Baby named after Fiona the hippo gets to meet Fiona at Cincinnati Zoo
Related video above: From preemie to heartthrob: 4 minutes of Fiona footage
A precious baby girl who was named after Fiona the hippo recently got to meet the portly princess at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Kerbe Jones Shephard, who is from the Greater Cincinnati area but now lives in Kettering, Ohio, posted on Facebook on Aug. 16 to share her story about her daughter Fiona, who was born four weeks early.
Shephard said her husband and son, Bryce, visited the Cincinnati Zoo with some friends back in March — and that's where their journey all began in loving the name Fiona and loving Fiona the hippo. Because who wouldn't absolutely fall in love with Cincinnati's darling hippopotamus?
Shephard's son, Bryce, insisted that his baby sister's name be Fiona after his trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. Bryce's parents laughed at his suggestion and made a note to "add it to the list" of potential baby names.
On the Fourth of July, the family, including Shephard, visited the Cincinnati Zoo again with the same friends who went with them in March.
Shephard said she was having some intermittent pain that morning that she ignored and went to the zoo anyway. After lunchtime, while they were at the zoo, Shephard started having contractions that were 3 minutes apart.
She went home and discovered she was in labor.
Shephard's baby entered the world at 11:33 p.m. that day. She was born prematurely, just like Fiona the hippo.
Weighing only 29 pounds, the little hippo, Fiona, was born six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo on Jan. 24, 2017. She weighed 25 pounds less than the lowest recorded birth weight for her species.
"Not only were we at the zoo visiting Fiona, but our sweet baby was born with Down Syndrome and faces challenges just like Fiona the hippo ... but we know she will grow big, strong, and awesome ... just like the hippo too!" Shephard wrote on Facebook.
So the name Fiona stuck with the Shephard family. They decided to name their sweet baby girl Fiona.
The Cincinnati Zoo and Fiona the hippo will forever hold a special place in the Shephard family's heart.