Ellonn Smartt and her boyfriend Jordan Morrow became proud parents of a baby boy.
The baby arrived four months early as mother’s water broke a few days earlier doctors told her the risks involved with the delivery.
Ellonn told Today Parents, “I knew if I panicked, the baby would pick up on that and get stressed,”
“I couldn’t let that happen.”
When Doctors at Iowa Methodist Medical Center informed her about the seriousness of the situation, Ellonn broke down crying.
“They said I was going to have to deliver in the next day or two and there was a good chance he wouldn’t survive,” Ellonn recalled. “That was the moment when I fell apart. I was heartbroken.”
But the little boy survived and Ellonn and her boyfriend, Jordan Morrow, welcomed Jaden Wesley Morrow via C-section. He weighed just 13 ounces.
“His arms and toes were moving and he was trying to breathe on his own,” Ellonn told TODAY Parents. “He’s our little miracle.”
“For the most part, Jaden is stable,” the mother said. “He’s on a ventilator and had a small infection, but his doctors think he looks great. He’s getting breast milk and gaining weight.”
“I have moments where I get sad because I want him home with me,” she said. “But I am staying positive for Jaden.”
According to Dr. Krista Haines, a neonatologist at DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, babies born at 23 weeks are at higher risk for developing premature lung disease, brain bleeds, infections, bone fractures and blindness.’’
“Long term we know that there are the motor and cognitive delays as well as fine motor delays,” Haines said. She noted that very premature babies are at higher risk for developing autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.
“We know too that some of these babies do really, really well and that they can function similar to their peers,” Dr. Haines said. “Early intervention is the most important thing. It’s absolutely crucial.”