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Jamie and Doug, stars of the hit reality series “Married at First Sight,” welcome their son Hendrix to the world during tonight’s episode of “MAFS: Couples’ Cam.”
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
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.
“It was intense. The contractions came and they were like fire — all-consuming of my whole entire body,” Jamie told People in May. “It was very, very painful, but I tried really hard not to panic and reminded myself that my baby boy is going through the same exact thing that I am.”
“My midwife ended up helping me deliver him, and he came out and was perfect. He didn’t even really cry! I had to stimulate him to cry. He was so calm,” Jamie continued, while Doug added, “I was never more in love with someone and in awe of someone than watching her give birth to our son.”
Jamie also shared the experience with her fans on Instagram in a series of photos, with one recent June post describing the feeling of giving birth with no medications. The reality star wrote, “Having an unmedicated home birth was INCREDIBLE. Not gonna [lie], it def hurt … but the BOND we had the moment I held him in my arms was worth every single contraction, tear and stitch.”
They Had a Home Birth Due to Concerns Over COVID-19
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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