Catelynn Lowell has been through a lot in her life.
She went through so much trauma in her childhood thanks to her alcoholic mother and the men she brought into her life, and when she got pregnant at 16 she made the brave but extremely difficult choice to place that child for adoption.
And of course she's seriously struggled with her mental health for a long time now.
But no matter how bad things have been for her, we never could have guessed she'd be doing through this right now ...
1. What a History
Before we get to where we're going, let's sure we're all fresh on Catelynn's history with this topic, OK?
2. A Hard Time
When Catelynn was 16, she and her boyfriend Tyler (who is now her husband, of course) discovered she was pregnant. It wasn't good news because of her age, as well as the fact that she had an extremely turbulent home life.
3. So Sad
She briefly considered abortion, then decided on adoption. And if you remember her episode of 16 and Pregnant, you remember that her family did not approve.
4. So Much Strength
They tried hard to pressure them into keeping the baby, but knowing they couldn't provide a baby with a stable home, they did go through with the adoption. It was a truly selfless choice, but that didn't make it easy.
5. Totally Understandable
Over the years on Teen Mom, we saw them really struggle with their decision. They kept in touch with their daughter's parents, they had visits with the kid, but still ... it was obviously very hard.
6. Hmmm
And that's a big part of why people really don't understand Catelynn's statement about giving away her daughter, Nova.