Nadya ‘Octomom’ Suleman Celebrates Her 8 Kids’ 16th Birthday: ‘So Blessed to Have You All’

It’s been 16 years since Nadya “Octomom” Suleman gave birth to the world’s first surviving set of octuplets.

“Happy Sweet 16th birthday to Noah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Jonah, and Makai!” Nadya, 49, wrote in a sweet birthday tribute dedicated to the teens on Sunday, January 26. “You are loved, valued, and appreciated more than words can express!”

In the photo, Nadya’s octuplets — Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Makai, Josiah, Jeremiah and Jonah — stood in a line, beaming as they proudly showcased their unique styles. The California native said she was “blessed” to have her large brood, adding she was “excited and grateful” for the “journey” they were about to embark on.

“God has loved and protected you all for the past 16 years, and has great plans for each and every one of you!” she gushed. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my babies you’ll be.”

Fans flooded the comment section to marvel at how much the children have grown and praised Nadya for overcoming years of parenting criticism.

“I can’t wrap my mind around them being 16. Congratulations for beating all odds with their pregnancy, and I wish you a lifetime of happiness with them,” one fan wrote. Meanwhile, another user added, “Happy Birthday to your babies. You raised them all well. Forgive the haters. You did an excellent job.”

Fellow TLC alum and Doubling Down With the Derricos star Karen Derrico added, “So happy for you! Fellow mom of 14 here and I absolutely love how you proved them all wrong!”

Nadya teased an exciting new “journey” for herself and her 14 children, seemingly referring to the upcoming Lifetime movie and docuseries set to premiere featuring their story. Titled I Was Octomom and Confessions of Octomom, the projects are set to air on March 8 and March 10, respectively. For the first time, Nadya’s children will speak out and share their perspectives as part of the project.

The California native was already the mother of six children — Elijah, Amerah, Joshua, Aidan and twins Caleb and Calyssa — before giving birth to the octuplets in January 2009.

“I’m just very excited,” Nadya’s daughter Nariyah told People in an interview published on January 24. “Our mom would finally be able to say her side of the story, because I feel like it was very unfair how she was terrorized and hated for just being a mother. And she had to sacrifice so much just for her children.”

Nadya rose to fame in 2008 after her pregnancy went viral. The single mother was implanted with 12 embryos by Dr. Michael Kamrava, despite medical guidelines advising no more than two be implanted at once. As a result, the California Medical Board revoked his license in 2011. The octuplets remain the longest-surviving octuplets in medical history.

All 14 of Nadya’s children were conceived through in vitro fertilization, though she has never disclosed any details about their paternity. Her pregnancy sparked widespread backlash when it became public, with many criticizing her motives, as she was already facing challenges raising her six children before the birth of the octuplets.