Teen Mom’s Catelynn Lowell Shares Rare Birthday Tribute to Daughter Carly After Placing Her for Adoption

Major milestone! Teen Mom star Catelynn Baltierra (née Lowell) shared a rare birthday tribute to her daughter Carly after she ​placed her for adoption.

“14 years ago this amazing little girl was born!” Catelynn, 31, captioned a series of throwback photos via Instagram on Thursday, May 18. “Gosh if she only knew how many people she has touched and changed. Happy Birthday Carly. We love you so much!!!”

The MTV star shares Carly and her daughters Novalee, 8, Vaeda, 4, and Rya, 20 months, with her husband, Tyler Baltierra. The high school sweethearts tied the knot in 2015.

Fans first met Catelynn and Tyler, 31, when they starred on an episode of 16 and Pregnant in 2009. At the time, the then-teenagers were expecting Carly and planning to place her for adoption.

After their firstborn was adopted by Brandon Davis and Teresa Davis, viewers watched Catelynn and Tyler navigate their lives and grow their relationship after ​placing Carly in the open adoption on Teen Mom.

Over the years, both Catelynn and Tyler have been open about their complex emotions regarding the adoption.

“I just remember the initial anxiety and being very scared,” the mother of four told E! News in November 2021. “At that time, I didn’t even have a cell phone. I didn’t even have my driver’s license yet. I didn’t have a car. My mom and Tyler’s dad were kind of bad in addiction during that period of time also.”

Catelynn went on to note that she’s happy they could share their story on such a popular platform. “When our episode first aired on MTV in 2009, it was the very first episode that really documented what adoption looks like,” she explained. “I really do think that it opened the eyes for lots of people to really see how real adoption works and the struggles that birth parents go through and adoptive parents go through.”

While Catelynn and Tyler have kept in touch with Carly, Brandon and Teresa, the Michigan natives have discussed struggling with boundaries regarding the relationship.

Catelynn also admitted that she hopes Carly has a strong bond with her younger daughters, though knows it may be more difficult than a normal sibling relationship. “It’s part of the sacrifice of adoption,” she told the outlet at the time. “You know, we sacrifice a lot for this child to have the life that she has.”