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CBS17 Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston became a dad on Thursday, Aug 13.
In the six weeks since, Huddleston and his wife, Rebecca have been living in the Ronald McDonald House, a six-minute drive from their son, Payson, in UNC hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
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“It is something to see him be so tiny, and then week by week, slowly but surely get bigger and bigger,” Huddleston told The News & Observer. “Seeing the changes that you wouldn’t see if he was still not born. It’s nice that we can see his little personality grow each week that we wouldn’t see until November.”
Payson, who is described at “bright-eyed and curious,” was born by c-section at 25 weeks and five days, weighing 1 pound and 6 ounces. The doctors informed the couple early on that he was not getting enough nutrients or blood flow from the umbilical cord, while Rebecca Huddleston battled high blood pressure.
Huddleston began sharing updates on Payson to his Facebook. Documenting his son’s ups and downs for family and friends, Huddleston realized there were many other families in a similar situation to his.
“It’s one of those things that really isn’t talked about a lot, you just kind of expect to have a typical normal full-term pregnancy, no issues,” Huddleston said, hoping the updates extended a hand to others facing similar issues.
For every update Huddleston posts, people comment stories of family members born prematurely who have grown up to live fulfilling lives.
“I love reading all the comments,” Rebecca Huddleston said. “I sit there, and I scroll through pretty much every single one of them.”
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On Friday, Sept. 18, Payson was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis, an intestinal disease for premature babies. He underwent ileostomy surgery, on Sunday, Sept. 20, where doctors removed part of his intestines.
“We knew it was pretty bad, and I just broke down crying and looking at him,” she said.
While living in the Ronald McDonald House, Huddleston still drives to the CBS17 station for work, where his coworkers have supported him and his family emotionally and financially. Around the office, people check in on Payson and offer Huddleston the flexibility to care for his family.
“Oddly enough, I feel like work is helping,” he said. “It’s harder because obviously I can’t see him as often or as long, but on the flip side, it’s nice that I kind of had a way to get my mind off of what’s going on here.”
Payson still has several more weeks in the NICU and currently weighs just over 2 pounds. The neonatal team at UNC has become “like a second family” to the Huddlestons, who note September is neonatal intensive care unit awareness month.
“They have been amazing,” she said. “As parents, we’re like ‘we know our child best,’ but they really do know their patients, and they treat them exactly like how they would treat their own child.”
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