Jamie & Doug Baby Update on MAFS: Meet Hendrix Douglas

Jamie and Doug, stars of the hit Lifetime series Married at First Sight, recently welcomed their son Hendrix Douglas to the world on May 13, 2020. The reality stars decided to have a home birth for their son due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, which will be documented during Wednesday’s episode of Married at First Sight: Couples’ Cam. 

The MAFS stars shared their experiences having a home birth with Heavy during an exclusive interview last month. Keep reading for details on why Jamie and Doug decided to have Hendrix at home, and why they changed his name at the last minute following his birth.

Jamie Had an Unmedicated Birth With The Help of a Doula & Midwife

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It’s wild to think just 3 days ago his whole body was INSIDE my belly.🤯🤰🏼👶🏼🌈⁣ ⁣ It is so amazing what a woman’s body can do! I mean, us women get one little sperm from a man & then we proceed to grow a tiny HUMAN inside us! …don’t even get me started on how strong we are to birth that tiny human — whether he’s pushed out or cut out, medicated or unmedicated — we are freakin superheroes!🦸🏼‍♀️ ⁣ ⁣ I pushed this little guy out in a tub of water right next to my bed in the middle of my bedroom. After I got him in my arms I got out of the tub with the placenta still inside me & attached to him, climbed up on my bed, delivered my placenta and got stitched up while my son snuggled on my chest.🤱🏻 I kinda felt like a bad-azz super mama for a hot second! 💪🏼 ⁣ ⁣ ….Until the fourth trimester hit me like a ton of bricks!😳 Ahh, the adrenaline soon ran out!😭 My vagina’s on fire, my butt feels like it exploded, and my nipples are back to being cracked and bleeding from nursing 🤷🏼‍♀️ (didn’t really expect this one since I nursed Gracie for a full year).🤪⁣ ⁣ Still, I wouldn’t change *any* of this journey. I feel so BLESSED to get to be a mommy again.🙏🏻 I don’t know what you think, but I def think the fourth trimester is the hardest trimester… physically, mentally, & emotionally! If anyone has tips to make it easier I’ll take ‘em! I’ve done this before but I’m wide open to learning/trying something new to heal faster!💪🏼⁣ ⁣ And total side note, but Doug and I have a huge announcement we want to share with you – our FRANS – first! We will be LIVE tomorrow right here on my Instagram at 7:30pm EST. Can’t wait to see you, share our news, and chat for a few minutes!💗⁣ ⁣ Another side note: that second pic Gracie came running up, kissed his foot, hugged me and then ran away 😭 Doug snapped the pic while I was saying “awwww!!!”🥰 She is such a sweetheart!☺️⁣

A post shared by J a m i e O t i s 🤰🏼 (@jamienotis) on May 16, 2020 at 6:29pm PDT

Hendrix Douglas was born on May 13, 2020 in a small pool next to his parents’ bed, with the help of a doula and a midwife. Although the unmedicated labor was intense and painful, Jamie told People that she couldn’t be happier with their decision to have Hendrix at home.

They Had a Home Birth Due to Concerns Over COVID-19

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He’s Here!! So proud of @jamienotis for how unbelievably brave, amazing, determined, and loving she was today! It was an intense but somewhat magical day of bringing Hayes Douglas Hehner into the world, less than 6 ft from our bed 🤯🙃😁 . The resemblance to @henleygracehehner is crazy, but more importantly, baby and mom are doing amazing & perfectly healthy👏🏼 . Our Midwife Dina and her assistant/dula Simone were incredible, and really made today a stress and worry free day! It felt like the world was forcing us to make one of the most difficult decisions of our lives in having a home birth or going to a hospital…. Little did I know it would be one of the most memorable and happiest days of my life! . This picture was taken minutes before Jamie pushed him out, caught him in her arms, and brought him up to her chest to say hello for the first time! . This was my game face!! 😁🤷🏼‍♂️🤙😉 . Welcome to the world Hayes Douglas Hehner! . Thank you @people for the amazing article (Link in my Bio!) . . . #dadlife #babyboy #hayesdouglas #momlife #marriedatfirstsight #couplescam #mafs #amazing #sohappy #healthybaby #family #hotmarriagecoolparents

A post shared by Doug Hehner (@doughehner) on May 13, 2020 at 8:40pm PDT

Due to the continuous spread of the coronavirus epidemic across the globe, Jamie and Doug were forced to find an alternative birthing plan for Hendrix. Jamie noted that a home birth was never something they would have considered prior to a global pandemic, but they weighed the options and felt like having Hendrix at home was the safest choice for everybody involved.

“We live in New Jersey – just outside NYC – the epicenter of COVID19,” Jamie shared with Heavy. “I’m a labor and delivery nurse and some colleagues had told me that nurses on the unit were catching the virus no matter how safe they were trying to be. That really scared me – not for myself, but for my newborn. How would he react if he caught COVID-19? OR, if I caught it and had to be kept away from him for two weeks – how could I do that?!”

She continued, “We researched and decided a home birth would be the best option for our family. This is something I would have never, ever considered prior to this pandemic, but now I am very excited to deliver my son in my home in the tub.”

Jamie & Doug Decided to Change Their Son’s Name From Hayes to Hendrix After He Was Born

Jamie and Doug had originally named their son Hayes when he first came into the world, but the moment they met him, both stars felt like he was more of a Hendrix. Jamie mentioned during an Instagram Live video that the moment she looked at him, she nearly called him Hendrix, so they decided to change his name.

“The minute we had our son, the minute he came out, I looked at him [and] I almost called him Hendrix,” she explained in a May 17 Instagram Live video. “That was, like, a top name for him, [but] we named him Hayes before we met him. We felt pressured to make a decision of what his name was gonna be because I wanted to bond with him … knowing [his] name. We decided on Hayes Douglas.”

A name beginning with “H” was a must for the pair, who are also parents to 2-year-old daughter Henley “Gracie” Hehner, according to Today, so Hendrix still met the name requirements the parents had agreed on earlier in the pregnancy. “I don’t know why we chose Hayes to begin with now,” Doug added of the name.

Married at First Sight: Couples’ Cam airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. You can find updates on the current cast members and more MAFS coverage here.

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