Amber Portwood Stayed in Bed for 4 Months After Daughter Leah Asked to Be Adopted by Her Stepmom!

Amber Portwood Stayed in Bed for 4 Months After Daughter Leah Asked to Be Adopted by Her Stepmom!

On the latest episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Amber Portwood opened up about the emotional spiral she experienced after learning that her teenage daughter Leah wants to be adopted by her stepmother, Kristina Shirley.

Amber Says the Adoption Request “Took Over Everything”

The episode, which aired Thursday on MTV, finds Amber still reeling from the devastating news. As she slowly gets out of bed after 11 a.m., she tells producers that the heartbreak of Leah’s adoption request piled onto an already difficult emotional state.

“I thought I was already dark and deep and in a hole from what happened to me from [my fiancé Gary Wayt ditching me] in North Carolina and him leaving me in the mountains,” Amber said during a confessional. “But when I found out about my daughter saying she wanted to be adopted, it took over everything.”

Amber Portwood, 34, then shared that the grief was so overwhelming, she was “really in bed for four months” and emotionally unable to function.

Amber’s Public Breakdown and Leah’s Reasoning

Viewers also saw footage of Amber emotionally unraveling during one of her many heated TikTok Lives, where she’s previously addressed her strained relationship with Leah, 16. The news about the possible adoption first surfaced back in July, when Leah’s father, Gary Shirley, revealed during an episode that Leah wanted — the woman who has raised her for most of her life — to become her legal parent.

Shortly afterward, a source close to Amber confirmed her heartbreak.

“Obviously, any implication that her daughter wants to be adopted is devastating to Amber,” the source told Us Weekly at the time. “Her two kids are the reason Amber wakes up in the morning. They are why she continues filming the show and her motivation for everything.”

Leah has also shared her own perspective in recent episodes, expressing that while Kristina has always been consistent and supportive, Amber has not. Leah noted that Kristina has been a part of her life since she was a toddler.

Amber Leans on Her Own Mother for Support

During Thursday’s episode, Amber attempts to rebuild her emotional strength by reaching out to her mother, Tonya, whom she calls on the phone.

“I just woke up hopeless,” she tells Tonya through tears. “I was just feeling, like, hopeless, like, why am I awake?”

Tonya gently asked if Amber is still taking her medications prescribed for her mental health. Amber reassures her mother that she is.

“You’ve been through a lot of s**t over these past years,” Tonya says, trying to comfort her daughter.

“How many times have I called you crying, Mom? In the last couple weeks?” Amber asks, to which Tonya replies, “I’ve lost count.”

Amber then shares her deepest fear — that her daughter may never reconnect with her. “My life circumstances, and the things with Leah, I’m scared she’s never gonna come around,” she tells her mother.

Tonya offers reassurance, saying, “She’ll come around when she’s ready.”

“I know, but I’m scared that’s not going to happen,” Amber admits.

Tonya also reveals that she and Leah have remained in touch through text, which causes Amber to tear up.

Holding Onto Hope

Later in the episode, Amber reflects on the progress she has made with her own mother, which offers her a glimmer of optimism for the future of her relationship with Leah.

“I see how my relationship with my mom was completely tumultuous and today, I’m with my mom and love my mom so much,” Amber says. “So, this is why I have hope with Leah. It’s gonna get better; it’s just gonna take me a little while.”

Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs Thursdays, at 8pm EST, on MTV.

 

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