Baby born at 23 weeks weighing 13 ounces lived for '25 days of love and happiness'

A baby born weighing just 13 ounces last month in a Des Moines hospital has died.

Though Jaden had gained a little more weight and had been in stable condition, his mother Elonn Smartt confirmed the news to the Des Moines Register.

Doctors had described Jaden Wesley Morrow's birth as "remarkable." He lived for 25 days.

"Jaden was so loved," Smartt said. "Even from those we never met. We want to thank everyone for all of the love and support our fighter got. We will continue to support other families in the NICU just like others have supported us."

'25 days of love and happiness'

Smartt also shared a message on her Facebook page, saying that she sang Jaden the song she sang every night to his older brother.

"We got to hold and cuddle him for hours. Jaden is stronger than anyone I know. He came here to teach us what love really means. Where he is there are no more tubes, no alarms beeping, or machines. He fought hard for all of us...25 days."

She added: "25 days of love and happiness."

As of July 28, Morrow had grown to 1.1 pounds in weight, had been tolerating breast milk and no longer needed insulin injections. He was reportedly in stable condition as recently as Wednesday.

Smartt went into labor just 23 weeks into her pregnancy. She underwent an emergency cesarean section and her son was born more than 6 pounds under the average weight of newborn babies.

Contributing: Amy Haneline

Aaron Calvin covers trending news for the Register. Reach him at acalvin@registermedia.com or 515-556-9097.

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