Catelynn Baltierra was just your average all-American teen when she was vaulted into fame
as a reality TV star on MTV's 16 and Pregnant. Since then, she has truly blossomed into a devoted
mother, wife, and mental health advocate. Here's why Catelynn's transformation is turning heads.
Catelynn craved stability growing up. By the time she was 16,
she had already lived in 13 different households,
and on the 16 and Pregnant premiere, she described her mom as, quote, "unpredictable" and "moody."
"She does her best, but I never know if she'll really be there for me."
Catelynn dove even deeper into her childhood trauma in a memoir she co-wrote with her
husband Tyler in 2015, called Conquering Chaos. She described her trailer park neighborhood
as being sketchy and claimed drama was never in short supply — even in her own household,
where her mom battled addiction. The only place Catelynn found some peace was at school,
but even there, she struggled to stay focused. She wrote,
"I was pretty bad in school. 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."
"It's me being a f---ing 12-year-old and my dad leaving. Or me being like
8 and my mom drinking all the time and not being there."
Catelynn appears to have done her best to maintain a relationship with her mom, April,
as evidenced by the show. Catelynn's dad, David, also seems to be in the picture,
as a dedicated grandpa. And in a wild twist, Catelynn's mom and Tyler's dad,
Butch, were once married to each other for a hot minute.
Catelynn found a lifelong 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. In their memoir,
Catelynn shared that she found out Tyler liked her through a friend. She had a boyfriend at
the time, but that didn't stop her future husband from eventually winning her over.
"You're a little flirt. Especially in music class. We used to write notes back to each other. Yeah!"
The two have been inseparable ever since. While their journey toward love, marriage,
and raising a family of their own has been far from easy,
Catelynn still feels like they're soulmates. She said on the show,
"My world would probably fall apart without him in my life because he means so much to
me. […] It's crazy that we're so young and some people look at us like we're nuts."
Even so, it appears these two wouldn't have it any other way.
In 2009, after just a few years together, Catelynn found out she was pregnant. She
initially thought she had the flu at the time, and it wasn't until she saw
a doctor that she found out the real story. Catelynn later admitted to Rosie O'Donnell
in 2012 that she felt some shame over getting herself into the situation, especially at 16,
revealing that the last thing she ever wanted to do was to disappoint her family.
"Yeah, I felt really bad. Like, disappointed in myself because they were so disappointed with me."
Though the pregnancy was a surprise to the young couple, the teens admitted in their memoir that
they were also doing drugs at the time, and passing on the contraceptives. Tyler confirmed,
"I didn't wear condoms and Cate never went on birth control."
While she would eventually hope to start a family, Catelynn certainly wasn't ready to be a mom at 16.
And her struggle with coming to terms with putting her baby up for adoption
was documented for all of America, on the show.
"We're too young. We wanna go to — we wanna go to school, y'know, go to college,
finish college, get on our feet and then maybe have kids later on."
But while the couple's friends may have been supportive of the adoption route,
their family definitely wasn't. Even so, the two eventually pursued an
open adoption in order to remain part of their biological daughter's life.
"So I'm just doing the thing I think's the best...
and I know that you guys can provide for her a lot more than I can."
Even after making what was likely the toughest decision of her life, Catelynn
still managed to see it as a learning moment for herself and others. She said on the show,
"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.
It was scary to do it also because, I mean, […] I was learning about adoption through that process."
"I have way more happy days than I do sad days. There's a rare day that I have
a sad day and I think it's just because I know I made the right decision for her."
As Teen Mom fans know, Catelynn and Tyler have leaned on each other for love and support,
every step of the way. Though they were the only Season 1 couple to put their baby
up for adoption — and the only pair to stay together — Catelynn said their relationship
grew stronger as a result. She said on Couples' Therapy with Dr. Jenn,
"The choices we had to make really brought us a lot closer."
“You are my angel, my soulmate, my best friend."
After tying the knot in 2015, the two are continuing to stand by each other as husband
and wife. Catelynn said on the show,
"Whenever I was crying and I was down, Tyler would pick me right back up. And
whenever he was sad and down, I'd let him cry to me and tell him it's OK."
Catelynn may not have been ready to be a parent at 16,
but more than five years later, in 2015, these two happily welcomed their second daughter, Nova.
Catelynn shared the joy of her new chapter in a sweet photo, writing,
"Being your mommy is the best thing in the world. […] You make my days brighter."
"Oh my gosh. I knew it. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. No f---ing way."
Four years later, in 2019, Catelynn gave birth to their third daughter,
Vaeda. The family also visits their daughter Carly, and her adoptive parents, as much
as they can. And judging by the sweet family moments featured on Catelynn's Instagram feed,
she's certainly come into her own as a wife and doting mother.
She may be a pro at parenting these days, but the road to motherhood hasn't been easy
for this reality TV star. Catelynn gave birth to Carly and Nova without a hitch. But after
she found out she was expecting a third time in 2017, she suffered a devastating miscarriage.
The story played out as yet another dark period in her life that was documented by MTV cameras.
In a 2018 episode, the reality star admitted that she couldn't have gotten through it
if it weren't for Tyler and her daughter Nova.
"Mommy has a baby in her belly. So you're gonna be a big sister. I be a big sister? Yeah."
Of course, Catelynn and Tyler went on to have a third successful pregnancy.
But that wasn't without its struggles. Revealing that she had experienced
anxiety and depression following her miscarriage, Catelynn told Us Weekly in 2018,
"I'm not gonna let that hold me back from the one of the most beautiful things in life,
which is children. I just have to continue therapy and work through it."
She later told the outlet in 2019 that she and Tyler plan
on possibly adding one more to the family, at some point. She joked,
"I will not keep trying until I have a boy. 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."
This couple appears to be happily matched for life. Catelynn married her Prince Charming in
an actual castle, and the couple currently lives with their daughters in an historic
farmhouse-turned-mansion, which they purchased back in 2017, and renovated themselves.
Tyler documented the reno on Instagram, and according to one of his posts, it has been a
dream of theirs to live in a farmhouse ever since they were kids. It was also a desire of Catelynn's
to have her own pony, but when she was growing up, her mom could never have afforded it. So, as she
shared on Instagram, she felt even prouder when she was able to do that for her daughter Nova. It
appears Catelynn is living out all her childhood dreams, and sharing all the joy with her family.
"If I'm gonna have a horse, I wanna be able to have a bond with the horse, and it's mine."
While she has always been strong and optimistic, there have been chapters in Catelynn's life where
she has needed professional help to find her footing. Following Nova's arrival in 2015,
Catelynn suffered from postpartum depression. And after her miscarriage, she was deeply
struggling with her mental health. She shared on the Reality Life With Kate Casey podcast,
"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 [take my own life]."
"I'm going to treatment. What made this decision,
honey? Because I contemplated every single way that I could kill myself today."
Catelynn also claimed that her experience with her miscarriage forced her to confront
issues from her past, ultimately helping her begin to heal those scars. She told Us Weekly,
"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."
But the reality star has since found the tools to prioritize her mental wellness,
thanks to time and professional therapy — and she wants to share her newfound wisdom with others.
Having revealed many of their experiences on the show, Catelynn told E! News,
"I think it comes down to the fact of letting people know
and showing the raw reality of it. 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."
"This is gonna show people…That we're not all happy. Everything's not always f------ perfect."
This made-for-reality-TV duo is clearly living their best life. In 2020, the couple celebrated
their fifth wedding anniversary — and based on Catelynn's Instagram, things seem to be
going great for the pair. But, just like every married couple, they've had their fair share of
ups and downs. And for these two, the drama just so happens to be a little more public than most.
"I wouldn't blame Tyler if he wanted to just divorce me."
When buzzy speculation about their relationship surfaced online in 2018,
Catelynn affirmed to Us Weekly that they were, quote, "not getting a divorce." And later that
year, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Catelynn issued a statement to squash any lingering rumors,
saying that they were taking 30 days to reflect on their marriage.
The pair has also been more than open about their relationship struggles on Teen Mom OG.
In a 2018 episode, they explained that they were working through issues
around communication and accountability. Whatever their current status may be,
it looks like these two aren't afraid to put in the time to make their marriage work.
If life as a reality star has taught Catelynn anything, it is to always rise above
all the nonsense. She's become used to defending herself against millions of loyal followers and
casual viewers — and that includes responding to criticism about her parenting choices.
During a 2019 episode, her daughter Nova had a full on meltdown when Catelynn left the
house for a spa day. And for that, Catelynn was hit with immediate backlash from fans.
"[I wanna come with you!] You can't come with me. [I wanna come with you!]"
At the time, Catelynn took to Twitter to defend herself, writing,
"That was my first time by myself in MONTHS!!!
And it was my birthday! If you are a parent you know that sometimes [you] need 'me time!'"
The reality mom has also been faced with seemingly relentless cheating rumors about Tyler over the
years. In a 2020 interview with Us Weekly, she said of the latest gossip over their relationship,
"[It's] utterly ridiculous at this point. 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. Keep stirring, though, because this pot is very strong and won't collapse."
Catelynn is proudly doing things her way, no matter what anyone else thinks.
From the way she raises her daughters, to her marriage, and even her hair,
she is taking the reins — on and off camera. During the summer of 2020,
Catelynn shocked fans when she debuted a brand new purple 'do with a fresh cut on
Instagram. She's also reportedly on track to eventually make microblading her profession.
"I think it's just important for parents to have your own purpose."
And from the looks of it, it seems like Catelynn and Tyler are more in love
than ever. For their anniversary in 2020, Catelynn marked the occasion
by posting their wedding photos on Instagram, and writing to her hubby,
"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 certainly come a long way since her teenaged reality debut. She's become an
inspiration to women everywhere and we can't wait to see what she does next!
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts,
please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.