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Premature Baby Born On Cruise Ship In Caribbean Returns Home To Utah

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 02:10 PST, Nov 24, 2015

The premature baby born on a cruise ship in the middle of the Caribbean has finally returned to his home in Utah after spending over two months in a Miami hospital.

“He is actually coming home, it is a very surreal feeling,” said Chase Morgan, the infant’s father.

According to Fox News, Emily Morgan, 28, of Ogden, Utah, started experiencing contractions on August 31, even though her son wasn’t due to be born until December. Morgan’s doctor had approved her seven-day cruise through the Caribbean to celebrate her daughter Chloe’s third birthday, and because she had had a fairly uneventful pregnancy, she decided to go.

When the contractions started, Emily thought it was just false labor, as she was only at the halfway point of her pregnancy. As a precaution, Emily and Chase called the medical staff aboard the Royal Caribbean ship, who checked on her and the baby and saw blood. Because they were 14 hours from the nearest docking point, the staff told her she couldn’t give birth to her. However, that was not an option for Emily, who went into full blown labor and gave birth to a one and a half pound premature baby boy, who they named Haiden Morgan.

Initially, the medical staff told Emily and Chase that their premature baby had been miscarried and she should try to get some rest. However, Emily insisted on seeing her child, dead or alive. Shockingly, nearly 45 minutes later, the medical staff came back to the couple and told them their baby had survived, but he wouldn’t live long. When they brought Haiden to Emily, he was wrapped in towels and was wearing a tiny oxygen mask to help him breathe. His skin was pink and he was making a “feeble cry,” which let them know his lungs were relatively strong even though he was born so premature.

Emily and Chase insisted their son be continuously wrapped in warm, dry towels, and they helped the cruise ship staff create a makeshift incubator to help keep him warm. At the same time, the captain of the cruise ship was speeding to Puerto Rico, arriving two hours before schedule. When the family arrived, they were met by two ambulances to take them to a nearby hospital. A few days later, Haiden was transferred to a children’s hospital in Miami, where he has stayed for the past 78 days.

Now, their little miracle baby is finally getting to go home. Emily said she never doubted that her son would survive his eventful birth, and she still doesn’t.

“Supposedly I had miscarried him, so that was a difficult thing to go through, and then all of a sudden, 45 minutes later, they said he is alive,” she told Fox 13 Salt Lake City. “It’s just been a fighting chance every day, really.”

“I never have had a doubt that he wasn’t going to make it, and I still don’t,” she added.

On Saturday, Haiden, who now weighs four and a half pounds, arrived at the Ogden Airport. Along with his big sister, Chloe, and his parents, Haiden was met by Emily’s tumble and cheer team to welcome him home.

“It’s so exciting, I’m so happy, it’s been a long process, a long journey, and we’re just so glad he’s going to be back with the family,” said team member Emily White.

Although Haiden is doing exceptionally better, he will be going to the McKay-Dee Hospital to stay until the doctors can determine if he is strong enough to go home with his family.

“Just to know that we are so close now and have the opportunity to be together and Chloe will have the opportunity to have her brother,” Chase said.

The exact date of when Haiden will be able to go home is still up in the air, however, his parents are hopeful that he will be able to come home in time to celebrate Christmas with his family.

[Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images]

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