On Tuesday’s episode of 16 and Pregnant, we meet Taylor Lumas from Cincinnati, Ohio. Taylor became pregnant at fourteen by her boyfriend of a year older, track star Nathan Bridewell. The couple met at a roller skating party. Taylor lives with her mother Debi and really doesn’t have much of a relationship with her father. Her older sister Jeana lives down the street with her family. Also down the block? Nathan…and it’s a good thing too, since neither teen is old enough to drive yet.
Taylor talks to her friend about how nervous she was to tell her mother about her pregnancy. She tells her friend she considered using food coloring on tampons so her mother would think she was still having her period. Nothing screams maturity and readiness for parenthood like using kitchen fixings to hide a pregnancy. At seventeen, Taylor’s mom gave up a baby for adoption before giving birth to Taylor, and she is hoping her daughter also chooses that path. The young couple is having a girl and are totally opposed to adoption.
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The couple goes roller skating to celebrate their decision, which is always a good idea for someone a couple of months away from giving birth. Debi is very upset by her daughter’s choice because she know the struggles in store for a young teen mom…or any teen mom, for that matter. Taylor’s sister is supportive but realistic. The teen doesn’t want to have to rely on their respective families for monetary support, and she baby-sits her sister’s kids to make money while Nathan drags his feet turning in any job applications. The pair goes shopping for baby necessities and argues about money and the fact that Nathan spent the entire summer jobless.
At thirty-four weeks, Taylor starts back to school and is frustrated she can’t spend time with her friends. Also, with the young family without childcare, someone is going to have to be home-schooled. Taylor, Nathan, and their mothers meet up to discuss a plan. They decide that once the baby is born, Nathan will spend every other night with Taylor to help. The moms’ work schedules makes it impossible for either of them to watch the child during school hours. Neither Nathan or Taylor is willing to give up high school for virtual school. The couple is having their last hurrah as teens and go trick-or-treating. While dividing up their candy, Taylor reveals to a friend that she has decided to attend virtual school while Nathan will stay at their high school. Why am I not shocked?
It’s time to be induced, and Debi and Jeana are doing nothing to squash Taylor’s fears about the pain of childbirth. After thirteen hours of labor, she’s finally ready to push. Nathan looks like he may pass out watching the delivery. Welcome to the world, Aubri Rose. The couple realizes on the first day of Aubri’s homecoming that they have a lot to learn. Almost immediately, Nathan begins to slack off on daddy duty.
With Aubri two weeks old, Taylor is relying on her mom for support while Nathan is back in high school and still unemployed. Taylor is frustrated and bored in virtual school and misses her friends. Nathan is spending the night (in his girlfriend’s bed, of course) and refuses to get up to fix a bottle and dim the lights. He berates Taylor for being lazy and says he’s not willing to do anything. Winner! Taylor’s mother and sister believe her boyfriend should step up to the plate. The next time Nathan spends the night, he yells at Taylor, calling her an idiot. Debi tries to speak with Nathan about his attitude and behavior and basically lays the smackdown about kids having kids. Amen.
Taylor tries to calmly discuss her concerns with Nathan but he feels beyond stressed about having to find a job. Taylor realizes that their relationship would probably be much less complicated and combative without a baby, and now their daughter is the only thing holding them together. The young mom feels disconnected from her friends and saddened by what’s become of her relationship, including the disappointment she feels in Nathan’s attempts at fatherhood. While she loves her daughter, she expresses regret that she didn’t wait until she was older to become a parent.
On Mtv’s aftershow, Taylor admits that she and Nathan still fight sometimes, but he has stepped up to the plate as far as helping take care of his daughter. She says she has a hard time trusting Nathan because she learned he cheated on her while she was pregnant. Classy. Taylor says she still loves Nathan, but is wary of him because his behavior when he’s not with her and Aubri is sketchy at best. Not surprisingly, Taylor’s official facebook page reveals that she and Nathan are no longer together. Taylor also reveals that Aubri is doing well after having a mass removed from her lung (which formed during pregnancy), and that her relationship with her mother has only strengthened since giving birth to her daughter.
