- Entertainment
- Reality TV
ByShana Aborn
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MTV's "16 & Pregnant" was one of the first reality series to show viewers what it's really like to be a teen mom. The show spawned the spinoff "Teen Mom" franchise, which carried on the stories of its most popular stars. Among them: Kailyn Lowry, whose unplanned pregnancy was complicated by her troubled bond with her alcoholic mom. "Teen Mom 2" saw Lowry juggling the responsibilities of parenthood with her rocky romantic relationships. She and Isaac's father, Jo Rivera, broke up early in the show's run, and since then she has been involved with several other men.
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Lowry has also expanded her family to near-Duggar level: At 31, she's a mom of seven children by her various relationships. They range in age from 14 to the newborn fraternal twins she welcomed in late 2023. Defying the stereotypes about young moms, Lowry is not only a devoted parent, she's also a college graduate, a bestselling author, a social media influencer, and a popular podcast host of the shows "Barely Famous" and "Coffee Convos" (she co-hosts the latter with Lindsie Chrisley of "Chrisley Knows Best" fame). Here's the scoop on her busy, happy clan.
Kail Lowry's older sons are growing up fast
Kailyn Lowry's older children all have distinct personalities. Isaac Rivera, the oldest of the bunch, is her only son by Jo Rivera; he turned 14 on January 18, 2024. Mom Kail Lowry has described him on Instagram as "[t]houghtful, brilliant, funny and at times a smartass." The eighth-grader plays keyboard and is studying American Sign Language toward a possible career as an interpreter. Lincoln Marroquin is Lowry's son by her marriage to Javi Marroquin. His birth was featured in Season 5 of "Teen Mom 2." He's an avid sportsman; his first love is basketball, but he's also into flag football and soccer. Linc loves his siblings, but he's especially close to little bro Creed, judging by all the pics of them together.
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Lowry has two sons by ex Chris Lopez. First-grader Lux Russell is another active guy who plays tee-ball, soccer, and wrestles. His unique sense of style includes his preference for wearing his hair long. However, some of his mischievous antics have drawn criticism from followers, such as a TikTok in which he appeared to hold up his middle fingers to the camera. Preschooler Creed Romello, named for the title character in the film "Creed," is otherwise known as Mello, Biggie, or Bigs.His mom-run Instagram page shows him having fun at preschool and trying to keep up with his older brothers. The four older boys figure prominently in Lowry's Insta feed, including this sweet photo from their first day of school in 2023.
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Little Rio's birth story was scary
Rio, born in November 2022, is Lowry's first child with her current boyfriend, Elijah Scott. On the "Barely Famous"podcast, the couple opened up about the whole experience. To begin with, the pregnancy came as a shock to Lowry and Scott, whose relationship was still in the early stages. Lowry had just come to accept she'd be a five-time mom when she got unexpected news at the doctor's office: An ultrasound seemed to indicate the baby had no heartbeat. Thankfully, a follow-up appointment proved otherwise.
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But the drama wasn't yet over. Lowry experienced contractions a month before her due date, and spent 17 hours in labor. To complicate matters, Rio was born with fluid in his lungs that kept him from crying, and spent time in the NICU. The distraught new mom was separated from her baby for half a day for fear the stress of seeing him might send her blood pressure dangerously high. (Preeclampsia is most common before birth, but it can happen after delivery.) In the end, both mother and baby recovered and came home to four proud big brothers.
Rio's first year went by quickly, topped by a Grinch-themed birthday bash. It included a photo-worthy backdrop, custom cookies and cake, and a balloon sculpture resembling a Christmas tree. "I have soaked up every minute of this past year with Rio," Lowrywrote on Instagram, in a video post that showed a quick glimpse of the adorable curly-haired toddler digging into a smash cake.
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Kailyn Lowry's last birth was a two-fer
Jamie Mccarthy/Getty Images
If fans were surprised by the news of Kailyn Lowry's fifth son, they were positively gobsmacked just a year later when the reality star revealed she was pregnant — this time with twins. There had been tabloid speculation for months, but in November 2023, Lowry posted a three-part gender reveal on Instagram. The first two parts suggested both babies were boys, but it turned out there was a misunderstanding about the blood test. The third videoshowed the boys kicking soccer balls filled with colored powder. Isaac's ball burst in blue, but Lincoln's kick revealed pink powder, indicating Lowry and boyfriend Elijah Scott would finally have a daughter.
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In January 2024, Lowry explained on her "Barely Famous" podcast she'd had her babies about six weeks prior. The experience wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for: The twins were born five weeks premature and had to be delivered by C-section because one was in breech position. Then, once she and the newborns came home, Lowry didn't give herself enough time to recuperate. She tore her caesarean incision and had to go back to the hospital to have the damage repaired.
At this writing, Lowry hadn't revealed the babies' actual birth date or their names, and she has yet to share photos of the newest family members. But she shows no sign of slowing down; her recent Instagram posts show her recording her podcasts, attending Lux's wrestling tournament, and surprising Isaac on his 14th birthday with tickets to an Olivia Rodrigo concert.
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Lowry is stopping at seven
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Kailyn Lowry has said she always wanted a big familybecause she didn't have one herself, and she has no regrets about her life choices. In a TikTokshe posted on January 19, 2024, she listed some of the challenges she faces: breaking up fights, planning meals that suit everyone's tastes, shelling out money for the boys' sports expenses. In her characteristically blunt manner, Lowry said, "I never would have planned this for myself, but it happened, and I literally would not have it any other f***ing way, because I love being a mom of seven."
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Listeners to her recent "Barely Famous" podcast got another surprise when Lowry revealed she had a tubal ligation immediately following the C-section birth of her twins. She signed permission forms that acknowledged the side effects of the procedure might include "regret" over losing her fertility. "I would be lying if I said I didn't have thoughts of [being pregnant again]," Lowry admitted. "I didn't know before I had seven kids how a person would know if they're done having children."
Those lingering second thoughts may disappear in time. Lowry explained in the podcast that "it doesn't feel crazy yet" raising that many children because the youngest three aren't at the getting-underfoot stage. "Once Rio starts walking and the twins are mobile, that might feel chaotic!"
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