demanding children under the age of nine, who faces the constant
presence of dedicated paparazzi as well as ceaseless scrutiny by both
the press and public. Revealing a typical day in the Suleman
household, the programme uncovers the colossal effort that goes into
looking after 14 children: the anarchic morning routine, chaotic dinner
times and the protracted difficulties of trying to get so many children
to bed at the same time. It also explores the huge expense that
comes with caring for this big a family: a permanent team of helpers,
several loads of washing per day, gallons of milk per day and 700
nappies per week. The film also re-examines Nadya's back story to
try and shed some light on what motivates her: her lonely childhood,
her history of IVF procedures that eventually resulted in the
against-all-odds birth of the octuplets, the extreme media attention
that has surrounded her ever since, the legal cases she's been forced to
answer and her ongoing difficulties with her own mother. One of
the most contentious and compelling tales of recent times, Octomom: Me
and My 14 Kids provides an extraordinary insight into the realities of
being a single mother trying to cope with 14 young children in one
household.
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