Photo credit: Jaden Morrow / GoFundMe

From Prevention

Ellonn Smartt and her boyfriend Jordan Morrow welcomed their baby boy, Jaden Morrow, four months early via C-section.

The Iowa mom’s premature baby weighed only 13 ounces and is being cared for in the NICU until his due date in November.

Jaden’s parents launched a GoFundMe page shortly after his birth that has already surpassed its goal.

Ellonn Smartt welcomed her new baby boy at just 23 weeks pregnant. Her water broke a few days earlier and she stayed calm until doctors told her the risks involved with her delivery.

“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 told Today Parents. “That was the moment when I fell apart. I was heartbroken.”

Ellonn had a C-section and delivered 13-ounce Jaden Wesley Morrow on July 11. “His arms and toes were moving and he was trying to breathe on his own,” Ellonn told TODAY Parents. “He’s our little miracle.”

Only about half of 1 percent of births happen before the third trimester, which begins at 28 weeks, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Births that occur between 20 and 25 weeks, six days (like Jaden’s), are considered periviable births—or, births at the limit of viability, when a fetus could theoretically survive on its own outside the womb. As a result, the survival rates for these preemies are low. Babies like Jaden are at risk for severe developmental difficulties.



Jaden is being treated in the NICU at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, where he will stay until his Nov. 6 due date. “For most part, Jaden is stable,” Ellonn told Today Parents. “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.”

Photo credit: GoFundMe / Jaden Morrow

Ellonn and her boyfriend Jordan Morrow, Jaden’s father, created a GoFundMe page a few days after Jaden was born to help with expenses. They’ve already surpassed their $2,500 goal with 85 donations and counting. The couple has shared photos and updates on Jaden’s progress to the page. They wrote: “I’m already wowing the doctors. I’ve heard them use terms like ‘amazing’ and ‘remarkable’ to describe me so far.”

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Ellonn shared, “But I am staying positive for Jaden.”

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