If you're a fan of Bringing Up Bates, you were likely anticipating the birth of Carlin Bates' first child. Carlin, who married musician Evan Stewart back in 2019, wasted no time in starting her own family.
Known for having plenty of siblings, Carlin has not stated directly if she also wants a big family. But right now, she's rightfully focused on her firstborn. Layla Rae Stewart was born in late January 2020. The experience was emotional, but a beautiful moment for the new family.
"How do you describe an experience so emotionally intense and so magically wonderful as welcoming a brand new baby into the world?" the two said in a statement to People magazine. "We feel like our lives just became incredibly busy, but unimaginably blessed with little Layla Rae’s arrival!"
That said, the two admit that they've thought about nothing but their new baby throughout their entire pregnancy. "She has already consumed our thoughts and intentions for these past pregnancy months and now, no day will ever be the same without her!" they added.
However, baby Layla was born early, which means that fans have been extra concerned over her health.
In a photo that Carlin shared, fans noticed a wrapping around Layla's foot and started to panic. "Just tryin’ to bring some cuteness to the gram today with miss," she captioned the photo. However, one fan pointed out the wrapping. "She’s so CUTE!! ," wrote @marley_may_04. "What’s wrong with her foot?"
While it looks a bit like a bandage, it doesn't seem to bother Layla at all. In the photos, she's smiling proudly. However, Carlin may not have realized that she was accidentally advertising a helpful product for new moms in her photo. If she's looking for a partnership, Owlet should contact her as soon as possible.
An Owlet is a monitor that helps keep track of your baby's breathing throughout the night. For parents who are worried about SIDS, the monitor can be a good way to calm you down and get some rest during the night. Carlin made sure to tag the company in her response of "she wears a @owletcare baby monitor that tracks her heart rate and oxygen levels."
The sock seen on Layla's foot is called a Smart Sock. By putting in on Layla at bedtime, Carlin and her husband can get readings on their baby's breathing throughout the night. If the Owlet detects trouble, an alarm will go off. That way, they can be notified immediately and check on Layla to make sure she's OK.
New parents already have hundreds of things to worry about, especially this year. So a product like this will hopefully give Carlin some peace of mind at night. "This is such a great option for new moms," one of her fans stated on Instagram. "When my kiddos were little I was always so nervous when they slept. This would have been nice to have."
That said, some doctors don't approve of monitors such like this. The reason being, they can malfunction on occasion and cause panic. "I worry about the unnecessary care and even potential harm to babies that can be associated with alarms from these devices," Dr. Christopher Bonafide said to WebMD. "There's not a role for these devices in the care of healthy infants."
Owlet's response in that same article was that it was trying to "help parents take a proactive approach to their baby's health and wellness." While accidents and misreads may happen, it's still good in the moment for new moms to feel like something is watching over the baby at night. New moms barely sleep enough as is.
If you invest in one yourself, just make sure to know that babies might kick off the sock or rotate it in such a way that might set the alarm off. But hopefully those incidents don't happen enough to cause too much panic. No matter what, it's good to know that Carlin isn't ashamed to admit that these readings are important to her, especially due to Layla's prematurity.
"Although she came earlier than we expected, this is the best kind of celebration we have ever experienced, and we are so in love with our new role as parents!" Carlin said in a statement. Her reps revealed that baby Layla was born in January but was due a few weeks into February.
Fans were also concerned because Carlin has a blood clotting condition, similar to that of her older sister Erin. That made her pregnancy slightly unpleasant. "Evan had to learn to give me two shots daily," she said, according to People magazine. "We have had a lot of opportunity to pray and to try to trust God, as we have researched the different side effects and concerns. So although it has been a learning experience, we know we have an even bigger reason to be thankful that the baby is doing well."
If it seems like Carlin just announced her pregnancy, it's because she waited for some time. The official announcement went out in September of 2019. "We are beyond thrilled to be expecting our first child. Spending every day with your best friend and building a life together has already exceeded our happiest dreams," Carlin told Romper.
If Carlin chooses to expand her family further (and no pressure on her either way — especially due to the slight complications she had the first time around), she can hold onto her Owlet for baby No. 2. The Owlet comes with a few different sizes of sock, meaning that it's not just for newborns. As a mom, there's nothing better than seeing the screen that says your baby's readings are normal.
It seems like Carlin has everything under control when it comes to parenting. Since she comes from such a large family with a bunch of younger children, it's safe to say that she's a natural. The Bates kids include nine boys and 10 girls, and Layla isn't the first grandkid to come around.
There's even been a grandkid who has arrived since Layla's birth. Kolter Gray Smith is the most recent, born on March 25. Kolter is the second child for Carlin's sister Tori Bates and her husband Bobby Smith. Prior to Kolter's arrival, they welcomed Robert Ellis IV, also known as Kade. Once the family is able to see each other in person again, baby Layla will surely have plenty of fun family playdates.
