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It takes a village!

Since Jamie Lynn Spears and husband Jamie Watson welcomed their daughter Ivey Joan on April 11, their life has been a beautiful whirlwind — and they couldn’t be happier.

But the singer-songwriter, who’s also mom to 9½-year-old daughter Maddie Briann from a previous relationship, admits her life is much different when you compare Ivey’s birth to when she first became a parent.

“As we all know, there was a lot of chaos around my last pregnancy,” says the former Nickelodeon star, who welcomed Maddie when she was 17 years old, in the latest issue of PEOPLE. (Spears and Casey Aldridge split when their daughter was 2.)

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“I would say that being a mom is being a mom: It doesn’t matter if you’re in your teens or not, there should be no excuse to not be a great mother. It doesn’t matter what your age is,” Spears adds.

After welcoming Ivey, Spears says, “This time, it’s just been a really peaceful experience. I think the only difference is the support system I have around me.”

She adds, “I’m much more sure of myself as a young mother [now]. As a new mother with your first child, you are questioning and guessing everything. And as you go into it the second time, you’re like, ‘I got this. I figured this out one time before; I can do it again.’ You have a little more confidence in yourself.”

RELATED VIDEO: Jamie Lynn Spears Welcomes Daughter Ivey Joan

And Spears, who posed with her family in portraits by Studio Tran, credits her strong support system for the easy transition after Ivey’s birth.

“It’s important to have a partner who can pick up the slack where you can’t,” Spears says of Watson, whom she married in 2014.

“If you don’t have a supportive partner, it would be a different story,” she explains. “That’s been the biggest adjustment: finding that balance to where both kids have exactly what they need.”

RELATED GALLERY: Kylie Jenner and More Celebs Who Became Moms at a Young Age

In fact, Spears says her husband’s early connection with Maddie is what drew her to him initially. “Just seeing the way he was with Maddie and the way he just fit right in — it wasn’t like I ever had to tell him anything,” she says. “Their relationship is so sweet.”

Adds the star, “He’s the kind of dad that every little girl deserves to have. When I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the man I love.’ You fall in love with the people who fall in love with the people you love.”

Maddie has also been a source of support with baby Ivey. “It’s definitely a big help, having one who’s a little older,” Spears adds. “I can say, ‘Let me grab the clothes out of the dryer.’ And she can sit there with her for a second.”

Based in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears has enjoyed her life predominantly outside of the spotlight in recent years. “It’s where my support system is. It’s where my mother is, where my husband is. It’s where my older daughter has established her home. I think it’s really important to have roots,” she says.

“I’ve always loved my home,” Spears adds. “I just want my girls to grow up the same way, really appreciating where we’re from, and I want them to have their familiar upbringing, which is being at Grandma’s and having the same routine, the same school — I’ve created that here, and this is home.”

For much more on Jamie Lynn Spears and baby Ivey — including exclusive family portraits — pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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