A young mum says discovering she was pregnant aged 16 after she went to the doctor with a suspected stomach ache has changed her life for the better.
Mirella Kärki, now 17, regularly faces vile comments online, with strangers branding her a “s**t” and claiming her life is “over”.
And it took her boyfriend’s parents a little while to get used to the idea.
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But Mirella insists becoming a mum has made her happier – and she has just as much free time now as she’s ever had.
“Right now, I feel like I’m living the best time of my life,” Mirella, from Seinäjoki, Finland, told Need To Know.
“I love being a mother more than anything and watching my daughter grow, and also seeing how my boyfriend has become the best father in the world.
“I don’t feel at all like my life has somehow ended, which is something people often say.”
The schoolgirl was just 16 when she started suffering from persistent stomach pains.
After a week, she went to the doctor, fearing she might be pregnant.
She said: “We weren’t using contraception, so because of that I assumed it was possible that I was pregnant.
“Even so, I was still surprised when I found out.
“In a typical teenage way, sometimes you don’t use contraception and assume that you won’t actually get pregnant.
“My boyfriend was also in shock.
“When we found out, we talked about it the whole day, but by the evening we were already together watching a movie like normal.”
When it came to telling her family, Mirella said her parents reacted calmly despite the shock.
She said: “At first they were also shocked, but my mum loves children more than anything, so she wouldn’t have wanted me to have an abortion.
“Of course it was my decision, and I also definitely didn’t want that.
“My dad also took the news well because he became a father very young too.”
Her boyfriend Elia’s parents initially struggled more with the news.
Mirella said: “They would have preferred that I had an abortion, probably because they were worried that things might not go well.
“But once I told them that I was going to keep the baby, they started to warm up to the idea, and now they love being grandparents.”
Despite the shock, her friends rallied around her and have remained a huge support, with some even becoming godparents to her daughter.
Mirella began sharing her journey on TikTok during her pregnancy to connect with others in similar situations.
She said: “My message to others in a similar situation is to listen to yourself and not let anyone else make decisions about your child’s life.”
But going viral also brought negativity.
She said: “There have been some negative comments online, usually they come from teenage boys.
“Often people assume that the father has left, or they use very mean words like calling me a ‘s**t’.
“We are still together and we both love being parents to our daughter.”
Mirella gave birth to her daughter Livia in October 2025 and says she “even enjoyed” the experience.
She said: “I’m not afraid of pain and I wasn’t really nervous about giving birth, I was actually looking forward to it.
“On the morning of October 28 we went to the hospital, and by the evening our daughter was already in my arms.”
Before becoming a mum, Mirella lived a typical teenage life, balancing school, cheerleading and friends.
Now she says motherhood has only made her life better.
She added: “Before I had my baby, I was a pretty typical high school student and I have always done very well in school.
“I was also a competitive cheerleader at the Finnish championship level, so I had practice several times a week.
“My life mostly consisted of school, cheer practice, and spending time with my friends.
“Right now I feel like I’m living the best time of my life.
“I actually have just as much free time as before, and in addition I have my wonderful daughter.
“Livia is also a very easy baby, so we’ve slept well and been able to do a lot of things.”
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