Teen mom’s TV gig

Ammi and Jordan with their first born son Jiyah. Pictures: MTV

By Mitchell Clarke

A Pakenham teenager is gearing up to feature in the second season of the hugely popular reality series, Teen Mom.

At just 17-years-old, Ammersen, better known as ’Ammi’, became a mother to her first son Jiyah.

Now, the 20-year-old is launching the second series of Teen Mom Australia with not one – but two babies, after she welcomed her second son, Nakoah, into the world.

The young mum, who featured in the first series of the hugely popular spin-off show which follows the lives of pregnant teens and teen mums, is set to be “put to the test” in the latest season.

Ammi and her sons Jiyah and Nakoah.

The show will document four teen mothers – Ammi, Akosita, Georgina and newcomer Tanisha, as they try to find the right balance between childcare, relationships and teenage life.

Best described as a “straight shooter” and “one brutally honest mumma”, Ammi is looking forward to having the opportunity to feature on the small screen again.

“I feel like in the first season it didn’t really show all of me, so this season I hope the audience gets to see another side of me,” she explained.

After growing up in the Mornington Peninsula, Ammi moved to Pakenham about two years ago, where she has been raising her two youngsters with her childhood sweetheart, Jordan, ever since.

Despite motherhood being one of the most challenging, exhausting and thankless moments of a woman’s life, Ammi wouldn’t change a thing.

“It’s exhausting, but so much fun,” she said, when asked about being a young mother.

“The whole experience (of being a mum) is amazing. They are both walking and talking and have the best little personalities and it makes me so happy to know I raised them to be just that.

Ammi will return for the second season of Teen Mom Australia.

“They are both absolute sweethearts. I do not know where I’d be without my babies.”

But the journey to becoming a young mother was anything but planned.

“I never really made the decision to become a teen mum,” she said. “When I fell pregnant with Jiyah it was honestly unexpected.”

She said she has no plans at this point in time to have more children, but hasn’t ruled out the possibility in the future.

As for her decision to publicly share her entire life on a reality television program, Ammi said she stumbled across the opportunity while scrolling through social media.

“There was an open casting call getting shared around Facebook and my partner saw and said ‘don’t you dare’,” she recalled.

“So at first I honestly did it for a laugh, a bit of a joke really not thinking I’d get in, and one and a half years later here I am launching season two.

“The actual experience is one of a kind, and it’s honestly been an amazing experience to document our lives.”

The young family on a day out at Gumbuya World.

Since featuring in the first Australian series, Ammi says she is often recognised while out and about in the community.

“I’ve actually been stopped a few times in the community,” she said.

“Everyone I have met has honestly been so lovely and they always have such kind things to say to me.”

And while the series might be some light-hearted entertainment for viewers, Ammi hopes she’ll be able to bring some awareness to teen pregnancy and provide positive representation for young parents.

“I think the biggest thing people often assume is that a young mum equals bad parenting and that’s just not the case,” Ammi said.

“People are far too quick to judge when it comes to other people’s parenting.

“The message I hope to spread is that you shouldn’t care about what anyone has to say about you. You can do anything you put your mind too.”

Ammi and Jordan with their first born son Jiyah. Pictures: MTV

Since the launch of the Teen Mom franchise in 2010, more than 7.4 million Aussies have tuned in to watch the show.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring audiences a second season of Teen Mom Australia,” MTV’s Youth and Entertainment Brands senior director Helen McMurdo said.

“The success of season one saw not only global audiences fall in love with the honest and endearing stories of these strong Australian women.”

Teen Mom Australia premieres at 8.30pm on Tuesday 27 October on MTV.