MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — A Waco mother survived a rare, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy to welcome her premature baby girl. After 95 days in the NICU, baby Ophelia is now thriving at home.
- Waco parents Julie Felderhoff and Jeffery Reed welcomed their premature baby girl, Ophelia, at 28 weeks weighing just over two pounds.
- Doctors discovered Felderhoff had a rare and life-threatening interstitial pregnancy during an urgent C-section.
- The couple celebrated Ophelia's survival after experiencing six miscarriages and the loss of Ophelia's twin at seven weeks.
- Ophelia spent 95 days in the NICU and is now thriving at home weighing 10 pounds.
You can watch the full story here:
A Waco mother survived a rare, life-threatening ectopic pregnancy to welcome a premature baby girl who is now thriving at home.
I had the opportunity to sit down with the family at their home in Waco to share their story. Baby Ophelia weighed just two pounds, two ounces at birth and fit in the palm of her mother's hand.
"She was just beautiful, you know, like I know it's hormones, but at 2 pounds, 2 ounces, like I knew that that was my little girl and she um came out screaming and breathing on her own, which is a miracle," Julie Felderhoff said.
Felderhoff and her husband, Jeffery Reed, are celebrating Ophelia's survival after experiencing six miscarriages. The couple lost one of their twins at seven weeks. Doctors diagnosed Felderhoff with a bicornate uterus, a condition that causes a higher risk for miscarriage and pre-term labor.
"We made it to 18 weeks, uh, which is so close to halfway, and my water broke," Felderhoff said.
Doctors initially told Felderhoff she was going to lose Ophelia. After waiting a day and undergoing more tests, everything came back normal. She was cleared to go home and continued with weekly doctor visits.
"One of those days and I had this gut-wrenching, I mean, awful feeling, and I sat up and I was like something's wrong, something is not right," Felderhoff said.
At 28 weeks, doctors performed an urgent C-section to deliver Ophelia. During the procedure, doctors learned Felderhoff had a rare interstitial pregnancy, which only occurs in 4% of ectopic pregnancies.
"Women die from it. Like if your uterus, uh, ruptures, not just the membranes, but the uterus itself, I mean, you're looking at dying within 10 to 20 minutes," Felderhoff said.
Ophelia spent 95 days in the NICU. She has now been home for five weeks and weighs a healthy 10 pounds. She uses a CPAP machine to help with breathing.
After the difficult pregnancy, Felderhoff and Reed are sending a message of hope to other families experiencing a similar struggle.
"It is rough and it is so hard, but I mean you do have something to look forward to. I mean we had a hard go of it and then being able to come home and have our baby at home. I mean it's, it's a real blessing," Jeffrey Reed said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
