Miracle Baby Reunites With Family At Cook Children's Medical Center
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Christopher Russell is touching his baby for the first time today. When he was born, his skin was too delicate to touch. His son Wyatt Lynn Russell was born at 24 weeks when the family was on vacation to visit relatives in a Williston, ND.
Wyatt is sleeping in the NICU at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth. The mother and baby arrived early Thursday morning on the Teddy Bear Transport. They made the journey back home, traveling a 1000 miles back to North Texas.
"He's a warrior, he's a fighter, Crystal told CBS11 News. "He's my Christmas miracle."
It's an emotional reunion for this Arlington family who is overjoyed about the return of baby Wyatt and his mother from North Dakota.
The Russells have gone through more than anyone should in the last six weeks.
In December, while 24 weeks pregnant, Crystal Russell and her family took a holiday road trip to see relatives in North Dakota.
Shortly after they arrived, Crystal went to sleep and her husband Chris noticed she was hemorrhaging in the bed.
"I felt something wet. I was covered in her blood," Chris Russell said.
He woke her up. They raced to a small hospital in Williston, North Dakota. It wasn't long before they were taken by a CareFlite helicopter to a hospital better prepared for such emergencies in Bismarck.
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They learned Crystal's placenta had pulled away from her uterus but that the baby would be okay as long as they remained there until her due date April 15.
"That she had to stay back was the scariest part," Christopher Russell recalled. But earlier this week, the best news possible… doctors said she could go home
"Don't play with my emotions," she recalled telling doctors.
This morning, the family had an emotional reunion. Crystal met her three boys from a previous marriage after six weeks.
"It was hard to have that dad feeling, but, I'm started to get it back!" Christopher told CBS11 News.
Wyatt, which means fighter is living up to his name. For a little boy who had 50-50 chance of survival, he continues to beat the odds.
Wyatt still needs to be in the hospital until he's healthy enough to leave.
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