Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
PORTLAND, Oregon — A Washougal family is seeing light at the end of the tunnel after their son was born three months premature.
After months in the hospital, their son will finally get to go home soon.
In September 2023, Madelyn and Gabe Heredia received unexpected news during a routine check-up in which they were supposed to find out the gender of the baby.
Their unborn son, Teddy, was diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction, where the baby does not grow as expected while inside the womb.
"We found out that he was incredibly small and very growth-restricted. We had a lot of placenta issues, so he was losing blood flow fast so the longer he stayed inside, the more dangerous it was," says Heredia. "We were sort of given more of a death sentence for him than anything."
In November, doctors at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, delivered Teddy at 27 weeks, weighing just 14 ounces with a 10% survival rate.
"He was just so fragile so tiny so dependent on all of this equipment that I didn't understand yet. They were watching his heart rate, and once it started just stepping constantly then they were like OK, cruising for a stillbirth essentially."
The Heredias had two other children at home. They took turns at the hospital staying with Teddy and the other looking after Poppy and Elliot.
After battling infections and pneumonia, things took a turn for the better on New Year's Day. Madelyn says the steroid shot betamethasone might have saved his life.
"That's what got his lungs able to do anything," she said.
Today, Teddy is still on respiratory support, and will have to be careful when it comes to germs during his first two years, but is expected to live a full and healthy life. His family hopes to take him home by end of this week.
