Sanford mom revisits Chipotle for photo shoot with newborn
Sanford resident Jordan-Leigh Beal’s maternity photos at a Lake Mary Chipotle restaurant went viral months ago. She’s back at it again, this time posing with her newborn son in her arms.
Corey Mikal Beal Jr., who they affectionately call Juni, was born on Aug. 5 and named after his father.
“We only had one little boy before Juni’s birth and the gender was a surprise,” she said. “We’re happy that he’s a little boy and that my husband finally got his junior.”
Beal and her husband, Corey, have four other children, but their road to pregnancy has been difficult.
Beal had an ectopic pregnancy, a few miscarriages and, throughout her pregnancy, suffered from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and a rare complication called hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and dehydration. As a result, she had to find “safe foods” that wouldn’t make her nauseous or vomit during her pregnancy.
“Chipotle has been my safe food since I was like three or four weeks pregnant,” she told the Sentinel in a previous interview. “So, it’s been really sentimental for me the entire pregnancy. And it’s basically what has kept me and my baby alive and what we’ve been able to eat to gain weight and stay healthy.”
Jordan-Leigh Beal, who works as a model, was an occasional Chipotle customer before her pregnancy, but after conceiving, she ordered sofritas tacos, burritos or burrito bowls at least four days a week.
Since Chipotle played a major role in the pregnancy, the high school sweethearts originally from Massachusetts decided it was the ideal location for maternity photos shoot and later pictures with their new bundle of joy. They returned to Chipotle a month after Juni’s birth to re-create the maternity shoot with the baby.
“While I was pregnant, my health, it was terrible. The photoshoot took hours because I had to sit down constantly because of the hyperemesis gravidarum and because of my POTS,” she said. “Going back with [Juni], it was such a happier experience.
Getting to see the side by sides of like recreating the exact shot, I think it was an amazing conclusion.”
The pair worked with Rebecca Pace of Rebecca Shines Photography to capture the photos inside and outside “their Chipotle” for both photo shoots.
Beal said she and her family are doing well, and she’s glad to bring awareness once again to her rare pregnancy condition.
“We’re happy that hyperemesis gravidarum is getting … the awareness that it deserves,” she said.
For more about the couple and their journey, subscribe to their YouTube Channel HapBealyEverAfter.