Ta m a r B r a xto n & V i n c e n t H e r b e rt

Hes Our
Miracle Baby
After grappling with infertility issues and a surprise
pregnancy, the reality TV star, singer and talk show host
is basking in the bliss of new motherhood. Now if only she
can get a push gift from her husband!
By Amy Elisa Keith
Photographs by Brian branch price
Styling by ashley Thomas
f o r ta m ua r t i s ta g e n c y. c o m

O n Ta m a r :
Kau fm a n
F r a n c o D r es s ;
H e r Ow n
E a r r in gs
O n Lo ga n :
Bu r b e r ry
c h il d r e n sw e a r
B o dysu it

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ne ordinary day last October, Tamar Braxton had finally reached

her goal weight and debuted her new look during a family dinner at Beverly Hills eatery Mr. Chow. I was feeling great and looking snatched,
she says, using one of her trademark colloquialisms while sitting cross
legged on a plush sofa inside her home in Calabasas, Calif.
As usual, the reality TV star-turned-recording artist-turned-daytime
talk show goddess is berchatty. She remembers her sister Toni Braxtons ex-husband, Keri Lewis, saying, Tamar youre different skinny like Braxton-pregnant-girl skinny. She dismissed the comment, even though, unbeknownst to her, she had
started to take on the slender build and sunken eyes that her sisters had exhibited when
they were expecting.
I said, Shut your mouth, honeybunch! That cant happen.
For the previous year, WE tvs Braxton
Family Values star Tamar, 36, and her,
manager and husband, Streamline Records president Vincent Herbert, 43, were
told by doctors that they could not naturally conceive. She was given less than a
5-percent chance of getting pregnant without medical intervention. Nevertheless,
Keris observation nagged her, so the next
morning Tamar decided to take one of the
dozens of pregnancy tests she kept in the
bathroom drawer. Leaving the white stick
on the counter and getting back into bed,
the Tamar & Vince staryes, she has two
reality showsasked her husband to check

the results.
What do two lines mean? Vincent
yelled from the master bathroom.
What? Why did you say that? Tamar
replied, with disbelief.
He walks in, and says, Yes! she recalls, mimicking her look of shock. I put
the covers over my head; I just couldnt
believe what was happening.
Ever the practical couple, they needed
more proof. I get the sonogram, and
theres a little jelly bean, says the Love
and War singer, laughing at the memory
of the first time she saw her baby. She recalls staring at the monitor and realizing

Black Women & Infertility: A Closer Look

According to the National Survey of Family Growth,
infertility affects one in eight
couples, or 7.3 million people in
the United States. Compared to
White women, African-American women have twice the
odds of experiencing infertility,
which is defined as a couples
inability to conceive after one
year of trying. Statistics show
that 11.5 percent of Black women
report infertility compared to
7 percent of White women. In

addition to the higher incidence

of uterine fibroids among Black
women, the dual trends of delaying parenthood and becoming
obese are contributing to a
rise in infertility, says OB-GYN
Jackie Walters, M.D. One-third
of fertility issues, however, stem
from deficiencies in the man:
abnormal sperm production or
function, sexual problems and
certain medications. Talking to
your physician to find the source
of the issue will reveal whether

According to the Mayo Clinic, see your doctor if ...

in vitro fertilization or hormone

stimulating drugs, such as Clomid, are treatment options. We
as Black women are becoming
a lot more educated about our
health and infertility, says Walters. Being that several of our
celebrities have gone through
thisTamar, Angela Bassett,
Sherri Shepherdthey are
showing us that we can have
success, too.

MEN:

l You have a history of low

WOMEN:

to conceive for six months or longer

l Youre over age 40
l You menstruate irregularly or not at all
l Your periods are very painful
l You have known fertility problems
l Youve been diagnosed with
endometriosis or pelvic
inflammatory disease
l Youve had more than one miscarriage
l Youve had prior cancer treatment

On Ta m a r :
Th eo ry Kn it
Sw e at e r ; H e r
Ow n E a r r in gs
O n Lo ga n :
Bu r b e r ry
c h il d r e n sw e a r
Bo dysu it
O n V in c e n t:
Ba d P e n n y
Shirt; H is Ow n
Ac c es s o r ies

Ov e r c o m i n g t h e Odd s
The blessing of baby Logan came after
the couples two most difficult years. In
late 2011, reality TV cameras captured
Vincents hospitalization after he suffered
a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.
Facing her husbands mortality, Tamar,
juggling a hectic schedule recording an
album and starring on two reality shows,
was shaken to her core. It was then that
they realized they wanted to freeze their
embryos should things take a turn for the
worse. During initial testing, however, doc-

Stylist Assistant: Terrence Haynes

l Youre age 35 to 40 and have been trying

sperm count or other

problems with sperm,
l Or a history of testicular,
prostate or sexual problems
l Youve had prior cancer
treatment

they had defied the odds by conceiving the

old-fashioned way. Vince stands up, and
I think hes going to faint, she adds. Our
lives changed from that moment.
Fast-forward 38 weeks plus six hours of
labor, when Tamar and Vincent welcomed
Logan Vincent Herbert into the world on
June 6, 2013 at 9:40 p.m, weighing in at
6 pounds, 11 ounces. Like a scene from
their reality show, little Logan entered this
world in true Braxton fashion: with a song.
In the delivery room, Tamar led her sistersalong with OB-GYN Jackie Walters,
M.D.in an impromptu freestyle with
each harmonizing, and the mom-to-be
comically finishing the verse with and
thats my babys daddy.
Hes an amazing baby, and hes cooing
already and laughing, says the proud
mama. The newest member of the Braxton
clan, Logan got his name from the unlikeliest place: a soap opera.
People dont know that Vince watches
The Bold and The Beautiful, and his favorite
character is Brooke Logan, she laughs.
In addition, Tamar, a true fashionista, got
what she wanted regarding her sons name
as well.
I wanted want the initials L.V, like Louis Vuitton, says the diva, whose version of
at-home mommy mode (flawless makeup, a
bright red pout and a chic strapless romper) is Hollywood glam. Dont judge me.
For the singer with a supersassy imagejust listen to her hit song Hot
Sugarlife has suddenly gotten very
domestic. Changing stinky diapers, feedings four times a day and burping the baby
are coveted responsibilities. Vince and I
argue over [baby duties], admits Tamar,
pointing at her husband, who is in the next
room. Vince is the biggest baby hogger.
The desire to experience every ounce of joy
watching Logan eat or sleep (the protective papa has a crib camera linked to his
iPhone) is understandable for any firsttime parent. But for these two, marveling
at their son is extra special.
He is our miracle baby, she says.

tors discovered Tamar had unusually low

amounts of the hormone AMH, indicating a low egg count. Further examination
showed both fallopian tubes were blocked,
preventing fertilization. At first, Tamar
cracked jokes to mask her crushing disappointment. Then the reality set in, says
Walters. She realized, Im not Tamar
Braxton Herbert [the star]; Im Tamar
Braxton, the infertile patient.
Throughout this painful discovery and
the subsequent hormone therapy for in
vitro fertilization, reality TV cameras
kept rolling. Id be in bed and couldnt
get out because I was hysterically crying and depressed, admits Tamar, who
endured as many as three hormone shots
daily. Irritability, mood swings and fatigue
marked the 11-month roller coaster, but
she remained determined to share much
of her story with viewers. She says, I

figured how many other women hadnt

had the conversation [about infertility],
and thats why we decided to film it. (See
sidebar on previous page.) Thankfully, in
just one treatment, doctors extracted eight
eggs and fertilized five; four embryos were
harvested and remain frozen.
In hindsight, their seemingly insurmountable challenges, followed by the
amazement of natural conception, have
helped gird the parents for this new and
unpredictable chapter of their lives. Celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary
in November, Tamar says, Making it out
of that horrible situation [and] having our
miracle baby made us unbreakable.

Th r e e O f A K i n d
Now that their storm is over, Mom and
Dad are enjoying smooth sailing. Hes a
very easy baby, and he doesnt cry, ex-

claims Tamar. The infant already sleeps

through the night in his baby-blue and
green nursery, designed by decorator to
the stars Jeff Andrews. You know how
they tell you that God wont give you more
than you can handle? Thats why he only
gets up that one time, she laughs. Asleep
by 10 p.m., Logan wakes up by 6 a.m., just
in time to see Mommy off to work. With a
bevy of eager aunts, uncles and Grandma
Evelyn ready to play, Logans schedule is
packed while his mother has been shooting two episodes a day for a daytime talk
show, The Real.
Breast-feeding, however, wasnt so easy.
I didnt instantly have that goo-goo, ga-ga
feeling I was yearning for, she admits.
After a heartbreaking delay in producing milk, followed by three weeks of difficult nursing, she says she and Logan both
gave up. Formula is all little Logias her

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sisters Toni and Towanda call himwants

these days, and he cant get enough. My
baby has his parents greedy genes,
laughs Tamar.
Her greedy gene was in full effect during her pregnancy, when she craved everything from BLT sandwiches to potato
chips. I exercised my right to eat whatever I wanted, and now Im trying to get it
off, she says.
When the scales tipped 200 pounds
at the height of her pregnancy, she was
anxious to get out of her size 14s and back
to normal. Portion control is helping the
singer shed the pounds, but shooting The
Real just weeks after giving birth forced
Tamar to make three new friends: Spanx,
a girdle and panty hose. I wear all three
at the same time, she says with a sassy
snap of her fingers. No Mommy makeover
surgery or tummy tuck; Tamar is determined to drop the weight (and lose those
pesky cellulite dimples) with boot camp
workouts and spinning classes. Im not
going to put pressure on myself, and Im
not going to allow anyone to put pressure
on me, either.

Everything
is falling into
place. its just
confirmation
that im doing
what im
supposed to
do in life.

O n Ta m a r :
A l e x a nd e r
M c Q ue e n
D ress

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As for Vincent, hes just as good at

managing his newborn as he is at guiding
the careers of his clients such as Lady
Gaga. From reassurances (Im going to
be the best dad possible. You can come
to me for anything.) to working from
home so he can spend time with his son,
Vincent The Herbert, as his wife lovingly calls him, is the best. If he wasnt
my husband he would still be the best
baby daddy possible.
Father and son already have matching
Polo shirts and the latest Jordans. Beaming with pride, Vincent shows off Logans

designer duds inside his custom walk-in

closet, highlighting a blinged-out L.V. pacifier, Fendi shoes, an adorable robe with a
shark fin, and even Christian Dior suits,
courtesy of the Braxton sisters. While she
marvels at Logan stuntin like his daddy,
Tamar has one burning question: Wheres
my push gift?
Perhaps Tamars bauble for giving birth
has come in a differentand even biggerpackage. As her manager, Vincent
has helped his wife score the present shes
always wanted: a booming career. From
a talk show to the return of Tamar &
Vince this fall, the queen of OverTheTop.
com is on top. Last month, Braxton also
released Love and War, featuring the No. 1
title track of the same name.
As much as I did not want to do R&B
music, it really is who I am, admits Tamar
of finding her sound. I tried to do ratchet
pop records, but thats not who I am. Im
just a fan of it, and I had to accept that;
theres a difference.
Being a working mom has given Tamar
an unexpected bonus: pride. It was important to me to have my son understand
that its not just dad but mom who works,
too. I wanted him to have that same respect for me as he does for his father,
says Tamar, who up until recently, had not
worked since she and Vincent began dating in 2003. Thats why I bust my behind;
because I want my son to be equally as
proud [of me].
This month, she heads out on a nationwide tour with John Legend, and fans,
a.k.a. Tamartians, can expect an energetic and fun, engaging show and maybe
a surprise cameo. Little Logan will get his
first road experiencetour bus and all.
Its a blessing, and Im going to ride
that until the wheels fall off, says Tamar
of her first major tour. After years hustling
as sister Tonis back-up singer and a couple
of short-lived girl group attempts, Tamar
Braxton has finally come into her own.
Everything is falling into place, she says.
Its just confirmation that Im doing what
I am supposed to do in life.
As for any baby girls in her future, she
insists shes one and done. The singer
has no desire for an encore but is keeping
surrogacy, with their frozen embryos, as
an option for the future. For now, the new
parents are simply relishing every tender
moment as a family of three.
I feel like a woman now, she says after
putting Logan down for a nap. From being the youngest of the Braxtonsand
being occasionally loud and boisterousto
being a mom, it is beautiful, and its empowering. I love every second of it.

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