MANSFIELD — It is widely recognized in astrology that a solar eclipse signifies new beginnings; a time of cosmic reset and recalibration that encourages you to make bold declarations to the universe.
What better way to celebrate such an occasion than with the birth of a new baby?
At least, that’s what Meghann and Jamie Artz believe as they welcomed the newest member of their family on Monday morning. Bixler Jennings Artz was born at 8:02 a.m. the day of the total solar eclipse in Richland County.
“She’s a little Aries baby and all the stars were aligned, so I was like, let’s bring this baby into some powerful energy and that positive realm,” Meghann said. “I think that’s so special for her.”
Baby Bixler was the first infant born on the day of the eclipse in Richland County, according to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital. She weighed eight pounds, three ounces.
Her morning birth gave her mothers plenty of time to watch the eclipse seven hours later; Meghann pushed Jamie to the hospital’s parking lot in a wheelchair, each donning their plastic solar glasses.
It wasn’t the first total solar eclipse experience for either of them; Meghann’s hometown of Hopkinsville, Kentucky was in the path of totality in 2017, the place where the couple met 10 years ago.
“We got to see that together and that was a really cool experience,” Meghann said. “We knew this would be so special for her.”
The two women knew they would have a planned C-section for baby Bixler after their first child, Ogden Tanix, was born via C-section two years earlier. After weighing their options, they decided on the day of the eclipse for her birth.
“At first I was being kind of selfish about (her birth day) because I wanted to watch the eclipse,” Jamie said with a laugh.
“But then I thought, how cool would that be for bragging rights, for her to be born on a solar eclipse but also bringing her into such a powerful energy and atmosphere.”
The two Artz children are named for street signs, one in Chicago and one in Bellville, and Bixler’s middle name comes from a dearly departed friend of Meghann’s.
But they have one more unique, special connection: Though they were born two years apart, Ogden and Bixler are actually fraternal twins.
“They were both IVF babies, and they’re technically twins because they came from the same egg retrieval and the same sperm donor, transferred two years apart,” Meghann said. “Technically they are fraternal twins carried at separate times.”
“Their nose and lips are basically identical,” Jamie added, pulling up newborn pictures to compare side-by-side.
After leaving the hospital, baby Bixler will enjoy a new nursery at home decorated like a storybook cottage, filled with crocheted mushrooms and other hand-made items from friends and family.