RETURNING: 16 & Pregnant: Consequences of Impulse

You want to make decisions on a whim? Spur-of-the-moment your thing? Acting on impulse makes you feel alive? Well, that sort of action is what landed Maddy in the position of being a teenage mother. There wasn't much to her story that made her an original on this returning series, as she basically just combined elements of previous mothers, from having to find alternative living arrangements to having an uninterested/unhelpful babydaddy, and having the child as a result of a one-night-stand. After the birth, she only mentions the future of her school career once, but it also appears that she doesn't have a car and isn't working, either. The reactions of the babydaddy's parents when Maddy decides not to bring the baby to live with them also seemed muted, and I'm willing to bet that they were way more disappointed that she changed her mind after such drastic renovations to their home. I don't know that I'd want her to be picked up in a Teen Mom 4 way, but the end-of-season follow-up should be interesting.

http://remotecontrol.mtv.com

16 and Pregnant "Maddy" (S05E01): Maddy, 16 from Tinley Park, IL, lives with her mom, brother, sister, and three-month-old half-sister. [no sign of a stepdad or the like.] Divorced dad lives an hour away. An athlete, Maddy got dumped part-way through her sophomore year of high school so she hooked up with a random guy she found on facebook as revenge. No condom = pregnant! [did Cody seriously try to blame it on his lack of attention during health class?]

August, 32 weeks: Her brother isn't interested in meeting Cody, and Maddy still hardly knows him herself. Her mom tells her that her life is kinda ruined, but Maddy doesn't want to accept that. [of course.] Maddy can only stay in the house a month after she has the baby, as there isn't room. She weighs the options of moving in with her dad or with Cody, and decides to opt for the latter, though it'll be awkward because they're not "together." [her reasoning was half-right - living with the babydaddy would theoretically get her some help, but turning down her dad's place simply because it's so far from her friends isn't the greatest logic.] Cody's parents come over to talk to Maddy and her mom about the living arrangements.

September, 36 weeks: school is starting, and Maddy goes on a date with Cody to get to know him, though they wind up arguing about the baby's surname, as Maddy doesn't think it should have his last name.

October, 38 weeks: Maddy is still fighting with Cody about the baby's name, but his parents show her the planned renovations to make the dining room a nursery. [I didn't necessarily follow with how the recessed shelving would be the best use of the space, but okay. also, why don't they get 2 twin beds if they're both single? 2 queen beds makes no sense!] Maddy soon goes into labor, and has to make it 6.5 hours until she can get an epidural.

Aubrey Lynn is born 8lbs 3oz on October 20th.

One day old: Cody slept through Aubrey's crying all night, and the fight over the baby's surname happens again, though Maddy prevails.

Two days old: they're discharged and head home, where Cody and his parents see the newborn.

November, 2 weeks old: Cody hasn't been by to see Aubrey.

3 weeks old: Maddy wants to do online school, and there has still been no sign of Cody, though he does call to check on the baby. [yep, that's it!]

4 weeks old: She brings the baby to meet her dad, and he still offers her to move in there. She texts Cody and tells him that she doesn't want to live with him, and moves to her father's a week later.

7 weeks old: Cody comes to see Aubrey. [I thought that this was a rather odd place to end it, but whatever. maybe it's a new thing this season to leave things more unraveled?]