Just days after Octomom Nadya Suleman fired the volunteer nurses providing the unenviable task of round-the-clock care for her babies, Angels in Waiting attorney Gloria Allred has taken to the airwaves to blast the mother of 14 and defend the actions of the organization.
We're just surprised it took her so long.
In the run-up to a scheduled press conference Allred held in Los Angeles this afternoon, the ever camera-ready attorney made the rounds on CBS' Early Show and NBC's Today show this morning, denying Suleman's claims that the volunteer nurses were setting her up for failure, secret agents of child welfare officials or otherwise unprofessional.
"Nadya, unfortunately, is taking things out of context. They wanted Nadya to succeed," Allred said on Today. "How can she succeed if she is subjecting her babies to potential risks of harm? If she doesn't come into the nursery to feed her own babies, to hold them, to bathe them, to change them, to love them, to bond with them, except when the cameras are rolling?
"There's only a few hours beyond the time when the cameras were rolling that she actually came into the nursery when she was there to care for her babies, and that's wrong."
Allred confirmed on both morning shows that while the nurses were hoping for Suleman's success—and, in turn, the success of her now 58-day-old octuplets—they were legally obligated to act in the best interest of the tots and as a result filed three separate reports to Child Protective Services.
"It was a dangerous situation, a situation that was out of control inside the house as well as outside of the house," she told Today, adding that the mother seemed more concerned about camera time and her own wants than the needs of her babies.
"Look, we need security here for these babies. Yet instead of providing security, she puts in her own Jacuzzi instead of hiring security guards."
When pressed on whether or not the babies were in fact in danger, Allred replied, "In the nurses' view, yes."
During her visit on the Early Show, Allred went up against Suleman's attorney, Jeff Czech, who claimed flat out that the nurses were "not on her side."
Czech characterized the Angels in Waiting volunteers as a "Trojan rocking horse that was sent into her house and out popped the nurses."
Allred was quick to fire back.
"Apparently Nadya does not understand that a nurse is a legally mandated reporter, that is, a nurse is required by law to report to authorities if they believe a baby or child in their care is endangered, at risk of harm, neglected…they have to report that."
Something that was reported that should not have been, at least according to Allred, was one of the nannies phoning 911, at Suleman's behest, to have the attorney removed from her home.
"As it turns out, the nurses were very glad I was there," Allred said, adding that some members of the media that were in Suleman's house at the time allegedly encouraged the mother to make the call.
She said that Suleman later apologized to her and that she remained in the home until 1:30 a.m.
As for Suleman, who along with nannies she hired herself is caring for four of her octuplets, she will appear in a pretaped interview for a two-part Dr. Phil special beginning today.
In parts of the interview already released, she tells McGraw that she "felt ostracized" in the presence of the nurses and "felt like a stranger in my own home."
Allred, Czech and representatives for Angels in Waiting will also appear on the show.
(Originally published March 25, 2009, at 9:11 a.m. PT)