Experts Weigh In On Jamie Lynn Spears' Pregnancy

Zoey 101 star Jamie Lynn Spears is creating watercooler buzz across the country after announcing she's pregnant at 16. While teenage pregnancy is on the rise — a recent CDC reports shows a 3% increase from 2005 to 2006, fans are still shocked that wholesome Nickelodeon tween star is about to become a single mother.

"Being a mom is particularly difficult for a 16-year-old because her brain is fully not developed to take on the responsibilities of caring for a baby," Dr. Jenn Berman, a Los Angeles-based marriage and family therapist and author of the book, The A to Z Guide To Raising Happy Confident Kids, tells Star. "Being a mom is about patience. Being a teenager is about being impulsive and living in the moment. This is not developmentally the right time for Jamie Lynn to be a mom."

"Mothers need to discover who they are and create their own identity before they can be a parent. You don't do that at 16, you are a child yourself. Jamie Lynn needs to get life experience before she can make a good parent to this child," Dr. Berman says. "I worry this will start a trend with teenagers since Jamie Lynn has been a role model to so many young women."

Dr. Tara Fields, a San Francisco-based marriage and family therapist who regularly appears on the TV show Decision House, agrees. "I m concerned that Jamie Lynn has a pre-teen and adolescent following and girls her age will see this as a good thing," Dr. Fields tells Star. "What needs to be focused on is teenagers make decisions based on impulse control and don't think about the consequences of what having a baby means.

"Jamie Lynn will not have a normal transition from childhood to adulthood and that is crucial for becoming a good parent," Dr. Fields adds. "No one thinks about the long-term consequences such as being born to a teenager with no life experience. At 16 you are a child and you haven't grown in to who you are, so how can you be a mom?"