Jamie Lynn Spears has agreed to give up her unborn baby, it has been claimed.

The 16-year-old star of Nickelodeon show 'Zoey 101' will reportedly give the child to her mother Lynne as soon as it is born, so she can focus on her career.

A source told America's Star magazine: "After several weeks of personal soul searching and talks and discussions with her mom, Jamie Lynn reluctantly agreed that giving up the baby is the right thing to do.

"Lynne says Jamie doesn't understand the lifelong consequences of having a baby. She wants Jamie Lynn to continue her show business career after the baby is born and Jamie Lynn also realises she wants to enjoy her teenage years without the responsibilities of caring for a baby.

"Jamie Lynn will be back at work and trying to remind people of her talent and not that she is an unwed teenage mother."

Lynne will raise the baby at the family home in Kentwood, Louisiana, away from the Hollywood spotlight.

Since Jamie Lynn announced her pregnancy she has been living at the family's $3 million estate while studying for a high school equivalency exam and attending parenting classes. But it is believed once she gives birth she will return to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.

Jamie Lynn, the younger sister of Britney Spears, insists her 18-year-old boyfriend Casey Aldridge is the father of her baby. However, insiders claim the father is actually a much older TV executive from her show.

A source said: "Jamie Lynn has been working on her show 'Zoey 101' since she was 13. In Hollywood, little girls grow up fast and she's no exception. With everything that has gone on in her family, she needed someone to look up to.

"But the man she found seems to have completely taken advantage of her."

A representative for Jamie Lynn denied she plans to give up her baby.