Last night’s 16 and Pregnant introduced us to Briana DeJesus, a Brooklyn teen who now resides with her mother and older sister in Orlando, Florida. She graduated a year early from high school and is looking forward to starting college in the fall. She and her former boyfriend, Devoin, decided to keep the baby, although the couple soon ended their relationship. Even harder? Her sister Brittany got pregnant at the same time and decided to have an abortion. Briana reveals to her friend that they pair didn’t use protection, because it was too awkward to talk about – you know what else is awkward…having everyone up in your business for nine months. Teens say the darndest things.
Both sisters seem almost envious of the others’ choice. Briana has no support from her baby’s father, but she feels like she is flaunting her pregnancy in front of her sister. Brittany claims she chose abortion after seeing how hard it was for her sister, and she promises to go out and have fun while Briana is stuck home with her baby. However, Brittany can’t change the choice she made, and she admits that it is hard for her to watch Briana’s pregnancy progress. Mother and daughters share a tearful moment.
Devoin hasn’t spoken to Briana in over a month, but she still holds out hope that he will be there for their daughter. Her mom agrees to allow him to spend the night a few times a week to help, but she has no intentions of turning into his personal hotel. Seeing as Devoin won’t return Briana’s calls or texts, she may not have anything to worry about. She discusses baby names with her mother, who quickly rules out Bliss, as it sounds too much like a stripper name. Briana is leaning towards the name Nova.
Briana, Brittany, and their friends have a fun time making t-shirts, with Briana decorating hers with stars and the word Nova. She texts Devoin about naming the baby. Briana has made up her mind about Nova, and Devoin thinks he should at least get a vote. She says she will let him choose the last name…but if Devoin wants Nova to have his last name, he’s really going to have to step up to the plate. Devoin is not keen on getting a job to assist with the baby. He feels like he’s being forced into finding work. Doesn’t Briana know how stressed out he is? Devoin is very indifferent to his ex-girlfriend’s tears. D-to-the-ouchebag!
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Her mother wants Briana to get a plan together for college. Roxanne promises to be there as childcare for the first two years of her granddaughter’s life. She expects Briana to have graduated from college and started a career by the time Nova is five-years-old. Roxanne accompanies Briana to her sonogram, but of course Devoin is a no-show. Back at home, Briana watches her sonogram DVD in tears, and Brittany storms out of the house. She is tired of her mother doting on Briana, and doesn’t want to watch footage of her sister’s sonogram.
Briana hates the tension between her and Brittany. She doesn’t want to cause Brittany any undue sadness, but she also wants her sister to know that Briana’s now missing out on her childhood. Devoin is still ignoring Briana, and she hopes to take her mind off of things by going to a haunted maze with Brittany and her friends. Halfway through the tour, Briana gets nauseous. Brittany takes her home, and surprisingly, Devoin shows up when he hears Briana is in labor. Everyone heads to the hospital, and after seven hours of labor, Nova Star is born. The following day Devoin leaves to play basketball, so Briana leaves his last name off of the birth certificate. When he returns to find out this news, he cusses and rants at Roxanne and Brittany before storming out of the hospital. Classy.
Back at home, Briana is beyond overwhelmed. Brittany steps in to help her sister with Nova. After a week, Devoin is still avoiding Briana’s calls. She treats herself to a sassy new haircut. After a few weeks, Devoin comes by to see his daughter, but his friend seems to have more paternal instincts than he does. Brittany gets on Devoin for texting when he should be spending time with his child. Roxanne tries to talk some sense into both Devoin and Briana, but he can’t tear himself away from his phone. He is tired of being lectured and leaves. Briana is upset that he doesn’t want to be there for her, but she can’t understand why he refuses to spend time and learn about his daughter.
Roxanne takes the day off to go with Briana to a local community college. Briana thinks her best option will be to take classes part-time. The mother-daughter duo use some stealth teamwork to change the baby in a bathroom stall. Briana wishes that Devoin were more willing to help her with baby-sitting. Roxanne tries to steer her on the path where she focuses more on school and less on Devoin. On Halloween, Briana makes the sacrifice to stay home with Nova while Brittany goes out with friends. Briana confides in her mother that having Nova was nothing like she expected. She is so heartbroken that Devoin doesn’t care enough about Nova to make an effort, she has a difficult time enjoying motherhood.
Devoin reaches out to Briana and wants to meet up with her to talk about some things, without her sister and mother present. She agrees to meet him for dinner and he’s a no-show. I want to reach through my television and smack that smug S.O.B. The following day, Briana and Brittany discuss their choices. Briana reveals that while she doesn’t regret her daughter, she thinks her sister made the wiser choice. She says what’s maybe the most insightful thing any teen on this show has every said: “Don’t make a permanent decision based on temporary feelings.” I am not thinking of that statement in terms of abortion versus keeping the baby, I believe it applies to all aspects of teens making adult decisions based on hormones and peer pressure.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? COMMENTS ON THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE SISTERS BASED ON THEIR DIFFERENT CHOICES?
