Jesse McCartney is opening up about his “traumatic” ordeal after his son Archer was born three months premature.
McCartney and wife Katie McCartney, both 38, welcomed their first child in May, however, Katie was hospitalized two weeks before she gave birth with preterm labor complications, according to People. Jesse rushed to his wife’s side and slept on a blow-up mattress in her hospital room.
“It meant everything to me that he didn’t leave my side. … For us it was really unifying,” Katie told People in an interview published on Wednesday, October 15. “I think you always obviously marry someone because you appreciate them, respect them and their values. When push comes to shove, you don’t know what’s going to happen. We were on the same team, and everything was for Archer. There was no room for us to disagree.”
Katie gave birth on May 7, three months and one day before her due date, resulting in Archer being hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for 70 days before they brought him in July.
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“He soared the NICU in a way that is textbook, which is what the doctors literally said,” Jesse said. “We hung onto that and just took it a day at a time.”
The “Beautiful Soul” singer said the experience made them “readjust our expectations of what being happy is.”
“We had a moment a few days ago where we didn’t get the happy feeling that you’re supposed to get, because our happiness was just grateful that he’s alive and that he’s breathing on his own,” Jesse explained. “That shouldn’t be the experience. Unfortunately, it is for so many moms.”
Jesse and Katie brought Archer home in July, which he described as “the greatest day of my life.”
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“[We] just stared at him all night, without any machines around him, in his own crib,” the singer said.
Now home with his parents, Archer is thriving, Jesse shared. “When he gets excited or he can’t sleep, I try to bring him over to the piano, and I’ll play some music for him, and he totally goes wide-eyed. You can tell he’s really tuning in,” the singer said. “Just three days ago, he started smiling at me. I just can’t get enough. I feel so lucky.”
The experience also brought Jesse and Katie closer together.
“I can’t imagine going through anything more difficult,” he said. “That was a real test for us. Getting to see her fight so hard to keep that baby in there was rough, but I just really fell in love with her even more intensely. I was never more proud. This just brought us closer together.”
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Jesse and Katie got married in October 2021 after nine years together.
“Katie’s wonderful,” the singer exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2024, sharing an update on married life. “This last year, it was hard for her. I was traveling so much [on tour]. She actually came out quite a bit, but needless to say, we didn’t get much of an anniversary [celebration].”
The couple announced they were expecting a baby in a sweet Instagram post on Valentine’s Day in February.
