Britney Spears’ younger sister, Jamie Lynn, gave birth to a baby girl Thursday at a Mississippi hospital.

A friend of the Spears family, who asked not to be identified, told The Associated Press the baby will be named Maddie Briann and weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces.

Although the star of Nickelodeon’s popular TV show “Zoey 101” is only 17 years old, her relatives and friends are confident she will make a good mom. Jamie Lynn’s cousin Margie Busby told People magazine she thought that even though Jamie was a very young mother and could have a difficult time raising a child, the baby’s grandmother will surely offer her help.

Second cousin Janet Bridget told People she loved the baby’s name.

Jamie shocked everybody in December, when she announced she was expecting a child with Casey Alridge, a 19-year-old son of a Tennessee paper mill worker, whom she apparently met at a church. The two announced their engagement in the month of March.

Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Ellen Brannan refused to give details about the baby’s birth, explaining that everyone had the right to their privacy in such situations.

"We understand everybody's interested, but we don't give out information on anyone,” Brannan said.

Nickelodeon issued a statement on Thursday, saying "We wish her and her family well." Nickelodeon spokeswoman Marianne Romano said the filming of the fourth and the final season of “Zoey 101” was finished before the teenager became pregnant.