Update on Sherri Shepherd’s son Jeffrey Charles
Longtime readers of the Celebrity Baby Blog may remember a series of posts we did in 2005 concerning actress and comedienne Sherri Shepherd. She first gained fans on CBB when she was extremely open about her IVF procedures needed to conceive her son, but readers really started paying attention when Sherri delivered her son while only 25 weeks pregnant on April 22nd, 2005. Jeffrey Charles weighed in at 1 lbs, 10 oz. In June 2005, we received an updated report from a friend saying that Jeffrey was holding on, but his health difficulties continued. In August 2005, after 4 months in the NICU, Jeffrey went home. In October 2005, Sherri, after chatting with Ellen DeGeneres about the joys of pumping, she introduced Jeffrey to the world. Since then, we hadn’t heard much.
However, now Sherri is back in a big way. Watchers of The View have seen her quite a bit in the last few weeks – rumor is, she may take Star Jones co-host spot on The View. Unfortunately, she shared some sad news on the show – she discovered that her husband began cheating on her while their son was in the NICU, and they’re now divorced. You can read how she found out, and what she did at Black Voices. On the positive side – Jeffrey is doing amazingly well – and as you can see, he can grow some hair! He’s now 20 months (15 months adjusted) and is the light of Sherri’s life.
There are still some challenges – Jeffrey has a weak immune system and has therapy four times a week to deal with issues arising from his prematurity. Sherri is easing her way back into work, but has a hard time getting everything done. She writes on her MySpace, "With a 20 month old and laundry constantly screaming my name, I’m finding it near impossible to answer everyone [that writes to me]. I apologize profusely, but trying to type and breastfeed just ain’t cuttin’ it!"
Still, being a mom has changed Sherri in ways she never expected. She writes, "I never knew that a child could have the sole power to take one’s heart and wrap it up in their little fist. It’s funny how having a baby changes one’s priorities. I work, but I don’t stress and hustle like I use to. If I don’t get that audition or book that job – I can walk into my house and hear my son laughing and see him crawling towards me to pick him up. He slightly opens his mouth to have me plant a kiss on his lips, and my cares melt away. Having a baby gives you a more compassionate heart. I seem to care more about the world around me now that I have a child who will be here, hopefully, longer than me. I now use that blue ‘recycle’ garbage can!"
Check out SherriShepherd.com and Sherri’s MySpace for more on Sherri and Jeffrey.
Thanks to CBB reader Tami for suggesting this topic.
- Posted on Jan 13, 07 at 10:00AM
- Permalink
- 11 Comments
January 13th, 2007 at 11:39 am
What wonderful news that Jeffrey’s done so well and overcome so many of the challenges he’s faced. I hope he continues to improve. What a cutie too! (My cousin and his wife had a baby at about 25 weeks – he was less than 2 lbs at birth and has really had a lot of struggles to overcome (sadly, his twin passed away). It’s a true miracle to see some of these tiny babies thrive.)
Kudos to Sherri!
January 13th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
He is such a cutie!
January 13th, 2007 at 12:55 pm
“she may replace Star Jones as the black co-host…”
Oh Sarah. Bad, choice of words.
It is awkward to read; as if The View needs to fill some sort of twisted racial quota.
January 13th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
He looks great! What a cutie. I like how she’s so open about everything. Best of luck to them.
However, his harness needs to be tightened while riding in his carseat. It looks too loose.
January 13th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Sherri has been great the times I have seen her on the View and would make a great co-host. That would be the loudest table yet!
My family has had a similar struggle. I have two nephews that were born in the 26th week. Both weighed a little over a pound at birth. Both were in the NICU for more then 2 months. We weren’t sure if they’d survive. Even though they did the one baby has had many obstacles to overcome.
It was determined that my nephew has a mild case of cerebral palsy and blindness due to his early birth. He has to wear glasses (although he never keeps them on) and he has to wear a patch for 2 hours over his good eye to strengthen the weaker eye. He also will never be able to drive or do other things that most people can do. He also wears a brace on his arm to make sure that his hand doesn’t clench up (kids with CP often make their hands into tight fist). He is going to be two yrs old soon and we just got him to sit up on his own without help. He gets physical therapy 3x a week and also works with an eye therapist. He’s been sick alot too since being home. He just got out of the hospital for severe pneumonia where he spent 5 days in the hospital. He’s a tough little guy. He’s got big obstacles to overcome but I have no doubt that he’ll keep fighting. He’s are little miracle.
I wish Sherri the best with her little guy. These kids are tougher then anybody.
January 13th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Glad to hear he is doing so well.
I wish her the best. I am sure finding out her husband was cheating had to be devastating.
January 13th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Love her on the View and I am really happy to see her little boy has come so far. Infertility can have a really bad affect on a marriage, but her ex-husband is a huge loser for cheating on her while their son was so sick. What a horrible thing to do your suffering wife. Adding insult to injury, she has to pay him allimony and gave him their house! I hope she takes Star’s place and they pay her a lot of money so she can buy herself an even bigger house!!
January 13th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
As an NICU nurse, it’s nice to see a baby born at 25 weeks doing so well. A lot of times, they end up with the “preemie look”, which he doesn’t seem to have.
Congrats to Sherri for keeping strong during such a hard time (and still breastfeeding!!).
January 14th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I had a baby at 27 weeks and she weighed only 13 ounces. She is a little over a year old now. She spent 5.5 months in the hospital so I can totally relate to Ms. Shepherd’s experience. Our baby is thriving and doing great. The one thing you take from an experience like this is not to sweat the small stuff. It really does change your perspective. I am glad to hear things are going well for her and her baby.
January 15th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Wow, it’s great he is doing good. It is odd though…b/c I had my son at 25 weeks on April 22, 2005. Wow, what a coincidence. My little boy weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. and was 12 in. long.
January 15th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Aww, I’ve always wanted to see her son. He’s so cute and all that hair, my mother would have a field day braiding that up.
It’s great to finally see him!