Former WWAY Meteorologist shares son’s NICU Journey as Local group supports families

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s neonatal intensive care unit awareness month, and for families with a baby in the NICU, the journey can be filled with uncertainty, sometimes for weeks or even months.

For former WWAY meteorologist Matthew Huddleston, the hospital has become part of everyday life.

Huddleston and his wife, Rebecca, are now parents to Payson, a premature baby fighting his way through the neonatal intensive care unit at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

“I think overall, one of the hardest things is the fact that no part of our lives now is not tied to the hospital,” Huddleston said. “Even when we’re not up there with him, we’re still here at the Ronald McDonald House, so it’s hard to get a moment to kind of disconnect from that.”

Payson was born nearly three months early after complications with blood flow through his umbilical cord forced Rebecca to undergo an emergency C-section.

He weighed just 1 pound, 1 ounce at birth.

Since then, Payson has faced another major hurdle: necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, a serious condition that affects the intestines of premature babies.

“He had small little holes in his colon itself,” Huddleston said. “So they went in, they had to take a part of that out. And it’s currently disconnected for the next 10 weeks or so.”

The Huddleston’s have documented their journey on social media, where they have received an outpouring of support from other parents who have experienced similar challenges.

“I’ll get messages from moms who have been through the same thing, through the issues that we’ve had during our pregnancy,” Rebecca Huddleston said. “And it’s been great just to connect and send pictures back and forth.”

That kind of connection is something Ellison Clark knows firsthand.

Clark’s daughter was born at 28 weeks in 2022. She spent 105 days in the NICU.

Even after leaving the hospital, Clark said, the challenges continued.

“Once we came home, there were a lot of precautions, a lot of specialist visits, therapy appointments, things like that,” Clark said. “Some that she even still sees today.”

That experience helped inspire Clark to co-find the NICU Family Collective earlier this year.

The local organization aims to connect families in the Cape Fear region who are navigating the challenges of having a baby in the NICU — both during the hospital stay and after they return home.

“We can be there to kind of walk them through all of that and guide them and kind of give them some pointers and tips,” Clark said. “Like, here’s something I wish I knew, or here’s something to make sure that you bring for the baby’s room.”

The goal, she said, is simple: support families through one of the most difficult experiences they may ever face.

“Our goal really is to be able to support families,” Clark said.

As for Matthew and Rebecca, they remain hopeful that Payson will be able to come home in the coming months.

For more information about the NICU Family Collective and the support it provides to families, visit the organization’s website.