Abandoned at birth — Mothers choose hospitals to desert their babies

WHILE the plight of some desperate women who went as far as to steal babies from hospitals was brought to public attention in recent times, another practice has been quietly taking place over the years — women have been sporadically leaving their babies at hospitals after giving birth to them.

All Woman learned of three such recent cases at two hospitals in Central Jamaica. One of these babies was relocated two weeks ago, while the other two remain in the place they were born.

What is disheartening, one doctor says, is that one of the babies is perfectly healthy.

“He was born prematurely, and that is why he was placed in the nursery,” the doctor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told All Woman.

“His mother was discharged once she was fit enough to go home, but he had to stay a while longer for monitoring because he was premature, but he was an otherwise healthy baby.”

As is customary at all hospitals when babies have to be admitted in the nurseries, the doctors witnessed other parents visit their children daily with supplies until they could be discharged, but no one returned for this little boy.

“He is loved and supported by the staff, and he will probably soon be leaving us for a children’s home,” the doctor said. “When we noticed that the mother didn’t come to visit, the social worker tried finding her, but each time she changed parish, and still has not returned for him. Who would have a wonderful child like that and don’t come for him?”

But the doctors and nurses have got used to the little one in their midst.

“It’s almost as if I can’t imagine going to work and not seeing him. He is loved and supported by the entire staff. He is so full of life, and it is so heartbreaking when no one ever comes to visit him.”

Once the processing is complete, this baby will probably join the approximately 4,700 Jamaican children in State care, according to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

Responding to questions e-mailed by All Woman, the CPFSA said that the majority of the near five thousand children who become wards of the state are as a result of parental neglect.

“This includes children not being cared for properly, sometimes left with other persons who are unable to care for them, lack of adequate supervision, children not attending school, etc,” the agency noted. “While physical and sexual abuse also feature heavily, parental neglect is the most common reason a child comes into care.”

Also abandoned… in toilets, bushes, and plastic bags

In July 2012, the St Catherine police launched an investigation into an incident where a newborn was found abandoned in a pit toilet at a residence in Linstead in the parish.

The police reported that someone who had gone to use the bathroom heard the baby boy crying. A search then began in earnest for the mother.

Then on Thursday, March 16, 2017, the Rockfort police were called by residents who had found a five-day-old baby boy in a plastic bag on Sirgany Drive in the area. The police say the baby was transported to the Bustamante Hospital for Children where he was examined and admitted in stable condition. The 29-year-old mother was later found and charged with abandonment of a child.

And on Saturday, February 10, 2018, diners in Old Harbour, St Catherine found an infant girl wrapped in a multi-coloured blanket in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant and summoned the police. Despite appeals for help, the police were unable to locate her parents and said the next step would have been to have her put in the system to be placed for adoption.

But State care is a last resort, the CPFSA said, as all attempts are made to keep the family together first, unless it is evident that the child is in need of care and protection.

“The child and parent may be referred to the Child and Family Support Unit of the CPFSA. This unit offers varying support (financial assistance, counselling for children, parenting sessions, referrals to other agencies) to divert children from entering state care,” the CPFSA said.

“If the child is in need of care and protection, the child is brought before the court. The court will decide whether the child is to be placed on a supervision order or be the subject of a Fit Person Order.”

Babies who are abandoned in hospitals are usually subject to the Fit Person Order, which gives an individual or organisation care, custody, and charge of a child. A child is placed in the care of the State by this order, or a suitable relative or family friend may be granted a Fit Person Order.

“Children who are committed to the care of the State may either be placed in a residential childcare facility, or alternative care in the agency’s Living in Family Environment programme which comprises adoption, foster care, and family re-integration,” the agency added.

What kind of mother would leave her baby?

Clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell addressed the issue in this magazine previously, where she said though the issue of mothers who leave their children is not a regular occurrence in Jamaica, a number of things could cause mothers to do such a thing.

“There are a number of psychological or psychiatric issues that impact upon the decision-making skills of mothers. The emotional state of the mother could be an issue and she may have deep hatred for the father of the child, and the psychosocial environment as well as the conditions in which conception may have occurred may result in the parent blaming the child and leaving them behind,” Dr Bell said.

Dr Bell said additionally, cases of abuse may lead to children being abandoned by their mothers.

“The mother may have been raped or the father may have been physically abusive and the child stands as a reminder of the ordeal the mother went through,” she said.

Also, she stated that irresponsibility plays a major part, as well as the age of the mother.

“Some mothers will feel that children are a burden and in their self-seeking and self-gratification process the child will block their progress. Also, very young women may think they are not prepared enough as they themselves are children.”

But according to Dr Bell, when mothers leave, children are affected emotionally and socially, as the natural bond that mothers provide does not take place.

“Psychological theories suggest that children need early attachment from ages 0-2 from the mother. When the attachment is not had, it could affect how the child ends up forming attachments of their own. They may develop mistrust of the world, self-esteem issues, and interpersonal relationship issues.”

To top it off, she said it affects their psychological state and their confidence becomes affected and they start harbouring feelings of resentment and abandonment.

She said the children may begin to doubt their self-worth and question the reason their mothers left.

Dr Bell said many children whose mothers leave end up pushing against the abandonment factor to succeed.

“But it does not negate the fact that they have it in the back of their heads to ask why she left in the first place. Sometimes the mother has other children that she cares for and the child, knowing this, will develop self-doubt,” she said.

When parents just can’t manage

While provisions are made for babies who are abandoned in places such as hospitals by their families, the CPFSA maintains that a stable, nurturing and caring family environment is best for every child. It provides support for parents who feel as if they cannot adequately take care of their children, and connects them to other organisations which may be able to assist.

If a parent still wishes to abscond his/her responsibility of a child, however, the correct procedure is to go to court.

According to Section 24 (1) of the Child Care & Protection Act, “The parent or guardian of a child may bring the child before a juvenile court and where such parent or guardian proves to the court that he is unable to control the child, the court may make an order in respect of the child …”