A 27-year-old who fell pregnant aged 14 and again at 17 has hit back at cruel trolls who judged her for being a teen mum.
Alexandra Sandoval – who has five children Ariya, 12 and Adalynn, 9, Hendryx, 4, Lennon, 3, Ozzy, 1 – lives with her husband Kylar, 30, in Utah, US.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Alexandra says: "When I tell anyone I've just had my fifth child and they ask how old my eldest is, you can see them start doing the maths.
"I think it's because I'm successful and I don't think that happens very often [with teen mums].
"We own a house, have more children and we're in a good place!"
Alexandra was just 13-years-old when she met her first husband Daniel at a birthday party in March 2009, and the pair quickly fell in love.
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The following year, when she was aged 14 and Daniel 16, they decided to start a family and stopped using contraception.
Alexandra quickly fell pregnant with the couple's first daughter, Ariya, now 12, but despite the baby being planned, she admits not everyone was happy with the news.
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"There were some people who were completely against me having the baby," says Alexandra, who works 36 hours a week in a customer support role.
"I got messages saying if I didn’t get an abortion I'd ruin my whole life."
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She continues: "People often made comments like, 'you can't have a kid, you're just a kid yourself.'
"I even received a message from a guy I barely knew on Facebook after I'd shared something online, and he said: 'Shouldn’t you be taking care of your baby instead of posting on Facebook?'"
Along with unnecessary remarks from cruel trolls, being a teen mum also had its fair share of other challenges – from not being old enough to drive to her own doctor appointments to struggling with morning sickness at school.
"It's wild because at 14 I couldn't even drive," Alexandra recalls.
"I had to rely on other people to take me to my doctor's appointments."
"As for school, I only went for the first month-and-a-half and I just didn't tell anyone.
"I ended up having to run out of class to throw up.
When I tell anyone I've just had my fifth child and they ask how old my eldest is, you can see them start doing the maths
"I remember hiding in the hallway when class was over because I didn't want to have to go back in and tell them why I'd had to run out."
The mum-of-five, who returned to school once her daughter was born and went on to graduate from a charter school, adds: "I stopped going to school so fast because I was embarrassed.
"I didn't want to tell people I was having a baby at such a young age."
Alexandra and Daniel went on to tie the knot when she was 16-years-old, and the following year she fell pregnant with their second daughter, Adalynn, now nine.
But the proud mum-of-five says she received even more judgement the second time round.
"I remember getting judged by lots of people," she recalls.
"They'd say things like, 'Wow, I can't believe you're having another one so soon.'
"But really, it'd been three-and-a-half years.
"I started my family so young and we were stable.
"How long did these people want me to wait to give Ariya a sibling?"
There were some people who were completely against me having the baby. I got messages saying if I didn’t get an abortion I'd ruin my whole life
Alexandra and Daniel didn't receive any type of state assistance to support their growing brood.
Instead, Daniel worked hard, while his mum helped to pay for his first car when he turned 17.
However, in June 2016 tragedy struck when Daniel sadly passed away – leaving behind Alexandra, then 20, and their two girls, aged five and two.
"It's hard because not only am I the 'girl who got pregnant,' but I'm also 'the girl whose husband died,' Alexandra says.
"But it's just a mixture of who I am."
In time, Alexandra met her now husband Kylar and they went on to have three daughters together -Hendry, Lennon and their newest addition, Ozzy.
"When I first met Kylar he was shocked that I'd never been anywhere and I was like, 'I've just been raising kids!'
"It's kind of sad that I never got to experience things like going to prom…I was never able to do any of that.
"I do miss that I never really got to be a kid."
But according the 27-year-old, being a young mum has plenty of perks too – including having bundles of energy compared to an older parent.
"I'm just going, going, going," she says. "Maybe that's just my personality but maybe that's having more energy and being younger."
Alexandra also admits that while her eldest daughter Ariya finds their small age gap "weird," the pair are "more connected" due to their age difference.
She explains: "It's hard because if some of her friends are the youngest, I'm as old as their sisters or their oldest sibling.
"She finds it funny but she does like to tell everyone – and she thinks I'm a cool mum now because I do TikToks!"
The busy mum adds: "Ariya knows how to communicate with me and we have a really open relationship…we can relate on things and even listen to the same type of music."
I've told Ariya I'd prefer her not to get pregnant as a teenager because it's hard and not a lot of people can figure it out. I think I'm just really lucky
Now, Ariya is 12-years-old – making her just two years younger than Alexandra was when she fell pregnant with her.
But Alexandra says she wouldn't encourage her daughter to follow in her footsteps and become a teen mum.
"I don't recommend her or anyone just goes and gets pregnant young – especially in today's society when everything costs so much," she warns.
"It's expensive and it's also a lot emotionally."
She admits: "I've told Ariya I'd prefer her not to get pregnant as a teenager because it's hard and not a lot of people can figure it out.
"I think I'm just really lucky.
"I don't know what the stats are that a teen mum is successful…I don't feel like it's super common."
"But obviously if one of my kids fell pregnant I'd be supportive and do the best I could for them.
"I wouldn't recommend it but it was definitely worth it for me!
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As for more kids, Alexandra says: "I got my tubes tied with my last baby.
"We're done!"
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