At 13, Hannah Downs asked a friend's mother to take her to buy a pregnancy test. The woman agreed, but she also bought the teenagers a case of alcoholic drinks. Hannah drank with her friend that night, having no idea the alcohol could harm her baby, and took the test the following morning to find out she was pregnant.
Hannah, who is now 25 and lives in North Carolina, US, gave birth to her eldest daughter at 14. She married her childhood sweetheart, Noel, when she was 16. Nine years on, the couple share four children: Adalynne, 10, Noellie, six, Alfie, three, and Octavia, one.
Juggling three jobs and four children
Today Hannah works two 12-hour night shifts as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at her local hospital every weekend. She also babysits for several families and creates social media content, which has grown into a full-time business. Despite her hectic schedule, she and her husband still make time to attend church every Sunday.
Hannah's family life today is very different from the childhood she describes. She grew up without positive role models, surrounded by relatives affected by drug addiction. Her mother and several of her siblings who lived with her struggled with addiction. Her mother died three and a half years ago, and she has also lost a sibling to addiction.
A childhood with no role models
Hannah experienced abuse during her childhood, left school in seventh grade and received very little education about sex or contraception. She was 13 when she suspected she might be pregnant, though she does not recall whether she had missed a period.
After falling pregnant, Hannah was emancipated from her family and married Noel, the father of her daughter, at 16. Despite becoming parents so young, they stayed together and built a stable home for their growing family.
A "cool mum" who was not a safe adult
Hannah has faced criticism online for sharing her story, but she says she was a vulnerable child who did not understand the dangers of drinking during pregnancy. "I had no clue what foetal alcohol syndrome was," she said. "I had no clue about any of those things because I was 13 years old. If your guess was that I had no good role models, you would be right. I had zero good role models."
At the time, Hannah and her friend considered the woman a "cool mum" because she allowed them to do almost anything in her home. Now, as a mother herself, Hannah sees the situation differently. "At the time, I thought she was a cool mum," she said. "Now, as a mother, I know she was not the safe adult that I needed." Hannah later ended the friendship and is no longer in contact with the woman or her daughter.
Keeping love and faith at the centre
Hannah believes her relationship with Noel has lasted because they understand that love requires daily commitment, especially in difficult times. "Love is not just a feeling; it's a choice we make every day," she said. "We've learnt the importance of forgiveness, grace, communication and choosing each other even during the hardest seasons. Most importantly, we've kept God at the centre of our relationship, which has been our foundation through everything we've faced."
She says her childhood showed her what she wanted to do differently when raising her own children. "I saw first-hand the consequences of certain choices, and that shaped the kind of mother I wanted to become," she said. "My past motivates me every day to create a different environment for my children – one filled with love, stability, faith and support."
Inspiring others on TikTok
Hannah's TikTok account, where she shares videos about motherhood, family and work, has attracted more than 1.6 million likes. She hopes her journey will encourage other young and working mums who feel overwhelmed or fear their circumstances will stop them from creating a better life.
