'I regret that': Octomom Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman reveals the decision that cost her millions

For the first time in 16 years, Natalie 'Nadya' Suleman is ready to share her story. 

She made headlines – and history – in 2009 when she gave birth to the world's first set of surviving octuplets, which earned her the nickname 'Octomom' and catapulted her into the spotlight. 

The big question everyone has been asking for years is why she had so many kids, and now, she's opened up and has revealed her biggest regret about the whole situation. 

Suleman, who was already a mum to six kids, was hoping for just one more baby and went back to the same doctor for IVF who had helped her conceive her other kids. 

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Dr. Michael Kamrava had implanted her with 12 embryos, well above the recommended standard practice of two, for her last pregnancy. 

Kamrava, who initially told Suleman he'd only implanted six embryos, later admitted to implanting twice that number and was ultimately stripped of his medical license.

"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," the mum says in a new interview with People. 

At the time, Suleman was a university student, living with her parents and struggling to support her large family. 

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"I regret that I kind of threw myself under the bus to cover for him, and I shouldn't have but I was grateful," she explained.

"I wouldn't have had any of my kids if it weren't for his innovative technique. No one else in the world did this type of procedure so I didn't have it in my heart to sue him."

But she did sue the hospital after some employees breached HIPPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and reportedly leaked her name and medical information to the media, which is why she ended up making headlines. 

Her desire to have a big family stemmed from her childhood and it's a complicated one. 

"I wasn't happy as an only child, and clearly I projected my dream onto my kids and wanting a big, well, not this big of a family, but I did want seven kids," she said.

Suleman added that it wasn't because she was lonely, more so that she wanted to create the kind of space she didn't have growing up full of stability and safety. 

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But that all went out the window when her story of welcoming eight babies, with six at home, made headlines and she was thrust into the spotlight. 

Suleman was subjected to death threats, feared for the safety of her family and admitted she had to sacrifice her integrity to provide for her kids. 

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Her life was chaotic until she retreated from the spotlight in 2013, and is now ready to share her story. 

Suleman, along with her children: Ameerah, Calyssa, Elijah, Caleb, Joshua, Aidan and octuplets Noah, Josiah, Nariyah, Maliyah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Makai, are returning to screens for the six-part documentary series Confessions of Octomom which premieres on March 8 and 10 in the US.

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