Christopher Shepherd

"My life has turned into a horror show and all I can do is stand back and watch it play out. My baby has no brain. No brain. I'm a damn neurosurgeon and my baby has no brain. I'd say God has a sense of humor but there is no God. No God would do this."

- Amelia describing her feelings over her pregnancy.

Baby Shepherd was the child of Ryan Kerrigan and Amelia Shepherd.

Conception and Diagnosis
Baby Shepherd was conceived by Amelia Shepherd and Ryan Kerrigan while they were on drugs. Amelia didn't know she was pregnant, as she thought the symptoms were withdrawal symptoms. However, it became clear when she took a pregnancy test.

At first, Amelia refused to have an ultrasound, but she later agreed to let Addison do it. While doing it, Addison revealed to Amelia the baby was a boy, but she suddenly turned the screen away because the baby turned out to be anencephalic (he had no brain). Amelia then fired Addison as her OB and denied herself and her baby prenatal care. However, when Jake brought up that prenatal care was important for both the baby and the mother, she hired him as her doctor.

Upon dealing with a brain dead patient, Amelia decided to donate her baby's organs to save multiple other babies all over the country.

Birth
When Amelia went into labor, she first told Jake. She was then taken to St. Ambrose Hospital. A transplant team was composed because of Amelia's wish to donate the baby's organs, but Sam, the only cardiothoracic surgeon in the hospital who was allowed to harvest organs from babies, initially refused to do it. He refused because it was murder in his opinion, as the baby would stay alive for some time after he was born. However, if they'd waited for the baby to die first, the organs wouldn't have been viable anymore, which is why the harvesting had to take place not long after birth.

This was also why the lawyers of the hospital didn't agree to Amelia's plan. However, seeing Amelia in the hospital room, Charlotte said they would do the surgery. A conversation with Addison and Charlotte's actions also encouraged Sam to take place in the transplant team.

Notes and Trivia

 * He lived for 43 minutes. ("All I Could Do Was Cry")
 * His mother told him he wouldn't be alone after he died because his father was waiting for him.
 * He is mentioned twice by his mother to Owen Hunt during the 11th season of Grey's Anatomy. The first time after April Kepner and Jackson Avery lost their son, and after Derek's death when she says all the men she's ever loved die.