Viewers of MTV’s popular series “16 and pregnant” and “Teen Mom” first met Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra when the Michigan couple gave up their daughter, Carly, in 2009 after they made the decision they weren’t yet ready to become parents. The couple has stayed together, but their time as reality stars ended last year, when the fourth season of “Teen Mom” concluded.
Catelynn, however, is pursuing a goal to become an adoption counselor, in part because of the positive experience she had going through the adoption process. Catelynn and Tyler paired up with the adoption agency that handled their open adoption and ImPregnant.org for a brief series of recent speaking engagements, in which they discussed unplanned pregnancy, adoption, and other issues facing young adults and teens.
The birth parents they selected, Brandon and Theresa, also have become mini-celebrities as a result of “Teen Mom.” Brandon and Theresa, however, say Carly’s birth parents have done wonders to promote adoption in the U.S. Before Catelynn and Tyler were selected to be on “16 and Pregnant” the couple had chosen Brandon and Teresa to be Carly’s adoptive parents.
Brandon and Theresa didn’t balk when Carly’s birth parents decided to go through with the reality series. “In retrospect, we are glad that they were part of the show,” Brandon told LifeLines magazine, in its fall 2012 issue. ”Catelynn and Tyler have told their story, and it has changed lives,” he said. “We hope and pray that it has saved lives too. We are thankful that Catelynn and Tyler were a part of the show and that we are a small part, even if it saves one life.”