Jamie Lynn Spears wasn’t the average kid sister. She didn’t sit in the shadows while her sister rocked the world—she did her work and made a name for herself. Little Spears is most well known for her time on hit TV show Zoey 101. It did not matter how popular Britney Spears was becoming; her younger sister was right on her heels until she became pregnant—at 16. Instead of being hidden away by her parents, Jamie Lynn embraced her early motherhood for all it was worth.

She gave birth to Maddie on June 19, 2008. Since having her baby, Jamie has pursued a little bit of acting but more singing, similar to her sister. The difference, though, is in the types of music each sister performs—Britney is into pop, while Jamie sings country. Jamie Lynn has stayed out of the limelight for most of her life after becoming pregnant. She spent all of her time with her little girl, enjoying those early days. Today, she is married and has just given birth to her second little girl. The world is hoping to get an inside look into what the life of Jamie Lynn Spears has been like since giving birth to her daughter 10 years ago.

20 Her Parents Were not happy about her teen pregnancy.

In 2005, Nickelodeon aired a show known as Zoey 101 in which Jamie Lynn Spears was the star. Just before the show wrapped, Jamie Lynn found out she was pregnant in a gas station bathroom, according to Daily Mail, and she was overcome.

The 26-year-old admits that her family was anything but happy.

Jamie was supposed to be the perfect sister, and all of that went down the tubes when she got pregnant. Not only was she upset by her family’s reaction, but she also knew there were a lot of little girls out there who looked up to her, and she was afraid that seeing her begin to grow a baby would not be good for them.

19 Maddie had a serious ATV Accident

Last year, Jamie Lynn's daughter was involved in an ATV crash that almost took her life. Spears posted pictures on her Instagram account of her little girl lying in a hospital bed under a mound of cords.

Maddie crashed the ATV into a pond and was held underwater by her seatbelt for several minutes before she was pulled out.

The fear was that she had been not getting enough oxygen to her body and brain while she was underwater. To this day, the Spears family dedicates their lives to the first responders who took it upon themselves to save Maddie’s life, according to Access Online.

18 Once she was pregnant, she lost her parents' support

No matter how happy pregnancy is, if there is no support, it can be a long, scary journey. As Jamie revealed to E! News, her entire family was worried for her because of her age. Although they were scared, they all did the best they could to support her. The challenge here is that she was still so young—at 16, she still had to follow her parent's rules—but because she was going to become a mother, they gave her a lot of freedom to make her own choices.

Jamie referred to this as tough love, but she knows it was necessary.

17 Jamie Became Stronger

Becoming a mother changes a person—especially when they are a 16-year-old mother. Before giving birth, Jamie Lynn was a shy girl who kept to herself, even on the set of Zoey 101. She opened up to Entertainment Weekly, letting them know that having a baby gives a person a whole new meaning.

She admits that learning she was pregnant and then becoming a mother caused her to grow up a lot.

The once 16-year-old girl grew up the second she found out the news and reassured her parents that she was going to be able to handle this no matter what happened.

16 Maddie Plays Softball

It is sometimes rare for children to be so interested in sports at a young age, but Maddie loves playing on her softball team. The best part about motherhood is the ability to cheer our kids on from the stands during games and tournaments. Jamie Lynn does just that for her girl and has been named the ultimate softball mom by ESPN. The mom of two never misses a game and documents so many of her daughter's practices and games on her Instagram account. Spears takes the time to support Maddie even when her team loses, and this is how supportive of a mother she is at all times.

15 She Loves Being A Big Sister

Bringing a new baby into the house can be a big transition, especially when there are already other kids at home.

The mom of two revealed to People Magazine that her oldest is in love with her new baby sister.

Maddie was the first to meet her sister after she was born, and that has proved to be the most special moment in Spears’ life thus far. Jamie Lynn lets the world in on pictures of both of her girls bonding and getting to know each other through her Instagram platform, and everyone looks as happy as ever. New babies bring everyone joy, especially big sisters.

14 Mother And Daughter Appeared On TV together

Since her Zoey 101 days, Spears hasn’t appeared on TV that often—an episode here or there at most. Early this year, she and her oldest daughter Maddie walked onto the set of Double Dare to compete. The goal was to be the first team to get six pies from one table to the other using only their mouths.

Spears is a super mom because she had just given birth a few months prior to appearing on the show.

She was taking the time she needed to bond with her first baby. It is essential that mothers spend time with children together as well as one-on-one time, and Jamie Lynn is doing just that, according to People Magazine.

13 Raised Out Of The Public Eye

After giving birth to her first daughter at just 16 years of age—almost ten years ago—Jamie Lynn Spears is just now popping back into the spotlight.

For the first three years of Maddie’s life, Spears kept her at home most of the time.

She wanted to focus on raising her daughter right, and she did this by giving her a normal life, to the best of her ability. Being put into the spotlight without consent can be dangerous because everything we know as normal goes out the door. Jamie Lynn knew that she wanted to give her daughter the best life possible, and staying out of the public eye is how she did it, according to CBS News.

12 Step Dad Proposed When He Realized He Loved both mom and daughter

The key to a perfect relationship means having a good bond with the kids that came before you. For Jamie Lynn’s current husband, her daughter Maddie had to be a part of their love story before it could go too far.

According to Heavy, Jamie Watson did not propose to Jamie Lynn until he had a special bond with Maddie and was sure that he loved her just as much as he loved her mother.

In an interview, he admitted that he had to be a part of their lives and he just had to propose. The couple has been married ever since and now have a daughter of their own.

11 Maddie Prepared Mom For Baby Number Two

Being a teen mother is stressful for everyone involved. It can be hard for teen mothers to enjoy their pregnancies because they have to learn everything all at once rather than over time, like most. Jamie revealed to People Magazine that being pregnant at such a young age prepared her for motherhood later on in life. Because she was a teen, she wasn’t focusing on much else other than her pregnancy and her baby after the birth, so everything that was thrown at her was a learning experience. When she gave birth to baby number two, she was able to enjoy the experience much more because of everything she already knew.

10 Jamie Lynn Gave Birth In Her Hometown, Near Family

Going along with being able to stay out of the spotlight is Spears’ decision to stay home for the birth of her child and a while after. While she is in her hometown, everybody knows her, but she isn’t as popular as she would be in somewhere like Los Angeles. Jamie Lynn admitted to MTV that staying in her hometown allowed her to focus on the task at hand, and that was raising her little girl. Family always comes first for Spears, and being out of the spotlight in the south allows her to keep her priorities trained on her little family instead of paparazzi.

9 Family Coming Together

The Spears family has always had a plethora of drama following them throughout their lives. Pop star Britney Spears wasn’t the best of role models back in these days, and her actions put a lot of strain on her family. Things seemed to get worse with the announcement of Jamie’s pregnancy—being how young she was—and the Spears family received even more judgment. From the moment Jamie Lynn went into labor, though, the family came together to be at her bedside. They stayed together throughout her labor and until the new baby came into the world. The family has had their issues, but they allowed everything to be forgotten once Maddie was born. She brought everyone together, and for a good reason, according to MTV.

8 Four-Hour Labor

Birth can be difficult for teenagers because their bodies are not yet done developing—bringing another little one into the world is not easy. There can be a lot of complications for teenagers when it comes time for the birth, but according to MTV, Jamie Lynn described the birth of her first daughter as perfect. Doctors warned her that first-time labor could take as long as 12 hours, but hers only ended up being about four hours. Spears remarked that her labor was quite easy to cope with. The then-teenager was surrounded by her whole family, including sister Britney Spears, and she couldn’t have been happier.

7 Jamie Lynn and Casey Aldridge shared responsibility

Bringing a new baby home at a young age can be stressful; some feel as though they don’t know what they are doing at first. Jamie Lynn revealed to MTV that she and then-fiancé Casey Aldridge had a routine going once they brought Maddie home from the hospital. They kept her in a bassinet next to their bed until she was older, and they made sure to get into a routine as quick as possible to avoid a lot of crying in the middle of the night. The couple took turns waking up with her each night because two tired parents were no good; they did everything equally which made the first few months with baby easier than they thought.

6 Mom Had To Grow Up Fast

Becoming pregnant at a young age requires a mother to grow up fast. Jamie Lynn Spears was already pretty mature, given that she was an actress and all, but she was still young. Instead of going out with friends or filming, she was at home raising her baby. It is unusual for teenagers to get married and move out of their parents’, home but because Jamie Lynn had become a mother, she and her boyfriend thought it was only right to make plans to get married and to move in together—which is precisely what they did after the baby was born. She revealed to TLC that she might have been too young but felt it was right at the time.

5 Different than Britney: Kids Come First

For a mother, her kids are usually everything. Britney and Jamie Lynn are two very different people, and therefore they have different mothering styles. For Jamie Lynn, from the moment her little girl was born, she was the most crucial aspect of her life.

According to Daily Mail, for sister Britney, it took a while for her priorities to be straight and focused on her two boys.

Jamie Lynn Spears took a lot of time out of work to raise her daughter while Britney was still working a ton after the birth of both sons, eventually leading to a breakdown. It’s important to remember that kids come first, even before work.

4 Different than Britney: gave up custody

From the time Jamie Lynn gave birth to her first daughter up until now, there has not been a second when her custody of Maddie was questioned or at risk, even though she was a young mother.

On the flipside, in October of 2007, Britney Spears had to give up custody of her two boys to her ex-husband because she was having a rough time with her life at that point.

Since then, she has gained custody of the boys back, but it doesn’t change the fact that her priorities may have been misaligned in the beginning to have lost custody in the first place, according to Today.

3 Different than Britney: handling Single Motherhood

Both of the Spears girls have had their fair share of single motherhood. When Jamie Lynn left the father of her child, she kept it together and found a better place for her and her daughter to be, according to People Magazine. But after Britney left her husband, things started to go downhill from there.

She had multiple breakdowns in public, one of which included shaving her head—single motherhood wasn’t treating her the best it could have been.

Raising kids on our own is a feat, and it can be challenging. Jamie Lynn proved herself to be a lot stronger than her sister throughout these rough times.

2 Different than Britney: Downtime During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exhausting time, and it is important to lay low and rest in preparation for a new child to come into the world. When Jamie Lynn became pregnant—after Zoey 101—she stayed in her hometown for a long while. She stayed out of the limelight to be sure she and her baby were healthy at all times.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, Britney was anything but relaxed during her pregnancies. Work was her number one priority, which was proven by the plethora of photo shoots and appearances.

Spears didn’t slow down for a second, which shows dedication, but it is essential that busy mothers never forget to take care of themselves as well.

1 Different Than Britney: Hands-On Mom

Jamie Lynn Spears has always been a hands-on mother. From the time her baby was born—as she stayed at home to raise her—to now, being deemed the greatest softball mom, Jamie is doing motherhood right, according to ESPN.

Britney, on the other hand, wasn’t necessarily ready for motherhood and it took her a while to figure it out. She was much more focused on work and her relationships than her boys, which backfired when she lost custody.

These days, Britney has pulled her act together and spends a lot more time with her boys. She has steady gigs which allow her to be at home with them all the time.

References: Daily Mail, Access Online, E! News, Entertainment Weekly, ESPN, People Magazine, CBS News, Heavy, MTV, TLC, Today, Harper’s Bazaar