A newborn baby girl has been found alive in a shopping bag in East London, with police appealing to find the infant’s mother.
The baby was found by a dog walker in Newham last night, who kept the girl warm until paramedics arrived and took her to hospital.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Simon Crick expressed concern for the baby’s mother who he said “will have been through a traumatic ordeal and will be in need of immediate medical attention following the birth”.
In a news conference on Friday afternoon, Crick added: “We believe Elsa to be less than an hour old when she was found.
“We do not know how long she had been there when she was found.”
A member of the public found the child wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag, and called the police at 9.13pm last night.
Crick also said: “I am delighted to report that [the baby] wasn’t injured in any way and is safe and well in the care of hospital staff.
“I am grateful to the members of the public who stayed at the scene to speak with officers and medics – your actions contributed to saving the baby’s life.”
In Newham, where the newborn was found, temperatures dropped as low as -8°C, and hadn’t risen above zero since 5pm that afternoon.
Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Simon Crick
GBN
He said trained medics and specialised officers are on hand to support the girl’s mother and urged her to get in touch by phone or by walking into the nearest hospital or police station.
He continued: “If you are the baby’s mother please know that your daughter is well, no matter what your circumstances please do seek help by dialling 999.”
The quick-thinking dog walker found the infant at the junction of Greenway and High Street South, E6.
At the time the police were called, the air temperature was -4°C in Newham, which could have been fatal had the girl not been discovered.
Hypothermia can develop after prolonged exposure to temperatures under 10°C, which when left untreated can become a medical emergency.
The child was found on the Greenway footpath, just a few hundred metres from Newham University Hospital.
Copyright N Chadwick via Geograph
Newborn babies are especially sensitive to temperature changes, and the fact the infant was wrapped in a towel may have saved her life.
The child was found on the Greenway footpath, just a few hundred metres from Newham University Hospital.
The reasons the mother abandoned her child are currently unknown.
However, the infant is the third to be found in Newham in four years, with a girl left in a park in February 2019, and a boy on the street in January 2020.
Police are in contact with local hospitals and the local authority, and have asked anyone who may know the baby’s mother to call 999 and reference CAD 6876/18 Jan.
