Ashley Salazar’s story was one of the most tragic on 16 and Pregnant. Ashley was young and naive, and it seemed like she might’ve been taken advantage of by her own family.
It all started when she decided to put her baby up for adoption. At first, it seemed like she was going to go through an adoption agency.
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This would’ve most likely been the best way to go about it. It would’ve been organized by a third party, and Ashley would’ve had support through this difficult process. But in the end, Ashley decided not to go through an agency.
She found out that her aunt and uncle were interested in adopting her baby, so she decided to handle this privately with them. But the issue was that as a result, she didn’t get any counseling or support from professionals.
Ashley Was Blindsided by What Happened
A couple of years ago, someone on Reddit described the entire story. They pointed out that Ashley was basically left to fend for herself in all this.
Her family didn’t really help her through the process. Even her own mom wasn’t there for her as much as she probably should’ve been.
When it came down to it, Ashley seemingly didn’t have a clue what was happening. She didn’t have an adoption contract or anything like that ready.
When a social worker pointed out that these things should’ve been explained to Ashley by an adoption counselor, her mom basically dismissed all of her concerns. She said that they didn’t go through an agency because the baby was going to their family members.
This just doesn’t seem like a very good excuse. Adoption agencies do a lot of different things for the people involved.
It’s obvious that Ashley needed help. She wanted her daughter to have a good life and was willing to let her go to achieve that.
Giving up a baby like this isn’t easy. It can take a huge emotional toll on the mother.
At least with an adoption agency, Ashley would’ve understood what was going on and what was about to happen. She would’ve known what to expect and what she needed to prepare for.
She would’ve had a professional explain everything to her. This most likely would’ve made the process so much easier on Ashley.
Instead, she was blindsided by everything that was happening. No one was there to support her.
Ashley Considered Taking Callie Back
Some people on Reddit pointed out that there might’ve been a reason why Ashley’s family chose not to use an adoption agency to make the process easier on everyone. It’s actually pretty simple.
Obviously, using an agency would’ve cost them a lot of money. It’s possible that Ashley’s aunt and uncle just didn’t have that money.
They would’ve probably had to pay thousands of dollars if not tens of thousands. So, by not going through an agency, they were most likely able to save a lot of money.
On the one hand, this is perfectly understandable. Even if they did have the money, they might’ve felt like it would be better spent on their daughter.
On the other hand, it’s clear that no one was looking out for Ashley. They should’ve at least gotten her a counselor or something like that. Instead, she was kept in the dark about most of what was going to happen, which is probably one of the biggest reasons why the whole experience was so difficult for her.
After her daughter, Callie, was born, Ashley even considered taking her decision back and keeping her. She was really miserable.
To their credit, her aunt and uncle saw that and decided to help her. They let her have Callie for a trial period.
Ashley kept her daughter for about a month. But in the end, she decided to give her back to her aunt and uncle.
People on Reddit said that this was probably the best choice for Callie. It must’ve still been heartbreaking for Ashley.
Ashley Wasn’t Sure She Made the Right Choice
She’s actually since talked about the entire adoption process. From everything she’s said, it’s obvious that the whole thing was incredibly painful for her.
One year after the adoption went through, she did an interview with Radar Online. When asked about the decision, she admitted that she wasn’t fully convinced that she made the right choice.
Ashley said: “I honestly don’t think that I will ever be 100 percent confident in my decision. I suffer every day for it.”
She said that she still had days when she felt really down about the adoption. She said that she was depressed, confused, and unsure. The only thing that gave her some relief from these feelings was the knowledge that her daughter was safe.
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Ashley knew that Callie was well taken care of. She had everything she could ever need and want, and this made it slightly easier on her.
But at the same time, it was clear that Ashley still wasn’t completely on board with it all. When she was asked how she thought her life would be different had she not gone through with the adoption, she said something truly heartbreaking.
Ashley said: “I think I might have been a tad bit happier.” She admitted that keeping her daughter would’ve probably made her feel better.
Keeping Callie Would Have Come at a High Cost
It really sounds like she had some regrets about what happened with Callie. Ashley also said that she knew that keeping her wouldn’t have been easy.
She said that the stress would’ve probably canceled out some of the happiness of having her daughter with her. She admitted that when she heard about all the things that her aunt and uncle had to do for Callie, she felt a little relieved.
Ashley claimed that she was sure that she and Callie would’ve been just fine and happy together. This probably would’ve come at a high cost.
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She would have to work all the time. Because of that, she would most likely never be around.
Ashley’s comments made a lot of sense. Taking care of a baby is not an easy task. It’s also very expensive.
But it’s clear that a part of Ashley still wishes that things were different. In December 2019, she opened up about this topic yet again on her Instagram.
It had just recently been Callie’s birthday, and Ashley reflected on everything that had happened. She wrote, in part: “I am still sometimes unsure as to why things work out the way they do, but underneath it all, I will forever be so eternally grateful for this beautiful girl alive and well in this insane world.”
Callie Has a Brother Now
The good part of Ashley’s story is that she still gets to be involved in Callie’s life. What’s more, she also has another child now.
In January 2017, Ashley gave birth to her son, Phoenix. She actually had him with Callie’s dad, Justin Lane.
The two got back together for some time. But by 2020, they’d broken up again.
This doesn’t mean that Ashley is alone, though. She obviously has her son.
Ashley also seems to be in a new relationship. She has a new boyfriend, who she sometimes posts about on her Instagram.
Overall, it seems like Ashley is doing a lot better these days. Despite everything that happened, she was able to find happiness again eventually. But her story is still devastating.
A lot of people have come to the conclusion that Ashley’s family should’ve done more to help her back when she was a pregnant teen. They should’ve been there for her more than they actually were.
It’s clear that she’s still torn up about what happened back then to this day. She said that she wasn’t sure if she’d ever be able to be 100% confident in her decision. Hopefully, she’s not too hard on herself, though.
It’s clear that she did what she thought was in Callie’s best interest. She put her daughter first, and that’s really admirable. It’s just a shame that no one tried to make the process easier on her.
