Pregnant at 15 and a baby every year since. Now this 21-year-old on benefits says she wants more

 

By ARTHUR MARTIN Last updated at 23:13pm on 22nd October 2006

All I ever wanted: Susie Christian with husband Dax and children Rhiver, 11 months, Neo, two, Ethan, three, Neisha, four and Hope, five

 

 

 

When she discovered she was pregnant at 15, Susie Christian joyfully embraced the demands of young motherhood.

So much so, in fact, that she had another four children at a rate of one a year.

And now 21-year-old Mrs Christian and her husband Dax want a sixth child to add to their ever-expanding brood.

"Right from the start I knew I wanted to have Dax's children - and lots of them," she said.

"Now I have five children and we're seriously talking about at least one more.

"Dax always says that he wants at least eight. I used to think that he was joking but now I'm not so sure."

The young couple met on a school trip to Snowdonia when she was 14. Mrs Christian said it was "love at first sight".

By the time she was 15, the pair decided to try for a baby and, nine months later, she gave birth to their daughter Hope while she was still at school.

Her parents knew of her longing to have children, but they did not realise she would be giving birth to her first before she took her GCSEs.

Four months after Hope was born the couple, who live on benefits in a four-bedroom council house in Norwich, discovered Mrs Christian was pregnant again.

Their second daughter Neisha was born in March 2002, followed by two sons - Ethan, three, and Neo, two.

Then came a third boy, Rhiver, who was born with a rare lung condition. He will be celebrating his first birthday next month.

"My first pregnancy was planned as Dax and I were in love and wanted kids," Mrs Christian told the Sunday Mirror.

"It wasn't a massive decision. We just really wanted a family and as long as we were happy that is what mattered.

'If we can't afford it, we don't get it,'

"Dax did not need long to convince me to start a family - just two weeks.

"I know some people might be ready to judge us and I know what they think about young mums. But we don't want to live off benefits. We want to support ourselves."

Mr Christian, 23, currently receives a state disability allowance for chronic arthritis, which was triggered by lifting patients in an old people's home.

His wife has worked as a full-time special needs teacher but has had to take some time off during the pregnancies and to care for her husband.

"The people who matter to us, our mums and dads, have been great," she said. "They have supported us all the way.

"And Dax is a great husband. He's terrific with the children and has helped with everything."

The couple, who married on Mr Christian's 21st birthday, have to make the most of their benefits to meet the food and clothing bills.

"If we can't afford it, we don't get it," Mrs Christian said.

"I know where to find cheap fruit and vegetables and I have managed to get school uniforms for the older kids for £20. In a typical week we get through five to ten loaves of bread and dozens and dozens of litres of milk.

"Luckily the children love healthy, homemade food. They gobble up spaghetti bolognese, or real soup. And they don't get five portions of fruit and vegetables. They get about a hundred."

Mrs Christian admits many of her friends would not want to have taken on her domestic duties at such a young age, but she has no regrets.

She added: "I've five beautiful children, they are all I ever wanted and they make up for everything else a million times over.

"I've watched other girls my age go out, getting drunk, thinking that's the best thing in life. But that's never been for me.

"I'll still be young when my children are reaching their teens - I'll be like their big sister as much as a mum."

This sort of thing should be encouraged - the birthrate is dropping so we need people like this to keep the population going.

She was on a documentary about teenage mums a few weeks ago. It was quite interesting, and she did come across as one of the more sensible ones.

There was one 14 year old who pretty much refused to look after the baby, and was more interested in texting her mates & going out.

She was on a documentary about teenage mums a few weeks ago. It was quite interesting, and she did come across as one of the more sensible ones.

There was one 14 year old who pretty much refused to look after the baby, and was more interested in texting her mates & going out.

 

Even so, I don't think it's very sensible to become a "baby factory"!!;)

Even so' date=' I don't think it's very [i']sensible [/i]to become a "baby factory"!!;)

 

not sensible to beconme a baby factory, and not necessarily sensible to decide to become a mum at 15. but at least she had a baby because it was what she wanted one. (don't think the other 5 were completely neccessary when they aren't working & are receiving benefits but that's a whole other conversation!)

 

the 14 year old had had sex, got pregnant and just didn't want to deal with the consequences. it was almost heartbreaking. they went to this special baby school, and there was her and two other teenage mums, learning to look after their babies. the other two were getting on with it, and doing baby massage, playing with the babies and whatever else, and she just sat there texting her mates and ignoring her baby whilst it cried.

not sensible to beconme a baby factory, and not necessarily sensible to decide to become a mum at 15. but at least she had a baby because it was what she wanted one. (don't think the other 5 were completely neccessary when they aren't working & are receiving benefits but that's a whole other conversation!)

 

the 14 year old had had sex, got pregnant and just didn't want to deal with the consequences. it was almost heartbreaking. they went to this special baby school, and there was her and two other teenage mums, learning to look after their babies. the other two were getting on with it, and doing baby massage, playing with the babies and whatever else, and she just sat there texting her mates and ignoring her baby whilst it cried.

 

That's incredibly sad. D:

:o Far out!!!