Going on 3 seasons now, we’ve seen a lot of different situations on 16 and Pregnant. Maybe we’re even a little desensitized after watching more than 30 young women cope with pregnancy and new motherhood. But this week’s episode of the show got me more worked up then all I’ve been in a long time.

To start with, we have Kayla, a 17 year-old expecting a baby boy November of her senior year of high school. Like a lot of the girls on the show this season, she’s the daughter of a former teen mom, which is all too common since the daughters of teen mothers are 3 times more likely to be a teen mom. Kayla hopes her mom will help guide her through the pregnancy, but mom Deb turns out to be a huge disappointment.

Boyfriend Mike is an all-around great guy; he lives with Kayla and her mom and brings zero drama to the table. Kayla is also lucky to have a great group of friends who are extremely supportive. Without her friends and boyfriend, I don’t know how Kayla would survive the pregnancy, since she’s recovering from anorexia. Being a pregnant teen gets you enough unwanted stares, but what if you thought everyone was repulsed by your pregnant body too?

Unlike a lot of episodes that focus mostly on post-baby life, Kayla struggles the most during her pregnancy. Formerly close with her mother, she reaches out for support when she’s feeling scared or overwhelmed. I got an little emotional seeing how much Kayla wanted her mother, and seeing Deb push her away or leave her home alone. Kayla tries to plan out babysitting and school plans for after the baby, but her mom thinks that everything will just figure itself out eventually. (Not a great plan when you’re a teen mom!)

Teen mothers are more likely to give birth to premature and low-birth babies, and at the same time they are less likely to get proper prenatal care. For Kayla, her struggle with body image meant she and baby Preston weren’t getting all the nutrition they needed. After a fainting spell that lands her in the hospital, Mike, Kayla’s friends, and her doctors have her on strict watch to make sure she’s eating enough for her and the baby. Only mom Deb seems unconcerned with Kayla’s determination to stop gaining pregnancy weight.  She even argues with a nutritionist who advises her to eat meals with Kayla instead of leaving her home alone!

Post-baby, who was luckily born at a healthy weight, Kayla’s mom finally shows interest in having family dinners. That is, she thinks she and Kayla should go on a diet together, and proposes they cook and eat together before Deb leaves for the night to see her boyfriend. Kayla has enough sense to reject this plan, reluctantly coming to the conclusion that her mom stopped trying to be a mother the day Kayla got pregnant.

Sometimes a girl needs her mother, whether she’s pregnant at 16 or at 35. Faced with the unfamiliar territory of pregnancy weight, diapers, and howling babies, new moms need someone they can ask for advice. Kayla’s struggle with anorexia put her life and her baby’s at risk, and could have had serious conclusions if her boyfriend and friends were less involved.

This was an intense episode. Let me know what you think! Kayla, like a lot of teens, struggled with an eating disorder. Do you think she was irresponsible in her eating habits, or should her mother made more of an effort to help her cope?

This post was written by Kate, an intern for The National Campaign. Kate is a senior at George Washington University, studying journalism and sociology. She loves theater and cooking, and eats mashed potatoes every single day.