Jamie Otis & Doug Hehner Share Their Experience Of Giving Their Second Child An In-Home Birth Due To Pandemic
Earlier in April, Jamie had revealed that they have decided to give their baby an in-home birth. Jamie Otis & Doug Hehner Share Their Experience Of Giving Their Second Child An In-Home Birth Due To Pandemic. |
The pandemic has restrained people to a large extent and even Jamie had to give birth to their child in her home. The duo recently opened up about their experience as they faced a challenge of their life.
In a video conversation with etonline.com, Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner made some interesting revelations. Hehner said, “We’re exhausted,” but expressed how he is amazed by the entire experience of his wife giving birth to a “nine-pound baby.”
“Nine pounds, four ounces!” Otis interjected. “I’m taking credit for every single ounce!”
“Jamie was amazing,” Hehner appreciated his wife and added, “She’s now superwoman to me. Really, really incredible.”
“If it is safe to have a home birth for us, why would we want to take up a bed where somebody that may be sick should be there,” Hehner added according to the website. “No nurse should have to waste their protective gear on us.”
But Jamie Otis baby remembers how painful it was for her. “I was like, ‘Women have been doing this for years! This is going to be fun, this is going to be OK,'” she recalled. “[But] it was very, very painful to be quite honest,” she said.
All is well that ends well though and Jamie married, at first, sight, loved when the baby finally came out. “To be able to feel every little bit of him you know moving inside me still kicking as he’s coming out like, I mean I could feel everything,” Otis said. “Then, when, I held him and it was just the most amazing feeling like we really bonded… Not gonna lie though, it was very, very painful.”
Earlier in April, Jamie had revealed that they have decided to give their baby an in-home birth. In a long Instagram post where she can also be seen flaunting her baby bump, she wrote, “35 wks & It’s official!!! We are having a HOME BIRTH!🤰🏼…I may deliver him right here in my very own tub.
Check out the full post below:
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Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner on Choosing an At-Home Water Birth Amid Coronavirus Crisis (Exclusive)
Jamie Otis baby and Doug Hehner welcomed their second child back in May, but in a way, they never planned on. The Married At First Sight Australia stars recently spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier via video chat and opened up about Otis' experience giving birth right in their bedroom.
"We're exhausted," Hehner said, adding that he's still amazed at the entire experience of his wife giving birth to a "nine-pound baby."
"Nine pounds, four ounces!" Otis interjected. "I'm taking credit for every single ounce!"
"Jaime was amazing," Hehner marveled at his wife's determination. "She's now superwoman to me. Really, really incredible."
Having an at-home birth was never part of the original plan for the couple -- who met and fell in love during their time on the first season of Married At First Sight Couples Cam Australia back in 2014. However, the coronavirus pandemic wound up changing everything for them.
"Having a baby in the hospital turned out to be way riskier than having a baby at home," Hehner explained, while sitting with Otis in the room where she delivered their son, Hendrix, on May 13.
"If it is safe to have a home birth for us, why would we want to take up a bed where somebody that may be sick should be there," Hehner added. "No nurse should have to waste their protective gear on us."
However, giving birth at home meant Otis had to forgo an epidural -- which meant a vastly different experience than when she gave birth to their daughter, Henley, in August 2017.
"I was like, 'Women have been doing this for years! This is going to be fun, this is going to be OK,'" Otis recalled. "[But] it was very, very painful to be quite honest."
Otis said that, despite the intense pain, it was a "very miraculous experience" to give birth without any anesthetic.
"To be able to feel every little bit of him you know moving inside me still kicking as he's coming out like, I mean I could feel everything," Otis said. "Then, when, I held him and it was just the most amazing feeling like we really bonded… Not gonna lie though, it was very, very painful."
Before welcoming their newborn son, Otis revealed that they'd decided on an at-home birth in April, and explained that the decision was not made lightly.
"To be very honest, if this pandemic never came there’s not a chance I would’ve ever considered a home birth," she wrote in an Instagram post. "I didn’t know a lot about them and as a Labor & Delivery nurse, I learned the safest place to have your baby is in the hospital. ....but then COVID19 came."
"We weighed every single option and thoroughly RESEARCHED," she continued. "I prayed and meditated and just asked for signs🙏🏻 ... and the other day when I met with my midwife I just *knew* a home birth is going to be safest and best for us during this time.🤱🏻." antimonium, Fans will get a chance to go inside Otis and Hehner's life as parents -- and even their home birth -- during the upcoming season of Married At First Sight Australia: Couples Cam.
The self-shot six-episode spinoff series gives viewers a look at the marriages that were sparked on the various seasons of the reality series, and are still going strong to this day.
Married At First Sight Australia: Couples Cam premieres Wednesday, June 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
'Married At First Sight Australia': Jamie's labor pains and home birth have fans cheering for the 'brave' mother
Jamie admitted the intense six-hour labor was indeed very painful and she felt as if her body were on fire but she knew her baby would have been feeling the same thing
Jamie Otis baby and Dough Hehner welcomed their second child, baby boy Hendrix, in this week's episode of 'Married At First Sight: Couples' Cam.' It was quite nerve-wracking for the couple. From not knowing which birth method to opt for to embracing their seconds-old little one, the show documented most of their pregnancy journey and it was beautiful.
It took a while for the couple to zero in on home birth but the pandemic didn't leave them with any other option. Jamie is a labor nurse and therefore, knew the complications that childbirth brings, but she was also aware that a hospital birth would be a bigger risk for her and her child given the Covid-19 situation.
But, Doug wasn't convinced for a while. Even after they had a lengthy chat with their mid-wife, he thought that being in a professional setup would help them stay prepared for any and all kinds of emergencies. However, he finally gave in and it was not all that bad.
Most of Jamie's pregnancy was smooth, but her contractions were painful. And the six-hour intense labor was tough to watch. Doug appeared antimonial concerned as he sat by her tub, holding her hands while she delivered their baby.
Last month Jamie spoke with the People magazine elaborating on her experience. Even though it was painful and felt like a fire had consumed her whole body, she reminded herself that her baby was going through the exact same thing and those were the thoughts she found strength in.
"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," the reality TV star further added.
Meanwhile, fans cannot stop praising how brave and beautiful Jamie was to opt for a home birth.
"Am I the only one that was cheering @jamienotis on? Congratulations and may blessings #MarriedAtFirstSight #couplescam," a viewer shared, while another commented: "Giving birth is a beautiful thing and I'm ok cheering for beautiful things."
"Watching couples cam and I have no clue how @jamienotis did it. Or how any woman does it for that matter....#CouplesCam #MarriedAtFirstSight," 'Married At First Sight' alum Anthony D'Amico wrote.
"Having sympathy pains for you. Brave strong woman," a user tweeted.
Catch all the new episodes of 'Married At First Sight: Couples' Cam' on Lifetime every Wednesday.
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 baby decided to have Hendrix at home, and why they changed his name at the last minute following his birth.
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.”
Due to the continuous spread of the coronavirus epidemic across the globe, Jamie and Doug baby boy were forced to find an alternative birthing plan for Hendrix. Jamie noted that 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 and Doug baby boy 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.
'MAFS: Couples Cam' Sneak Peek: Jamie & Doug Prepare for Baby H's Arrival (VIDEO)
Married at First Sight's latest spinoff, Couples Cam continues this week with a big milestone for the franchise's O.G.s Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner as they prepare for the birth of their second child, whom they've lovingly nicknamed "Baby H" ahead of the arrival.
Filmed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, this self-shot series offers fans of the MAFS universe a look into the lives of their favorite couples from seasons past like never before. And in an exclusive sneak peek at the Wednesday, June 17 episode, we see Jamie and Doug get ready for the home birth of their son.
But the birth of the latest addition to the Hehner family. the couple also shares two-year-old daughter Henley Grace proves to be more complicated than originally planned. In the first look, Jamie suffers through labor pains for hours. "It hurts really bad," she says as Doug holds her hand alongside the couple's midwives.
Ahead of Couples Cam's premiere, TV Insider caught up with the couple to discuss what fans should expect from their self-shot footage, and they shared what brought them to the decision to show their home birth. "Until this pandemic happened, and right as we're trying to decide how we're going to deliver this baby safely, MAFS calls us and says, 'Oh, we want a home show,'" Jamie recalled.
"So we were very honest about all of that stuff in our life," she continued. "If we're going to film we're just going, to be honest, and be ourselves. And so we did share, and it's actually very eye-opening because home birth is a great opportunity for someone who is a low-risk pregnancy."
Get a sneak peek at the birth above and don't miss the full experience by tuning into Married at First Sight: Couples Cam on Lifetime.
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