Nick Gibbons and Meagan Schreiter were enjoying their time in Cancun, Mexico, when an unexpected event changed their vacation plans. The couple, who had gotten engaged in Tulum, Mexico, earlier in April, returned to Mexico in August after winning a free trip from a radio station.
Schreiter, who was pregnant, wasn’t due until November 15, so they weren’t concerned about her pregnancy during the trip. They were planning to use the vacation as a “baby-moon.”
But while they were heading to breakfast one morning, Schreiter’s water broke. The couple quickly rushed to the hospital, where their son, Ledger, was born—three months premature and weighing just 2.2 pounds.
Dr. Carla Schuetz, a neonatologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital who treated Ledger, explained that premature babies often face several challenges, including difficulty feeding and underdeveloped lungs. “Oftentimes their lungs are very immature, so they need help with their breathing,” Schuetz said.
To bring Ledger home to St. Louis, the couple coordinated with a travel agent, family, and friends to arrange a medical transport jet. However, they faced an unexpected obstacle: Ledger needed a passport to enter the U.S.
Initially, a government official required them to bring the baby for an in-person interview, which would have meant a four-hour drive to the embassy. “We had to take me and the baby to the embassy, and that’s how they would issue an emergency passport, documentation of birth abroad,” Schreiter explained.
With help from others, the couple managed to get the necessary paperwork and flew Ledger back to St. Louis on the medical jet. By Wednesday, Ledger had gained weight and was up to 8-and-a-half pounds. He was finally cleared to go home after 95 days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
“It’s very surreal that we’re at this point. We’re just excited to be going home,” Gibbons said.
Their son’s discharge just in time for Thanksgiving was a blessing for the couple. “So many people have been involved in our journey. We’re very thankful, very lucky,” Schreiter said.
Ledger, born in Mexico, now holds dual citizenship.
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