TEEN PARENTS ACCUSED OF SMUGGLING THEIR CHILD OUT OF A HOSPITAL FINALLY REUNITED WITH HER

A young teenage couple accused of snatching their newborn baby from hospital have been briefly reunited with their daughter after five days apart.

Jayden Lavender, 14, and fiancée Jenifer Morrison, 15, smuggled three-day-old Aria out of the hospital in Sydney at 12.30am on Thursday.

Their disappearance sparked a huge search before the pair were found safe and well 16 hours later after spending a night camping with the infant.

The teens were briefly reunited with their baby girl on Tuesday amid the family's fears they would never see her again.

Jayden and Jenifer said they hid Aria under a blanket and left Nepean Hospital in the middle of the night because they feared their baby would be taken into care by social services.



But an emotional Jayden told 7News the reunion gave the young couple hope Aria would be returned to them permanently.

With his arm around his fiancée, the 14-year-old said: "Definitely brought a smile to my face, I haven’t been able to smile properly in a couple days and that's definitely brought a smile to my face and I know it's definitely brought a smile to her face and she started crying as soon as we literally saw her she started breaking down."
Police confirmed the youngsters will not face charges over the incident.

Baby Aria was discharged on Friday in good health, a hospital spokesman said. However he would not elaborate on where she had been taken.

Jayden and Jenifer claimed social workers had previously told them they were 'too young to decide' what happens to the child.
Speaking to 7News last week outside the Lavender family home, they explained why they ran away with their baby.

Dad Jayden said: “All we wanted to do was spend Easter with her. We’re a Christian family, that's the one thing I love.We go to church and everything.
Fighting back tears, teen mum Jenifer said: “I would be a good mother for her, I just want her home and safe.

"I don't know what I've done wrong and me and Jayden would be awesome for her."

When a reporter asked if she's not going to give up on her baby, the young mum replied: "No. She's gonna be there for me and I'll be there for her. And I'm gonna fight for her."



Jayden said: "I've never felt this pain in my body ever. Now she's my pride and joy, like as soon as I saw her I was like, she looks exactly how I did when I was a baby."

As they returned home without Aria, reporters questioned Jayden's mother, Tracy Lavender, about the incident, saying it "must be heartbreaking for them."

"Yeah it is," she replied before saying: "I knew that my son would look after his baby and his girlfriend.

"They shouldn't be having the baby taken off them. They're good parents."
She later added: "These two have done nothing wrong except being underage.

"The baby's healthy. Seven-and-a-half pounds. The ambulance checked her out, they found that there was not one thing wrong with the baby."

Gesturing to a bag, she said: "They brought nappies, they brought wipes, they've got everything in that bag there. Everything there in that bag they had with them to look after their daughter.

"They bought camping stuff at KMart apparently, he camped out for the night with his baby and his wife."
Police told 7News the couple hadn't broken the law but "knew what they were doing was wrong" - they were scared their baby would be taken and felt they had to hide.

According to 7News reports, the teenagers say they've been told they are too young to decide who will care for baby Aria.

Tracy said: "They've stopped [Jenifer] from breastfeeding. They won't let her express her milk and give it to the hospital for Aria to drink."