Emily Maynard Johnson Shares Photos of Baby Jones in Cranial Helmet

2023-02-15 17:30:41 By : Ms. Apple liu

Georgia Slater is a writer/reporter on the Parents team at PEOPLE.

Emily Maynard Johnson is showing the sweet way she personalized her son's new medical accessory.

Over the weekend, the former Bachelorette star, 37, shared photos of 5-month-old son Jones West wearing a new cranial helmet, which Maynard Johnson had specially personalized for the infant.

The mom of six posted a cute collage on her Instagram Story, tagging the artist who painted the helmet with a military theme. The helmet features camouflage colors and has an American flag painted on as well as dog tags with Jones' name and a bible verse.

"Flat head but make it cute," Maynard Johnson wrote on another photo of Jones lying on his stomach.

Along with Jones, Maynard Johnson and husband Tyler Johnson also share Nola Belle, 2, Gatlin, 5, Gibson, 6, Jennings, 7, and Ricki, 17.

In November, Maynard Johnson opened up to PEOPLE about feeling "grateful" after welcoming her baby boy in August.

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Shortly after the delivery, Maynard Johnson learned that her son was born with Down syndrome as well as a rare congenital colon abnormality that required surgery and a monthlong stay in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

"I was in shock," recalled Maynard Johnson of being informed of the Down syndrome diagnosis, which was confirmed by a blood test later on. (Maynard Johnson did not opt for genetic testing during her pregnancy.) "It was not on my radar at all. And I refused to believe it. I just wanted to hold him and for everything to be OK."

Absorbing the fact that her son needed to stay in the NICU and wouldn't be home for weeks was "devastating," said Maynard Johnson. "I was just grieving all of it and that the experience was so different from what I had expected. Waking up the next morning hearing all the babies crying down the hallway while I was in the room alone, it hurt so much."

Maynard Johnson said things got better once she was able to bring him home and get to spend time with him, saying Jones "just folded into all the other craziness."

"He's awesome. He's sleeping, he's just the easiest baby," she shared. "He's so chill. He puts up with all my other kids."

"I'm still learning about Down syndrome, but I'm trying to also just experience Jones as Jones and not as different than any of the other kids," Maynard Johnson said. "I have no expectations. He's perfect and everything is going to be great."

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