Jamie Lynn Spears broke the shock news that she was pregnant in an exclusive interview to US celebrity magazine, OK! The 16-year-old sat down with the weekly publication's deputy editor Ruth Hilton for the chat, which hit newsstands in the US today.
The youngster revealed that she had been expecting for 12 weeks and named long-term boyfriend Casey Aldridge as the father.
She said that once she had got over the initial shock of the unplanned pregnancy, she was looking forward to be a mother. And she said she had no plans to marry Casey - and thinks he'll make a great dad, because he's like a 'teddy bear'. And unlike sister Britney, 26, she said she would raise her child in her home state of Louisiana, far from Los Angeles.
She said: "I can't say it was something I was planning to do right now, but now that it's in my lap, and that it's something I have to deal with, definitely, I'm looking forward to being the best mom [sic] I can be. "I was shocked and scared, and I didn't know what to think. "But then I had to deal with it. So I took some time to myself to really think about it and to figure out what I had to do."
She told the magazine she took a home pregnancy test before visiting a doctor to confirm the news. Jamie Lynn then told just one close friend and waited two weeks before breaking the news to her parents shortly before Thanksgiving. She said: "I did [a pregnancy test] at a friend's house. "At first, I was scared, and I was like 'I just need to get to a doctor to be sure.'
"As soon as I found out for sure from the doctor I took two weeks to myself where I didn't tell anybody.
"Only one of my friends knew because I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision.
"Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me."
Asked who she told first, she said: "It was probably Casey. "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected.
"I was in complete and total shock and so was he."
She continued: "The next day, he wanted to meet me in person to talk about what we had to do. "It was something we couldn't really talk about over the phone.
"We met and talked about everything and decided what we wanted to do. "He was 100 percent supportive and we figured it out."
Asked if she'd planned the pregnancy, she said: "Oh, this was a big shock."
And she said she was never in any doubt about keeping the baby.
She said: "I think my whole life I would have to live with knowing what I did or didn't do. "I'm trying to do the right thing. "I think that this is what is going to make me happy in the end."
She added: "I was scared at first. "I took the time to think about it for myself, and I thought 'What would be right for me?'
"I'm the one who has to live with it for the rest of my life. "I put myself in this position, an adult position, so I have to act like an adult and take responsibility for what I did.
"I have really become at peace with the whole situation, and I think it's the right thing for me to do. It's a personal decision that everyone would have to make for themselves. This one is just right for me."
And she said she'd got a lot of advice from mother, Lynne Spears. She said: "[She told me] to be strong, that's the only thing you can be right now, to look at the positive things and not draw on the negatives."
She added: "She didn't really say anything at first. "She just kind of looked at me. "It was me and Casey that told her."She didn't believe us.
"But then she looked at Casey and he's always been very straightforward, and then she knew it was real. "She was very upset because it wasn't what she expected at all.
"A week after, she had time to cope with it and became very supportive."
And she said it was a shock when she got her three-month scan, where her mother and Casey were at her side. She said: "I was just kinda sitting there.
"I didn't expect to be able to see all that.
"Again, it was a shock. At first, everything is so shocking and you're scared. But then when I saw it, I was like, 'It's going to be OK.'
"It's things like that that make you realize it'll be OK."
She said she hadn't thought about who will go to prenatal classes but said, 'I'm sure it'll be Casey and my mom.'"
She also revealed she hopes to raise her child in her home state of Louisiana - far from Los Angeles, so the tot can have a "normal life".
She said: "I definitely want to raise my baby in Louisiana so it can have a normal life. Then it can be around my mom and Casey's family. "I want to be able to do the normal things that you are able to do by living in Louisiana."
Her comments could be interpreted as a criticism of sister Britney, whose two children were born and have been brought up so far in Los Angeles, in the full glare of the media spotlight. And she said she hoped her mother would her with the upbringing.
She said: "My mom will be helping me so much! "I have to take responsibility and do a lot of it myself, but she's going to have to teach me so much.
"I think even through this, me and my mom have gotten a lot closer and it's good to be able to have somebody who no matter what you do is always going to be there for you, who will never walk out. "It's really good to have that."
And asked why she thought she would make a good mother, Jamie Lynn replied: "I love babies, and I have nephews that I love."I have a great mom and she has raised three kids, so if I take lessons from her, I think I'll be great."All my friends have little brothers or sisters."
And she said she wasn't sure how she would cope with the changes to her body. She said: "I think it's something that you just know how to do.
"As your body changes and all these things happen, I think it becomes natural to know what to do. "I will have to be strong and do what's right.
"I'm sure it'll get hard at times. I'm sure I'll be grumpy.
"I have to remember in the end that I have to stand up and be strong."
She said she has yet to start showing - and wants to know the sex of the baby as soon as possible. She told the magazine: "I'm not showing but some days, I'm like, 'Wow, I feel like I'm showing today' and Mom says, 'No, you're not. Be quiet.'
"It's great to have her there. "She is really supportive of me.
"I want to find out [the sex] as soon as I can because I'm impatient. "I just want a healthy, happy baby, so whether it's a boy or a girl really doesn't matter.
"I haven't thought about any names yet. I would have to hear some options!" She said: "I definitely had [morning] sickness but it's getting better.
"It was at its worst a few weeks ago."
And she said she had yet to experience any odd food cravings. She said: "I haven't really got much of an appetite right now. "I mean, I eat, but I'm not going crazy or anything."
She also said it was too early to start thinking about nurseries or baby clothes.
She said: "I haven't even had time to think about that much yet as I have had so much going on. "All you can be is excited now, so definitely, I will be excited."
And she said she had yet to tell anyone about the news. She said: "We've kept it pretty quiet. We haven't told anyone at all."
She also talked about her relationship with Casey, whom she met at church. She said: "This Christmas, it'll be about two-and-half years, I think. "At first, I was just friends with him; I've been friends with him since I was about 14."Then we started dating.
"I met him at church. He came there with a friend; I came there with a friend. "We started talking and then started hanging out."
She added: "He's always been good with babies. "He's like a big teddy bear, especially around babies, so I know he'll make a good dad."
She added: "We were friends at first. "He's always been there to talk to, and I am always there for him. "We've been together so long. He's like a best friend who has always helped me out.
"It's a good relationship to have, knowing that there is someone there for you."
But she said there were no plans for a wedding for now. She said: "Right now, we're just focusing on the baby and having a healthy baby. "We're trying just to think about that right now so we haven't really talked about it."
She also said they weren't living together. She said: "I live with my mom. He lives with his parents. "For now, that's the best thing to do. "We need to focus on the baby right now."
But despite her happiness about the pregnancy, she warned her young fans not to follow her lead. "I definitely don't think it's something you should do - it's better to wait," she said. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
Jamie Lynn is ten years' younger than her sister Britney and has, until now, escaped much of the attention surrounding her sibling. At the time of the interview she had not told Nickelodeon about your pregnancy. She said then: "I haven't spoken to them personally but they have always been so great to me over the past years and have given me so many opportunities. I am nothing but grateful to Nickelodeon."
And she revealed she is taking a break from her TV career while she is pregnant. She said: "I have another project that I am working on that is to do with the business, but not in front of the camera so I'll be able to stay home and focus on the baby and me. "It's a job I'll be able to do until I feel ready to do anything else.
"Right now, I am taking a break, working from home, and that way I will still have an income that can support me and the baby."
And asked what she hoped to happen in 2008, she said: "Just to have a healthy baby and a healthy pregnancy and for everything to fall in place and to become a stronger person from here."
Meanwhile mum Lynne Spears, 52, said she would be there for her daughter, after she got over the initial shock if her 'baby' falling pregnant. She added: "I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. "She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby. "She came to me and said: 'Mom, I have to tell you something. Here, it's in a note.'
"I was taken aback. I read the note, which of course said that she was pregnant, and ran into the living room. "I said, 'I don't believe this. This is not funny!'
"I looked at Casey, and he was staring straight ahead. "She said, 'Yes, Momma it's true.'"
Asked how she felt about the news, Lynne said: "It's a mixture of emotions like any mother would have. "You have to sit and think about it and deal with the situation that you have and stay focused that there is this beautiful new living human being that's on its way."
And she said she only really realized her daughter was pregnant when she went with her for a pregnancy scan. She said: "Again, I could hardly really believe it. "When I saw well, I guess that's what it took for me to really believe it."
Asked how much she will be involved in raising the child, she said: "Well, I'm sure Jamie Lynn and Casey and Casey's family will be helping also. We've got great community support. I want her to ask me to help as much as she wants me to be because I will be there for her. "I want to be a big part, if she wants me to be."
And she said she was confident Casey would make a good dad. Lynne added: "I've known him for a long time. "He and Jamie Lynn were friends, and then in high school, she started dating him. "I know his parents; we've been to ball games together. "They are just normal, hard-working people."
She also said she would not pressure her youngest daughter into getting married. She said: "We're not going there. We're focusing on the baby."We've got so much more to focus on right now."Right now, we're just focusing on this baby."
And she said she doesn't mind if she has a grand-daughter or grandson. She went on: "I don't really care."My grandsons are so adorable! "Of course, another little boy would be precious, but a little girl would be precious too. It doesn't matter so long as it's healthy, that's what's important."
And asked what she hoped for her children in the coming year, she said: "Health, peace and happiness and a real good healthy focus for life, for all their lives."
The 16-year-old stars as a schoolgirl in US children's show Zoe 101, which is finishing its third season next month as one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated shows.
The network said in a statement on Tuesday: "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. "We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
Britney was reportedly kept in the dark about Jamie Lynn's pregnancy - and found out the news at the same time as the rest of the world. "This is going to kill her," a family friend told People magazine. "In the end, she'll be supportive, but this is a big shock."
A rep for Britney later told E! News the pop star has heard the news and "wishes her sister nothing but the best and asks for privacy during this time."
Lynne Spears had been due to release a book a book about bringing up her famous daughters in Spring 2008. Publishers' Weekly described the book as "Lynne Spears' personal story of raising high-profile children while coming from a low-profile Louisiana community."
But the publisher confirmed to People magazine that the book had been put on hold following news of Jamie Lynn's pregnancy. "The book is delayed indefinitely. It's delayed, not cancelled," a spokeswoman for Thomas Nelson said.
She declined to comment on whether the focus of the book would change in light of the pregnancy announcement. "We are standing behind Lynne at this time and understand that she needs time with her family - we support that," the spokeswoman said.
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