sz. The Amazing Ryder Newbold Turns 11 Months: A Story of Survival, Faith, and Quiet Miracles

Today marks a milestone few could have imagined just months ago.
Ryder Newbold turns 11 months old, a moment that carries far more weight than a simple number on a calendar.

Ryder’s story began on January 30, under circumstances no family is ever prepared to face.
His mother, Brittany Newbold, was told her cervix was failing, and doctors discovered Ryder’s umbilical cord wrapped inside the amniotic sac — a dangerous and frightening complication.

At just 23 weeks and 2 days gestation, Ryder entered the world 17 weeks early.
He weighed only 1.5 pounds.

From the very beginning, the odds were overwhelming.
Extreme prematurity brings risks to nearly every system of a baby’s body — lungs, brain, heart, digestion — and Ryder faced them all at once.

Brittany, an assistant principal at Moody High School, and her husband Eugene, a Hoover police officer, suddenly found their lives divided between home and hospital rooms filled with monitors, alarms, and long nights of waiting.
They leaned heavily on faith, family, friends, coworkers, and strangers who lifted Ryder’s name in prayer.

Those prayers mattered.
Day by day, ounce by ounce, Ryder began to grow.

Weeks turned into months inside the NICU, where progress was measured in small victories — a stable oxygen level, a successful feeding, a night without setbacks.
Every milestone was hard-won.

In July, something remarkable happened.
After months of fighting, Ryder was discharged from the hospital and finally came home.

For his parents, it was the moment they had been hoping for since the day he was born.
For Ryder, it was the beginning of a new chapter — one filled with fresh air, familiar sounds, and a life beyond hospital walls.

This week, Brittany shared an update that reflects just how far her son has come.

“Ryder turns 11 months old today (7 months old corrected for my preemie friends),” she wrote.
“He has been home since the end of July, and with the exception of his current cold, has been pretty healthy so far.”

Ryder now weighs more than 21 pounds — a number that once felt impossible.
He has progressed to baby food three times a day, something Brittany says has quickly become his favorite part of the day.

Perhaps most encouraging, Ryder is no longer dependent on oxygen throughout the day.
He only uses oxygen support during naps and at bedtime, another sign of strengthening lungs that once struggled just to function.

Developmentally, Ryder continues to surprise everyone around him.
He has mastered rolling in both directions, rocking on his hands and knees, pivoting, and even crawling backward — with forward motion surely on the way.

He can sit independently and hold his own bottle, though Brittany admits Ryder prefers to do things on his own terms.
“He’s also a master at being stubborn,” she shared with a smile.

Beyond the physical milestones, Ryder’s personality is beginning to shine.
He adores his big brother, Raylan, lighting up whenever he enters the room.

“We think our big brother hung the moon,” Brittany wrote, hopeful that bond will remain strong in the years ahead.

For the Newbold family, the upcoming year represents something they haven’t experienced in a long time: calm.
They are looking forward to Ryder’s first birthday at the end of January and a 2026 that feels far less uncertain than the year before.

Ryder’s journey is a reminder of how fragile life can be — and how resilient it can become when surrounded by care, prayer, and persistence.
His story is not just about survival, but about growth, patience, and the power of community.

Brittany and Eugene have often expressed gratitude for every message, prayer, and act of support that carried them through their darkest moments.
Those gestures helped sustain them when progress felt painfully slow.

Today, Ryder sits at home, stronger than ever, reaching milestones once thought out of reach.
His story continues — not defined by fear, but by hope.

As the Newbold family steps into the new year, they do so with a child who has already shown extraordinary strength in his first 11 months of life.

And for everyone who followed Ryder’s journey from the beginning, today feels like a shared victory.

One worth celebrating.