Footage shows the rescued baby being freed from the sewage pipe
Just hours old, with its placenta still attached, a newborn baby was cut free by rescue workers from a section of sewer pipe. According to reports,the person believed to be responsible is the mother, an unmarried 22 year from Jinhua, China.
Sky news has also reported that the mother contacted the apartment’s landlord, complaining of “weird noises” coming from the sewer pipe. Once the baby was located, the section of pipe was cut away and transported to the local hospital. It was there where both doctors and firefighters worked together to save the innocent baby’s life. The rescued baby was found conscious, with cuts and bruises.
The rescue
The baby was painstakingly cut free from a section of pipe just 3 inches in diameter. As the baby boy was cut free, the cutting tools used came within inches from the baby’s head. After a three hour rescue operation, the newborn was taken into care in the hospital.
The boy, weighing 5lb, was subsequently named ‘Baby 59’, referring to the hospital incubator number.
Police have since stated that: “The baby is very healthy now and can be released from the hospital”
Safe and dry – the rescued baby in hospital (credit: Youtube – cipiripilala)
Video Footage of the rescued baby
After seeing the footage of the dramatic rescue, many took to Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter. One user, If free, summed up the general public’s reaction, saying:
“Seeing the little one wriggling and groaning as the pipe was torn apart bit by bit wrings my heart … You’ve lived through the hardest moment in your life and your future will definitely be smooth”
Watch the video here – it may be disturbing for some viewers
Abandonment or accident?
News sources from across the world have blamed the child’s mother for abandoning the baby, and it would appear to be that way. That said, police have not yet pressed charges and are still looking into the case.
“We need further investigations to find out if she had any malicious intentions”, an unnamed policeman said after the rescue.
However, according to the guardian, one police officer told French media that the rescued baby fell into the toilet after its mother unexpectedly gave birth.
Whilst an accident like this seems too far fetched, it does draw similarities with another story from China last year. In April 2012, a premature baby was rescued from a toilet pit in Chaoyang, China. After going into labour, the mother had stopped to use the bathroom on her way to the hospital. The rescued baby made a full recovery and returned home with the mother.
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One child policy
As shocking as this story is, we have become used to hearing about abandoned babies in China. Last year, the Beijing Youth Daily reported that one special baby ward at Hepingli Hospital had received more than 10,000 abandoned babies.
The mother’s motivations for dumping her baby in this new case have been attributed to China’s infamous ‘one child policy’. Made in 1978, this globally condemned policy is used to combat China’s escalating population problem.
The narrow sewer pipe the baby was trapped in (credit – Youtube – cipiripilala)
A mother’s worst nightmare
Whatever the motivation and whatever the circumstances, this case highlights an incredible lack of compassion. Many mothers across the world are desperate to conceive and would do anything for a baby of their own.
Mothers who are unable to conceive commonly seek adoption and are often refused. China’s baby boom is surely a problem that can be eased by cross country adoption, rather than resorting to abortion and abandonment.