Leaving a newborn in a shopping bag.

[Eastie77Returns]

It's currently 2 degrees in my area. Last night it was 0-1 max. There are a dozen places you could potentially leave a tiny baby and someone chose to place him/her outside in a shopping bag.

The person who did this (no idea if it was mum, dad or someone else) should be charged. With what, I don't know. Attempted murder? I mean the baby was found by a dog walker, completely chance.

I'm sure the apologists will be out in force - whoever left the baby must be in distress, they need help etc. That may be true. But I cannot get my head around this.

I imagine she was in a situation where planning in advance was somewhat difficult.

And, reports say that the baby was wrapped in a towel.

Yes, I would want her found, because then she can get some help, medical and safeguarding, and this way whoever put her in this situation can be found and charged, if they have committed an offence.

Unbelievable. I despair at some of these comments. Spoken from someone sitting in a place of safety, no doubt.

She needs to be found in case she needs medical attention.

I was involved, many years ago, as a midwife, with a young unmarried girl whose mother forced her to conceal her pregnancy, delivered the baby, then put it in a bin.

The baby's mother and grandmother were quickly found. The teenage mother was not charged, but her mother was.

The young girl was helped to move out of her family home.

If you read the source new articles, you'll see she was.

She was wrapped in a towel in a shopping bag.

Not left near naked in a carrier bag.

This is absolutely awful for the mother and baby. This mother must of been in such a desperate situation and clearly not in the right mind state to do this, I just hope they are able to seek help.

If it was many years ago, the criminal justice and care systems would've been functioning much better than they are at present. I wouldn't trust either to be capable of adequately dealing with this situation now.

@meditrina and im glad to hear. Too often babies are left naked.

The BBC article said this is the third time this has happened in the area in the past few years. It makes me wonder whether there is people trafficking or slavery involved and I hope the police are looking into it.

“Too often”? How often do you think this happens? It’s a thankfully rare occurrence for babies to be abandoned, which is why this case has made national news.

I mean this is what you said which really doesn’t link in to what you just typed, unless you classify yourself as an apologist:

The person who did this (no idea if it was mum, dad or someone else) should be charged. With what, I don't know. Attempted murder? I mean the baby was found by a dog walker, completely chance.

I'm sure the apologists will be out in force - whoever left the baby must be in distress, they need help etc. That may be true. But I cannot get my head around this.

Re @Eastie77Returns update: I'm glad s/he has taken on board comments, paused for thought and developed their thinking to allow for nuance. I don't think that deserves a pile on.

Re those postulating that someone else could be responsible, overwhelmingly in these cases, it is the mother who has abandoned the baby.

Re @Eastie77Returnsupdate: I'm glad s/he has taken on board comments, paused for thought and developed their thinking to allow for nuance. I don't think that deserves a pile on.

To be fair, I have seen scant evidence that this is the case. Posters are quite rightly highlighting how callous the OP came across. Labelling people apologists, just because they show some empathy is not on.

There was a thread on here some time ago from a lady who'd given birth outside and abandonded her baby in a similar way, i.e. she left it for it to be found. She described what she would through during that time as a young teenager.

It haunted her as an adult and she was suffering a great deal. I really felt for her as well as the now teenage (or even older) baby.

Without understanding the circumstances I will not judge the mother in this case. East Ham has a A LOT of Asian population and I wonder if that was a contributing factor, i.e. having a baby when you shouldn't even have sex as you aren't married etc. it could easily get you shunned from your family forever or worse. The babys now probably lost its birth family, I know, but in some cultures there are extreme consequences for what other cultures consider normal or a problem than can be solved.

I don't know if that's the case of course. But I know East Ham well and did immediately wonder which demographic factors might have contributed.

No one knows what happened and therefore no one can make any kind of judgment.

Multiple scenarios but none are very nice.

I'm sure the apologists will be out in force - whoever left the baby must be in distress, they need help etc. That may be true. But I cannot get my head around this.

I’ll happily be called an apologist for this. The fact that you are unable to get your head around it makes you human but also shows how privileged we all are to not be able to put ourselves in this person’s shoes and ‘get our head around this’.

But I cannot get my head around this

Then you should consider yourself extremely lucky.

The OP and a lot of the other posts are depressing to read. Such a lack of empathy and any imagining of what can happen outside their cosy bubble.

Agree with this 100%

I wish people would read my post

We did. You want someone charged with ‘attempted murder’. And now you’re saying that is not punishment?
Mmmkay.

Your second post is absolutely not what you say in your first post op so don't pretend it is.
You said whoever left the baby (to quote you op "mum, dad or someone else") should be prosecuted.

Not only do you have no idea of the details or circumstances of the person who left the baby , you don't actually know the details of how the baby was left. Maybe the person kept hold of the baby until they saw someone who they thought looked like they'd be a 'safe' person and they stayed nearby until the baby had been found (or even the finder was someone the person actually knew somehow through their community and knew they walked their dog at that time and the baby would be safe with them). So the risk to the baby was small.

Prosecution may be appropriate but until more information comes to light we shouldn't rush to condemn.

It's a very sad story for all concerned
Thank god, the little girl is safe and well
I hope the mother is found and gets the support she needs

What an odd OP. We literally know nothing about the person (most likely the mother), who left the baby. So until the circumstances are known, how can you say they should be charged? I think it’s pretty likely that the mother, regardless of whether she left the baby or someone else, is not going to be someone in a brilliant situation themselves.

Baby's fine, all I care about is Mum now - really hope she is ok

I suggest you climb down from that high horse of yours, OP, and try to develop both imagination and some empathy. Your second post didn't do anything to improve your first.