We met a little early, but I get to love you longer

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Raphaela Rosella
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"I've never told anyone but I miss him. Why did I have to do this? Mikah says, "I miss Dad, I wish Dad would come back." Why do I have to realise this when I have lost him. I was a selfish bitch. I'm the one that drove him away."

A scan of Mimi's anti-depression pills. Mimi suffers from depression and started taking anti-depressant pills after Mikah’s father left.

"I don't show nobody. It's all scarred up and ugly." Mimi's stretch marks, three years after giving birth.

"He's full on. The paediatrician reckons he has challenging behaviour." A description of Mikah's behaviour written by his day care on post it note.

"He hasn't seen Mikah in months. Mikah cries for him at night. Sometimes I wish he didn't remember him because it breaks my heart."

Gillianne holds the cross and flowers from her son's gravesite after visiting his grave for the one year anniversary of his death. Lachlan (one of her twin boys) passed away at 11 days old from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

"...my friend drunk and smoked through her pregnancy. I did nothing and lost my baby. I feel so ripped off." An ultrasound of Gillianne’s twin boys Solomon and Lachlan.

"It still smells like him"

"I try and be the best mum as I can. My mum was a full blown coke and heroin addict. I try to give my kids what she didn't give me. I don't like comparing myself to her because I feel like I'm putting her down but I do what's best for my kids."

"The doctors reckon I'm too young but I got my tubes tied. Five's enough for me." At 24 years old, Gillianne gave birth to her fifth child, a baby girl, Bella-Rose. Gillianne's tubes were tied during the caesarean.

Tammara, 29 weeks pregnant with her third child. On her arm is a home job tattoo of her daughters name ‘Jessika’ who she hasn’t seen in over 3 years.

“...hopefully one day they will want to know their mother."

May 16 2011 3:16am. The morning of Tammara’s scheduled cesarean.

"We're not here for you, we're here for Steven and the baby." (Tammara’s mother in law).

"I wish he knew how to treat me the way he writes. I hope he is learning from his time [in prison]."

A letter Tammara wrote for her daughter, Jessika.

A letter Tammara wrote for her son, Gage.

Tammara sets up a swing for Tamika in their new house. They haven't had a house for 10 months.

“I wasn’t going to keep the baby until I saw the ultrasound and couldn’t do it”.

“He couldn’t be settled. He cried for the first six weeks”.

He always asks, “Where’s dad?” He’s been very angry since Beau went. He hits me and always chucks tantrums. I think I will have to visit him less with the kids, its too hard on Chaise”.

“The judge said he will take in no consideration he has changed and no consideration he has kids. He gave him five years. Fours years and one month, no parole”.

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Is it correct to assume that all young mothers are doing a bad job?

Throughout Australia young mothers are presented as a type: low social economic backgrounds, poorly educated, lazy and without ambition.

With teenage pregnancy normal in my hometown, each story is close or personal to me in some way. We met a little early, but I get to love you longer is a collaboration with young mothers from Indigenous and/or disadvantaged backgrounds from my neighbourhood or local area. By investigating and individualising the complex range of issues that lead teen girls to early pregnancy and the challenges they face, the collaborations seek to show that each mother is different, and there is no ‘uniform’ type. By listening and telling the stories of others, we come to understand that there are no stereotypes and we stand as individuals.

To see Mimi, Gillianne, Tammara and Ashleigh’s full stories please visit: www.raphaelarosella.com