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Octuplets Mom: I Was Really Lonely As A Child
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 6, 2009
Modified Feb 6, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 6, 2009
Modified Feb 6, 2009
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Nadya Suleman, the California woman who just gave birth to octuplets, adding to her six older children, is giving her first interview to Ann Curry for the Today Show and Dateline. Suleman's in vitro fertilization sparked immediate questions from reproductive experts about whether her doctor acted properly: Suleman tells Curry she was implanted with six fertilized eggs, even though the doctor knew she had six kids. The 33-year-old single mom blamed her only childhood, "I just longed for certain connections and attachments with another person that I really lacked, I believe, grow ing up... I didn't feel as though, when I was a child, I had much control of my environment. I felt powerless. Reflecting back on my childhood, I know it wasn't functional." She adds, "I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling" (she needs to complete her master's in counseling) and received $165,000 in disability payments from an injury sustained while working at a mental hospital.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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