Octomom Natalie “Nadya” Suleman is proud of how far her family has come despite the odds being stacked against them.

The I Was Octomom star, 49, opened up about the misconceptions about her that ran wild when she became famous for conceiving octuplets via IVF in 2009 in an interview with People on Tuesday, March 18. Though Nadya was widely seen as a star at first, she quickly faced backlash when word spread that she was a single parent who was rumored to have financial issues and already had six children who were also conceived via IVF.

“There was this false narrative spun, like I was this unemployed welfare recipient,” she told the outlet. “It was not the case at all.”

Though Nadya spent a few years leaning into the narrative by selling photos, doing interviews and starring in an adult film to support her kids, she stepped away from the spotlight in 2013. Now, she’s back to set the record straight in Lifetime’s I Was Octomom biopic and Confessions of Octomom docuseries.

“My family and I are taking our life back,” she continued. “I’m not Octomom. I’m not this compartmentalized caricature. I’m a mom. [This is] a story of strength, survival and success despite all the odds against us.”

Nadya became a mother for the first time when she welcomed son Elijah in 2001, followed by daughter Amerah in 2002. Her son Joshua arrived in 2003, while son Aidan was born in 2005. Nadya welcomed twins Calyssa and Caleb in 2006. The children were all conceived with the help of reproductive specialist Dr. Michael Kamrava, who implanted six embryos instead of the recommended two.

With six kids already at home, Nadya told People that she “only wanted one more.” However, Dr. Kamrava implanted 12 embryos this time, and she became pregnant with eight children. Nadya’s octuplets, Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Nariyah, Jonah, Makai, Josiah and Jeremiah, were born in January 2009.

Dr. Kamrava was later stripped of his medical license.

Though all 14 of Nadya’s children were conceived via IVF, the California native told People earlier this month that her octuplets shared one sperm donor and her six older children shared another sperm donor.

“I told them that they come from an anonymous frozen donor and I bought one, it was one dad,” she explained, adding that her kids did not have any contact with the sperm donors.

While the identities of the sperm donors have not been confirmed, a man named David Solomon is allegedly listed as the father on the birth certificates for the octuplets, according to multiple reports. Nadya claimed in a 2009 interview with The Sun that she went on “one platonic date” with Solomon and realized that she only wanted him to father her kids without pursuing a relationship.

“It never became anything because I realized he was young and liked dating lots of women, and I wasn’t interested in that,” she explained. “Maybe some day in the future he’ll be interested in seeing them (the children), but it’s not my choice. I can’t say whether he wants to play a part in their life.”

Now, looking back at her experience with conceiving, giving birth to and raising her octuplets, Nadya is reflecting on her life and what she would have changed.

“I don’t think I’d do too much differently,” she told People on March 5. “I do regret not suing the infertility doctor. I definitely regret that because his insurance would’ve been the one paying, and it would’ve been some millions, and it would’ve been helpful for my family.”