Who are Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner? Meet the 'MAFS' Season 1 couple who have been together for 7 years
If you're curious to know what past 'MAFS' couples have been up to, then be sure to tune in to 'Married at First Sight: Couples Cam'. A self-shot series, 'Couples Cam' gives us a look into the 'MAFS' couples' lives — from dealing with a pandemic to working on their relationship, and in some cases, taking care of their growing families.
Season one of 'Couples Cam' came with its own set of highs and lows and some pretty intense drama, thanks to the pandemic. The most nerve-racking storyline of that season was watching Doug Hehner and Jamie Otis decide on home birth. The couple finally did welcome their second child, Hendrix Hehner, via water birth at home. Here's what we know about the 'MAFS' OG couple, who are clearly the blueprint for love.
RELATED ARTICLES
Jamie Otis was not attracted to Doug Hehner when they first met
A registered nurse working at Columbia Presbyterian, Jamie Otis had a tough life growing up. She didn't know her birth father and while her mother abused drugs, she had to care for her siblings while studying herself. With the hope of finding love, she joined the show where she was matched with Doug Hehner. Otis ended up having a breakdown on the day of her wedding, seeing that she was convinced she wasn't attracted to him. However, with time, Hehner won his wife's love and now, seven years later, the two are stronger and happier than ever.
In fact, Otis often takes to Instagram to talk about her wedding day and even pokes fun at herself. Her caption on one post reads, "Have you ever seen a happier bride?! I did *not* want him to touch me or pretend we were some happily married couple just because we were filming a tv show. Most of you guys saw our season of MAFS, but for those who are new here (hi!!!) I’ll fill ya in real fast! Basically, I didn’t know anything about my new stranger hubby when I said “I do.” It was the first season of Married At First Sight so there was no real prep or rule book prior to our wedding — but I’m pretty sure a rule was created after our season though: “don’t act like Jamie!”"
They've dealt with their fair share of loss
The couple currently has two children — Henley and Hendrix. However, the journey to parenthood hasn't been easy for them, seeing that they've suffered multiple miscarriages over the years, the most painful one being that of Jonathan, a son the couple lost after his birth. Otis, who is very vocal about her struggle with her pregnancies, has opened up about it on her Instagram.
"My sweet boy who made me a mommy. I only got to hold him briefly before he was taken away from me. Johnathan would be 4 today if he had made it to his due date. I’ve had several pregnancy losses, but none have hurt the way losing him has. I think it’s because I birthed him and held him and we were SO CLOSE to the cut off date where we could try to save him. I also think the pain in my heart comes because of the way his short life ended...and worse of all, I think it’s because of my past voluntary abortions. I’ve always felt like my losing Johnathan was pay back for the decisions I made when I was in college trying to raise my younger siblings. I was living in a trailer with leaky ceilings and legit holes in the floor that we’d cover up with boards so we wouldn’t fall through. I was the first girl to graduate high school in my whole family and I was determined to “make something of myself.” I didn’t want to live on welfare and “pop out babies” the rest of my life. I was saving up for college and I was determined to go."
"But then I got pregnant — by the one I lost my virginity to. I was a devastated teenager. My mom was off on drug binges and my younger siblings were looking to me for food, love, and support. After weighing all of my options I decided I had no choice but to go through with an abortion. This happened twice while I was raising my siblings.... I know, I know! I wish I could scream to my younger self, BIRTH CONTROL!I rarely talk about this because I still have immense shame. But I’m working through it."
The couple constantly works on their marriage
The couple has a podcast together called 'Hot Marriage Cool Parents' where they talk about relationships, parenting and more. The two are quite candid about the effort that goes into making their relationship work. "Communication is something we are *still* working on. I'm a wide-open book and Doug is super closed off. We both need constant reminders to communicate effectively," Otis said in an interview with ScreenRant. Looks like this couple is always going the extra mile to make their relationship work and we can't wait to see what they've been up to recently.
'Married at First Sight: Couples Cam' Season 2 premieres on Lifetime on February 4, Thursday, at 8/7c.
