‘Teen Mom OG’ Star Catelynn Lowell Feels ‘Stronger’ After Separation From Tyler Baltierra

Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra are better than ever following their trial separation.

Monday’s season premiere of Teen Mom OG picked up a month after last season ended, with Lowell and Baltierra preparing to move back in together after tension surrounding her stay in a mental health facility left Baltierra feeling admittedly “bitter” at being abandoned to parent 3-year-old daughter Nova alone.

While asking for a trial separation initially had Lowell fearing her husband was looking to divorce her, the two ended up spending nearly every day together, Baltierra told his friend.

“We kind of took it and made it our little thing that worked for us,” he explained, adding that he would never put his own mental health on the “back burner” ever again. “Part of my duty is to be good for Cate, to be good for my family.”

Lowell was also feeling better about their relationship on the other side of spending time apart.

“I grew a lot more independent during our separation, so now that we’re back together, I don’t want Tyler to feel like he’s my caretaker again,” she told the camera. “I don’t want Tyler to feel like he’s walking on eggshells around me again, because I’m stronger than I was before the separation. So I want to communicate openly so resentment doesn’t build up.”

Sitting down to talk as a couple about the progress they had made, Lowell made a strong statement to her husband about the revelations she had during their time apart.

“If he ends up wanting to divorce me, I guess, whatever, I’ll be sad, but I don’t f—ing need you,” she told him of her mindset. “I could do this on my own. If you were to leave, I could be a mom — I could be a bada— mom and not even give a s—.”

She added, “I want you forever, but I don’t need you.”

Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

Photo credit: Instagram/Tyler Baltierra