I can't handle learning how irresponsible some people are. Throwing caution into the wind is an idea that is not compatible with my personality, so all of these "we just ran out of condoms and didn't buy more," "we had unprotected sex once and didn't get pregnant, so we figured it was okay," "I just stopped getting the shot" stuff irks me to no end. Yes, condoms only work 98% of the time and hormonal birth control can still fail even when used correctly, but rarely are the teenagers on 16 & Pregnant in their current situations because of those issues. (they're also rarely 16 anymore, but that's a different problem.) At least the series is still depicting a wide variety of outcomes to teen parenthood - (un)supportive parents, different approaches toward completing one's education, various living arrangements, and other unique factors affecting family development. Regardless, coverage of this program will continue, as the details aren't given many other places on the web, and the circumstances depicted are helpful to some, I'm sure.
16 & Pregnant "Summer" (S05E05): From Collins, GA, she met DJ online three years ago. He's going to be a welder. [though at first I thought they said realtor, LoL.] Summer has three younger half-sisters and a pill-addicted mother who was a teen mother herself. [figures.] She has stopped going to school because she's homebound, but promises DJ's mother that she'll finish her education. The couple had been using condoms, but when they ran out, they just started being careless. [really??] She doesn't believe in abortion, and never considered adoption, either.
32 weeks: She has moved in with DJ's parents, though his dad lives mainly in West Virginia, where he works. Her mom is nearly three weeks sober. [and I'm willing to bet it won't last.]
33 weeks: She tells her three sisters to get on birth control. She tries to have dinner with her mom, but the woman is high on klonopin. [yep, it didn't last.]
34 weeks: They buy a crib off Craigslist, but there were bugs on the mattress. [OMG GROSS! also, crib mattresses are one of the things that you should really shell out good money for (along with breast pumps and car seats).] She has her baby shower. DJ wants to buy a pitbull, but it causes some drama in the family. [who gets a dog when they're expecting a baby in a month??]
October, 35 weeks: DJ gets the dog. Summer's water breaks, and she's 4cm dilated when she gets to the hospital. She gives her mom a chance to be there for her, but when she and Summer's aunt arrive, they start scaring the hell out of her about labor and delivery. [what's the point now? they should have told her those stories before she got pregnant.] 12 hours in, she's crying in pain but makes it to 10cm. She's scared to deliver, but she makes it through. Peyton Daniel is born 7 lb, 8 oz on October 28th. [that baby has a really elongated head, though.]
1 day old: The baby is breathing too fast, so he's rushed to a bigger hospital in Savannah so he can be in a NICU. He's there for a week with a bacterial infection, so the couple has to borrow money to stay in Savannah. [there is a Ronald McDonald House in Savannah, but it's possible that the couple didn't get information from a hospital social worker on it because the baby's condition wasn't too serious (the average length stay is over two weeks).]
2 weeks old: Summer is getting behind in her schoolwork, and is thinking about getting a GED instead of finishing high school. [it's only been two weeks. kids with mono are out longer than that.]
3 weeks old: DJ's parents express their disappointment in Summer not wanting to finish school. To make matters worse, Summer's mom gets arrested for writing bad checks, so she faces up to two years in jail. [dang. what a terrible role model.]
16 & Pregnant "Karley" (S05E06): 17, from Tooele, Utah, near Salt Lake City. She lives with her mom, dad, younger brother and sister, and four dogs. [that's a lot! she also has an older, married sister] When her high-school-dropout boyfriend, Tony, gets her pregnant (with twins), they get married and he moves in, too. [I wonder why that part wasn't covered in the episode.] He's not comfortable living there, but he's working full-time as a mechanic to get money to move out. She's moved to homeschooling, though she was previously a good student. They had unprotected sex once, then again, then again, and she started to believe they were fine not being safe.
September, 31 Weeks: Her mom tries to dissuade them from moving out in the next 8 months so they can make the best financial decision, but Tony keeps repeating that he doesn't worry about finances in advance.
October, 32 weeks: They meet with a realtor to learn about the costs of getting their own place, and find out that the cheapest places in town are $600-800/month, and Tony only makes about $1,000/month. [he has some huge gauges!]
October, 33 weeks: Baby shower time!
October, 34 weeks: Tony misses a doctor's appointment to get tattoo work done. [she's COVERED in stretch marks!]
October, 36 weeks: Tony says that he'll take some time off work when the babies are born, and suggests that she get a job as soon as she can. But, she talks about how the babies being in daycare isn't the best. [plus I highly doubt that she could make enough money with no education to off-set two infants in childcare.]
November, 38 weeks: She goes into labor in the middle of the night, and one of the babies is breach, causing a lot of pain. She has to have a c-sectin when the baby doesn't turn. On November 14th, Amariah Dawn is born 5 lb 9 oz with blonde hair, and Amayah Lynn is born 4 lb 14 oz with black hair. [reminds me of Leah's twins with such similar names!]
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4 days old: They head home.
2 weeks old: Tony takes on more shifts, and Karley tries to keep up with schoolwork. Tony talks about buying a thousand-dollar, three-seater truck, feeling as if the money he makes for the family can be spent at his discretion. [but still, why buy a vehicle they can't all fit in??]
December, 3 weeks old: Karley asks her mom to watch the girls so she can have lunch with her friends. Tony buys the truck (for $850?), which has trouble starting, upsetting Karley. Her parents think that Tony needs to show his appreciation for the assistance he's being given. [her mom really freaked out there!] Tony realizes how big of a conflict the truck is causing, and decides to sell it.
16 & Pregnant "Aleah" (S05E07): She's 18 and lives near St. Louis with her mom & stepdad. She has Type 1 diabetes, and when she first found out, she rebelled and wound up meeting boyfriend of two years, Shawn, in a JDC. He has a son, Noah, of whom he has custody. Aleah had been on the shot and stopped doing that, leading to the pregnancy. She moves an hour away into his parents' house because it's closer to the plastic factory where Shawn works. [he doesn't seem to get a lot of hours, though.] He's got a lead foot and is constantly receiving speeding tickets that he doesn't pay on time. [and I'm already over this kid...] She is enrolled in college to become a medical assistant. His mother is more than willing to help them out with free childcare and a place to live. [she probably figures she's already watching her son's other kid anyway...]
October, 33 weeks: She meets with a labor coach to help her figure out how her diabetes will affect her delivering a healthy baby. [I can't tell how concerned Aleah is with her sugar...]
November, 35 weeks: Shawn gets another speeding ticket. Aleah is worried about the noise level in the house for a baby.
November, 37 weeks: time for the baby shower! Afterward, her blood sugar is really high, and gets higher. She heads to the ER, where she winds up delivering Peyton Reianne on December 13th, weighing 7 lbs 8 oz. [um, the whole timeline is wrong if 37 weeks puts her mid-December. bad job once again, MTV!] Peyton struggles to breathe and is suffering from low blood sugar. [a common issue for babies born to diabetics.]
3 days old: Peyton stabilizes, so they're out of the NICU and head home.
2 weeks old: Shawn is working more, and things are cramped at the house.
3 weeks old: They look at apartments, which will run them $550/month, but he still owes $2500 because of court fees, speeding fines, and late fees. [I was so much more pissed than she was at him!] Aleah winds up walking out, and the next day tells him that they're breaking up if he gets one more speeding ticket.
1 month old: Shawn gets another speeding ticket, so Aleah takes Peyton and heads to her mother's. [I am shocked he doesn't try at least slightly harder. going 69 in a 50??]
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