Amber Portwood first stepped into the public eye on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant in 2009, giving birth to Leah Leann Shirley on November 12, 2008, alongside her then-boyfriend Gary Shirley.

The early seasons of Teen Mom documented a highly volatile environment. In 2010, international attention focused on the household when episodes captured instances of domestic violence committed by Amber against Gary.

As Amber’s legal and personal troubles mounted—culminating in a prison sentence—Gary Shirley was granted full custody of Leah in December 2011. While Amber later maintained that she spent years attempting to establish regular visitation and work toward joint custody, the primary task of raising Leah fell to Gary and his eventual wife, Kristina Shirley.

Amber gets sad

@notty.vr Do you think her brother gave her solid advice? I still think Amber doesn’t fully grasp how Leah feels. #teenmom #teenmomthenextchapter #teenmommtv #mtv #mtvrealityshow #mtvclips #teenmomclips ♬ original sound – ALICIA.NOTTY.VR