A brain-damaged infant has died in his parents' arms in Edmonton, after they decided to drop their court battle to keep him on life support.

Isaiah James May died at about 12 p.m. on Thursday, according to Rosanna Saccomani, the lawyer for parents Rebecka and Isaac May.

In a statement read by Saccomani, the parents said they had continued to hope their son's condition would improve, but made the decision when it was clear he was not getting better.

"All along it was our hope that his condition would brighten and improve. It has not," the statement said. "Isaiah has been a blessing to us and his spirit will always be in our hearts. We have set our tiny miracle free and he is now in the arms of angels."

Since the infant's birth in October, Rebecka and Isaac May had been fighting to keep him alive while they consulted further with medical experts for a second opinion on their baby's prognosis.

Dr. Richard Taylor, a neonatologist at Victoria General Hospital, had arrived in Edmonton last month to assess Isaiah's case.

In a statement issued Thursday, Taylor said he examined the infant on Feb. 19 and 20 and determined he was not in any distress and, as the Mays had said, he did have movement in his limbs and torso.

"But on testing the nerves entering and leaving his brain, I confirmed that his reflexes were all completely absent. He was also unable to breathe for himself without airway and ventilator support," he said.

After consulting with other specialists following his examination of the infant, Taylor said he advised the Mays that the boy would never recover.

"He would remain ventilator dependent for the duration of his life," the statement said. "As Isaiah would never recover, we agreed that this degree of life support was no longer appropriate."

Isaiah James May was born at the local hospital in the town of Rocky Mountain House, west of Red Deer. During the difficult 40-hour labour, his umbilical cord became wrapped around his neck, cutting off his oxygen.

The newborn was airlifted to Edmonton's Stollery Children's Hospital. There, doctors determined he had sustained severe brain damage.

Doctors at the hospital said the infant had no hope of regaining brain function and had planned to disconnect him from a ventilator on Jan. 20.

In a statement, Alberta Health Services expressed sympathy for the Mays.

"All Alberta Health Services' physicians and staff who have been involved in caring for Baby Isaiah were touched by the May family's strength," the statement said. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the family. At this time we would ask that the family's request for privacy be respected."

A court appearance Thursday to determine ongoing care for Isaiah had earlier been cancelled.

After a court date last month, Saccomani had said the Mays might come to a decision on their own time.

The Mays received a letter from Alberta Health Services in January stating that all medical procedures had been exhausted and that their son would never recover from the lack of oxygen during birth.

The Mays convinced a judge to grant them more time to find a second opinion.

The Mays wanted 90 days to seek their own independent medical review of their son's condition.

The hospital and Alberta Health Services had argued that 30 days should have been long enough.

At the first court date, the judge put over the case until Feb. 19.

Last month, the Mays were granted more time to consult as Taylor arrived in Edmonton to examine the infant. The process of finding medical experts to consult on their son's case has been difficult. Some were reluctant to get involved with a case with such a high media profile; others charged fees well beyond the Mays' means.

With files from The Canadian Press