Lynne Spears is going to be a grandmother for the third time. But it turns it out it isn't Britney who's adding to the brood.
Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney's 16-year-old sister, has revealed that she is pregnant.
The Zoey 101 star confirms her expectant status in OK! magazine's new issue and says that the father is longtime beau Casey Aldridge.
"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," Spears says. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."
The high school junior who still calls Louisiana home told the tabloid she's 12 weeks along but didn't break the news to her mom until just before Thanksgiving.
"As soon as I found out for sure from the doctor, I took two weeks to myself where I didn't tell anybody," Spears said. "Only one of my friends knew because I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision. Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me."
A rep for Britney Spears tells E! News exclusively that the pop star has heard the news and "wishes her sister nothing but the best and asks for privacy during this time."
As for Lynne Spears, who has already watched her oldest daughter go through the media ringer this year, the news definitely came as a shock.
"She was very upset because it wasn't what she expected at all," Spears says. "A week after, she had time to cope with it and became very supportive."
Support doesn't necessarily equal happiness, however. A source close to the Spears family tells E! Online Senior Editor Marc Malkin that "the family is in shock. They are coping but they're very disappointed."
"I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious," Lynne Spears told OK! "She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby."
The teenager said during her OK! sitdown that she hadn't yet informed Nickelodeon, which carries Zoey 101, about this latest turn of events, but the network is obviously in the loop now.
"We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation," Nickelodeon said in a statement Tuesday as soon as word of Spears' pregnancy started to get out. "We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
The cliffhanger third season finale of Zoey 101, which features the title character having to choose between remaining at California's tony Pacific Coast Academy or moving to London with her parents, is scheduled to air Jan. 4, which is perhaps not a moment too soon. The fourth season has already been taped for next year.
When asked by OK! what message she had for her fellow teens about premarital sex, Spears acknowledged that she isn't exactly in a position to judge.
"I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she said. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
Spears told the Associated Press recently that she has always considered attending Lousiana State University after high school, although she has enjoyed traveling to Malibu, where Zoey 101 is filmed and Britney keeps a beach house.
But she tells OK! that she wants to raise her child in Louisiana, "so it can have a normal family life."
Coincidentally, Lynne Spears' book about her experiences raising two daughters in the glare of the media spotlight has been postponed indefinitely, her publisher confirmed Tuesday.
Contrary to what it looks like, the brakes were temporarily applied to the project last week, according to inspirational book purveyor Thomas Nelson.
"We are standing behind Lynne at this time and understand that she needs time with her family—we support that," a spokeswoman told E! News.
(Originally published Dec. 18, 2007 at 5:23 p.m. PT)