30 January 2023 , 10:04
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A mum who became famous when she gave birth to octuplets has celebrated her children's 14th birthday via a touching post on social media, in which she said she is "blessed beyond measure" to have them in her life.
Naya Suleman, who is also known as 'Octomom', took to Instagram to share a picture of her eight children - six boys and two girls - all sitting on one sofa with balloons behind them that spelt out the word 'birthday' to mark their special day on January 27.
The 47-year-old single mum - who also has six other children who were born before her octuplets - heaped praise on her family in the post, as she said her kids had grown up to be some of the most "loving, thoughtful, and humble human beings" she has ever known.
In her sweet birthday tribute, she wrote on her @nataliesuleman account: "Happy 14th birthday to Noah, Maliyah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nariyah, Josiah, Jonah and Makai! You are some of the most loving, thoughtful, conscientious, and humble human beings I have ever known.
"The struggles we've endured over the years, have strengthened our connections to one another. By facing new challenges in the years to come, I hope we will continue to grow as a family. I am blessed beyond measure to be your mother. I love you."
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When Nadya, who is from the US, welcomed her children in 2009, she found herself being criticised by some people who claimed she had too many children that she couldn't afford to care for.
But after posting her octuplet's 14th birthday tribute, many of her fans praised her for "proving critics wrong" by being a "dedicated and loving mum" to all 14 of her kids.
One person said: "You have proved them all wrong and being the most amazing, dedicated and loving mum. I remember how the media gave you a terrible time when they were born, and look at them now, you should be so proud. Happy birthday, kids!"
While another added: "You have proved them wrong to all those people who attacked you and criticised you, you are such a good mother [and] those kids are the proof! Happy birthday to all of them."
And a third wrote: "And congratulations to mom for raising them to be the wonderful humans they are today!"
Meanwhile, Nadya previously told The New York Times that she sometimes has to resort to desperate measures in order to pay her bills.
The mum revealed that it costs $5,000 ($4,034) per month to run her household even though she only receives $1,500 (£1,210) worth of food stamps from the government.
Capitalising on the flood of attention, she became an adult film star and then a stripper to make ends meet and ended up developing an addiction to the prescription drug Xanax.
However, she has since kicked the habit and quit her short career in adult film.