PHOTOS TLC announces return of “My Teen Is Pregnant & So Am I”

TLC continues its low-risk business model for discovering popular shows by airing a single episode “special” and gauging interest before committing to a series. (See: Toddlers & Tiaras, The Virgin Diaries, America’s Worst Tattoos) The latest pilot-turned-series is My Teen Is Pregnant & So Am I, which was a one-hour special featuring two expecting mother/daughter duos that aired on August 1, 2012 and will return for six new episodes featuring four pregnant mothers whose teenage daughters are also pregnant.

From TLC:

MY TEEN IS PREGNANT & SO AM I RETURNS TO TLC
Premieres June 11 at 10PM ET/PT

(Los Angeles, Ca.) Following the success of the 2012 TLC special, MY TEEN IS PREGNANT & SO AM I returns profiling the emotional journey of four new mothers and daughters whose lives are changed when they find out they are expecting at the same time. The six-part series premieres Tuesday, June 11 at 10 PM (ET/PT) and chronicles the mother & daughter duos from pregnancy through childbirth through their first months as moms and every experience and emotion in between.

In this poignant series, four mothers deal with the surprising news that they are pregnant again, while simultaneously handling the sheer shock that their teenage daughters are unexpectedly pregnant at the same time. With two newborns to bear, the intensity of their experience escalates their everyday lives into a whole new tumultuous reality. Each of the four families deals in their own unique way with their unplanned circumstances. Through the tears and turmoil, joy and heartbreak, they must figure out how to fight through their battles and learn to lean on each other while they come to terms with their extraordinary new lives.

Meet the expecting Moms and Daughters:

LORNA LOFTIS & CHAÉ CHILDERS (York, SC)

Mother: Lorna Loftis (41) – Lorna is pregnant with her fifth child with her long-term boyfriend Chuck who she already has two children with. They have been together for eleven years, but he is frequently out of town for work, which leaves Lorna – a stay-at-home mom – by herself to take care of the kids. Lorna disapproves of her daughter Chaé’s boyfriend Austin and expresses her disappointment openly with “she could have picked a different baby daddy!”

Daughter: Chaé Childers (19) (above) – Chaé did not plan on getting pregnant. In fact, after a recent surgery for pre cervical cancer, she didn’t think she would ever be able to conceive. To add to the drama, her boyfriend Austin has cheated on her in the past and Chaé’s family has little faith in their future together. Despite their past troubles and her family’s concerns, Chaé believes Austin and wants her baby to have a father no matter what.

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NICOLE & MARIAH (DIAZ-ANDERSON?) (Fresno, CA)

Mother: Nicole (34) – Both Nicole and her own mother were once teen moms. So, Nicole has always vowed that her daughter would break that cycle. Needless to say, she was not happy about her daughter’s pregnancy and begged her to consider other options, but Mariah was determined to keep her baby. This is Nicole’s sixth child and second with her current boyfriend AJ who she suspects is cheating on her. The past six months have been a roller coaster ride for mother and daughter, going through phases of being very close, to phases where they barely speak to one another.

Daughter: Mariah (16) – Unlike her mother, Mariah and her boyfriend are excited about the baby. She is adamant that she will still finish school and make something of herself. But her mother knows firsthand how hard that will be. Mariah does not get along with her mother’s boyfriend and resents her because she feels that she already has too many children. In the strain of their mutual pregnancies, Mariah’s relationship with her mother suffers and is hampered by the on-again-off-again nature of her mother’s relationship with her boyfriend.

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KRISTI RAY & KIM RAY (St. Augustine, FL)

Mother: Kristi Ray (42) – Kristi and her husband Bill are expecting a girl, and they were furious when they found out their daughter was pregnant and fear this is only the beginning of a long line of disappointments. To make matters worse, Kristi and Bill are not fond of Kimberly’s boyfriend and father of the baby, Michael – they think he’s disrespectful and lazy and fear because he is unreliable, they will have to support their new grandchild.

Daughter: Kimberly Ray (16) (above) – Kimberly has always been a happy, outgoing, popular kid who was extremely involved in her high school. She is a good student and has dreams of going to college to pursue a nursing degree. But things are different now – she is trying on maternity jeans instead of homecoming dresses. To make matters worse, Kimberly’s boyfriend has been ordered by the courts to go to rehab and has been absent for most of her pregnancy. He manages to get released on good behavior in order to be present for the birth of their baby, but the question still remains on how much he’s really going to be there to help raise their child. In spite of all of the drama, Kimberly is learning how to be a teen mom with the amazing support of her family.

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LEMHELE HUNT & SHANIYAH HUNT (Bronx, NY)

Mother: Lemhele Hunt (34) – Having been a teen mom herself at only 17, Lemhele had always thought that her mistake would provide a cautionary tale for her daughter so when she took her to a routine doctor’s appointment, she could not have been more shocked to find out her 14-year old daughter was five months pregnant. To add to the stress, financially the pregnancies are going to be a big strain on the family, as Lemhele will be supporting everyone on her single income and trying to figure out how to fit two new babies in their small three-bedroom apartment.

Daughter: Shaniyah Hunt (14) – Shaniya claims she had no idea she was pregnant, but her mother is not convinced and thinks she was hiding it all along. Her mother knows nothing about the baby’s father, Dwayne, whom Shaniyah would sneak into the house when Lemhele was working late at night. Finding out that she is going to be a teen mom hasn’t diminished Shaniyah’s big dreams – she still wants to become a lawyer and is determined to make it to Harvard. With four months to go, Shaniyah’s attitude is getting worse and her mother’s rules are starting to make her crazy. Only time will tell whether this experience will bring mom and daughter closer together or tear them apart.