The Stunning Transformation Of Teen Mom's Catelynn
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It's not typically newsworthy when a teen gets knocked up— that is, unless you are Catelynn Lowell Baltierra. Catelynn was just your average all-American teen when she became a reality TV star on MTV's 16 and Pregnant. The docu-series, which premiered in 2009 and inspired future spinoffs, featured the lives of a handful of pregnant teenaged girls, including Catelynn. Since then, Catelynn has blossomed into a young woman, mom, and wife, as seen on MTV's Teen Mom OG, and has come a long way from her Michigan trailer park. When faced with one of the most difficult decisions in life, Catelynn managed to persevere alongside her middle school sweetheart, husband Tyler Baltierra.
Prior to 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom OG fame, Catelynn was just a small town girl hoping to do big things someday. And as she's grown up in the spotlight, she's always remained open and honest with fans about her personal life, even publishing a memoir about her struggles and her achievements. Let's take a look at Catelynn Lowell's journey to becoming America's favorite teen mom.
Chaos was part of Catelynn Lowell's childhood
Catelynn Lowell craved stability growing up. By the time she was 16, she'd already lived in 13 different households, according to MTV's premiere episode of 16 and Pregnant. In the episode, Catelynn described her mom in the voice-over as "unpredictable" and "moody."
Catelynn dove deeper into her childhood trauma in a memoir she co-wrote with Tyler, Conquering Chaos. In one of the chapters, she described her trailer park neighborhood as "shady" and said drama was never in short supply there, even in her own household, where her mom battled addiction. The only place Catelynn found reprieve was at school, though she wasn't a good student. "I was pretty bad in school," she wrote. "I didn't get called to the principal's office all the time like some people, but I wasn't getting any passing grades, either."
Catelynn appears to have a relationship with her mother now, as seen on Teen Mom OG. Her dad also seems to be in the picture and even danced with her on her wedding day.
Catelynn Lowell was young when she fell in love
Catelynn Baltierra found lasting love in the most unexpected of places: middle school. She was just a pre-teen in seventh grade when she met and fell in love with Tyler Baltierra. In her memoir Conquering Chaos, Catelynn shared that she found out Tyler liked her through a friend. She had a boyfriend at the time, but that still didn't stop her future husband from courting her, and eventually winning her over.
The two have been inseparable ever since. While their journey to love, marriage, and raising a family of their own has been far from perfect, Catelynn feels like they're soulmates. "My world would probably fall apart without him in my life because he means so much to me," she said on a 2011 episode of Teen Mom OG. She's well aware that their love story is a little unconventional. "It's crazy that we're so young and some people look at us like we're nuts," she said. But she probably wouldn't have it any other way.
An unexpected pregnancy 'disappointed' Catelynn Lowell
After only a few years of dating, Catelynn Lowell found out she was expecting Tyler Baltierra's baby in 2009. On a 2012 episode of The Rosie Show, Catelynn said she thought she had the flu at the time, and it wasn't until she saw a doctor that she learned she was pregnant. Catelynn admitted to Rosie O'Donnell that she felt ashamed and "disappointed" in herself for allowing that to happen, especially at the age of 16, and the last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her family.
Though the pregnancy was a surprise to the young couple, it was bound to happen eventually. In some excerpts from Conquering Chaos that were shared by the Daily Mail, the teens admitted they never used contraceptives. "I didn't wear condoms and Cate never went on birth control," wrote Tyler, who'd use the pull-out method because neither of them were taught the importance of birth control. The teens were also doing drugs at the time as well.
Catelynn Lowell documented her adoption journey on TV
Catelynn Lowell wasn't ready to be a mom when she found out she was expecting a baby at 16. Her difficult decision was documented on MTV's 16 and Pregnant, which aired in 2009. "How am I supposed to raise a kid when I'm a kid myself?" Catelynn asked a friend while mulling over the option of adoption. The couple's friends may have been supportive of the adoption route, but their family wasn't. Even so, the couple decided to visit an adoption agency and eventually pursued an open adoption plan in order to remain a part of their biological daughter's life.
Though the journey wasn't easy to go through much less with it being filmed, Catelynn managed to see her tough situation as a learning lesson for herself and others. "It was important for me to share with like the world just because I feel like there really wasn't a true vision of what adoption is really like," she said in a 2017 episode of MTV's Teen Mom OG. "It was scary to do it also because I mean me myself I was learning about adoption through that process."
Tyler Baltierra has been in Catelynn Lowell's corner the whole time
As Teen Mom fans know, Catelynn Lowell has leaned on Tyler Baltierra's love and support along every step of the way — through teen pregnancy, adoption, and beyond. And Tyler has leaned on Catelynn, too. Though they were the only 16 and Pregnant Season 1 couple to put their baby up for adoption, and the only one to stay together, Catelynn said their relationship grew stronger as a result. "The choices we had to make really brought us a lot closer," Catelynn said during an episode of VH1's Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn. The reality TV couple starred on the 2013 reality show following their MTV debut.
After tying the knot in 2015 per People the two continue to be each other's support system as husband and wife. "Whenever I was crying and I was down, Tyler would pick me right back up," Catelynn said on Teen Mom OG in 2011. "And whenever he was sad and down, I'd let him cry to me and tell him it's OK." That seems like a good foundation for any marriage.
Eventually, Catelynn Lowell felt ready for a family of her own
Catelynn Lowell wasn't ready to be a mom at 16, but that doesn't mean she didn't want to be one someday. More than five years later, in 2015, Catelynn and Tyler Baltierra felt ready to be parents and welcomed their second daughter, Novalee Reign. Always open and honest with her fans, Catelynn showed off her new baby in a sweet photo with this caption: "Being your mommy is the best thing in the world...you make my days brighter."
Four years later, Us Weekly reported Catelynn gave birth to another daughter, Vaeda Luma. And even though the couple's first daughter, Carly, was adopted back in 2009, the two still remain involved in her life, as seen on MTV's Teen Mom OG. Judging by the many family photos on Catelynn's Instagram feed, we're guessing she's come into her own as a wife and mom of two.
Catelynn Lowell's road to pregnancy hasn't always been easy
Catelynn Lowell may be a proud mom but pregnancy hasn't always come easy for the reality TV star. Catelynn gave birth to her first two daughters without a hitch. There was Carly in 2009, who was put up for adoption as seen on MTV's 16 and Pregnant, and then in 2015, Catelynn gave birth to Novalee Reign, who she parents with Tyler Baltierra.
When Catelynn found out she was expecting a third time, she couldn't have predicted how badly this one would go: In 2017, she suffered a miscarriage. It was another dark period in her life documented by the cameras, this time on MTV's Teen Mom OG. In the 2018 episode (per People), Catelynn admitted that she wouldn't have known what to do if it weren't for her husband Tyler and daughter Nova. Tyler told her she is "the strongest woman I've ever met in my life."
In 2019, Us Weekly reported Catelynn welcomed another healthy baby girl into the world.
Catelynn Lowell has struggled with mental health
Catelynn Lowell has always been strong and optimistic, but every now and then, she's needed help. Following the birth of her second daughter in 2015, she suffered from postpartum depression, which she opened up about to Us Weekly. Then in 2017, she had a miscarriage, which led to frequent panic attacks and depression. As Catelynn shared on the podcast Reality Life With Kate Casey (via E! News), "I was just thinking random things like, 'I'm gonna drive off the road and hit that pole,' or thinking of all these different ways that I could commit suicide." Catelynn has sought treatment for her mental health.
In the aforementioned Us Weekly interview, she said that the miscarriage, though difficult, forced her to confront issues from her past. "I really believe in my heart that I was meant to have that miscarriage because I spiraled so hard that it forced me to go to a place where I really had to dig into my childhood traumas," she said.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
There may eventually be another kid on the way for Catelynn Lowell
Catelynn Lowell loves being a mom and isn't going to let anything stop her from growing her family. In a 2018 interview with Us Weekly, Catelynn was happily expecting her third daughter, even after suffering bouts of depression and anxiety during her previous pregnancy and miscarriage. "I'm not gonna let that hold me back from the one of the most beautiful things in life, which is children," she said. "I just have to continue therapy and work through it." As Us Weekly shared, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl in 2019.
She told the mag in 2019 that she and Tyler Baltierra plan on having one more kid once their youngest is around one or two years old, and ideally they'd like a boy. "I will not keep trying until I have a boy," she quipped. "No, sorry. If we're meant to just have girls, I guess that's what we were meant to have. I'm not going to have, like, six or seven kids. Like, no thank you. I feel like I'm already going gray with two."
Catelynn Lowell is living her fairytale dream
Catelynn Lowell married her prince charming, Tyler Baltierra, in an actual castle in Michigan, as seen on MTV's Teen Mom OG. And the couple lives with their two daughters in a historic farmhouse-turned-mansion, which they purchased back in 2017 and renovated themselves. Her hubby Tyler documented the renovation journey on Instagram, and from the looks of it, Catelynn's life has undoubtedly come a long way since she was a high schooler trying to figure out life on 16 and Pregnant.
According to one of Tyler's posts, it has been a dream of theirs to live in a farmhouse ever since they were kids. It was also a dream of Catelynn's to have her own pony, but as she shared on Instagram, that was something that her mom could never afford. So, she felt even prouder when she was able to do that for her daughter Nova. Looks like Catelynn is living out all her childhood dreams, and giving her daughters a lovely life.
Catelynn Lowell is a mental health advocate
Catelynn Lowell has grown older and wiser thanks to time and therapy, and she wants to share her wisdom with others. She, along with husband Tyler Baltierra, have become mental health advocates speaking out about their own mental health issues in front of millions of strangers on MTV's Teen Mom OG. "It was a hard thing to share and hard just to get the courage to share it but I think it comes down to the fact of letting people know and showing the raw reality of it," Catelynn told E! News. "That way, people know that they are not alone and that you can get help and there are things out there that can help you."
She feels empowered to talk about the subject, especially when fans reach out with words of encouragement. "After sharing all of the stuff I've been through, I do get lots of messages from people saying, 'Thank you for being open and honest because I thought I was alone and nobody understood,'" she said.
Marriage hasn't always been easy for Catelynn Lowell
Catelynn Lowell is clearly living her happily ever after with Tyler Baltierra. In 2020, the couple celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary after tying the knot at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan per People. And based on Catelynn's Instagram, things seem to be going great. But, like every married couple, they've had their fair share of ups and downs; it just so happens theirs are a little more public than most.
Being the reality TV stars they are, whenever their marriage hits a rough patch, it's often newsworthy. When speculation about their relationship surfaced online in 2018, she told Us Weekly that they were "not getting a divorce." In a since-deleted post (via People), Catelynn issued a statement on social media later that year to squash rumors, saying the couple was taking 30 days to reflect on their marriage.
The couple has been more than open about their marital issues on MTV's Teen Mom OG. In a 2018 episode, the two shared that they were working through issues of communication and accountability.
Public scrutiny is no match for Catelynn Lowell
If being a reality star has taught Catelynn Lowell anything, it is to rise above all the nonsense. Catelynn is used to defending herself against millions of MTV's Teen Mom OG viewers, and that includes responding to criticism of her parenting skills. In a 2019 episode, her daughter Nova had a meltdown when Catelynn left the house for a spa day. According to the mag, Catelynn got backlash from fans. As Us Weekly noted, she took to Twitter to defend herself. "That was my first time by myself in MONTHS!!!" she wrote. "And it was my birthday! If you are a parent you know that sometimes u need me time!"
Catelynn has also had to confront cheating rumors about her husband Tyler Baltierra over the years. In a 2020 interview with Us Weekly, she called the latest batch of gossip about their relationship "utterly ridiculous at this point" and doesn't take anything she reads or hears to heart. "We're happy and these trolls with no lives sitting behind computer screens and phone screens have nothing better to do than try to stir the pot," she said. "Keep stirring, though, because this pot is very strong and won't collapse."
Catelynn Lowell is feeling fiercer than ever before
Catelynn Baltierra is doing things her way and she doesn't care what people think. From how she raises her daughters to her marriage and even her hair, Catelynn is taking the reins of her life on and off the camera. In the summer of 2020, Catelynn shocked fans when she debuted her fierce new purple hair and a shorter cut on Instagram. But a new 'do isn't the only thing that's making Catelynn feel fierce: The 16 and Pregnant alum is learning how to professionally microblade.
And it seems like Catelynn is more in love than ever with her hubby, Tyler Baltierra. The two celebrated their fifth anniversary in 2020, and Catelynn marked the occasion by posting photos from their wedding on Instagram. For Tyler, she wrote: "Happy 5 years married babe!!! Thank you for loving me like you do and blessing me with 3 beautiful girls... Here's to 50 more years with my soulmate." Catelynn has transformed into a confident young woman, and we can't wait to see what she'll do next.