UK mum separated by force from newborn in Spain. AIBU to be shocked this is taking so long to resolve?

[wigglylines]

Poor woman, poor baby too. I can't imagine what she's going through.

Why would they drag it out so long? How long does it take to get a DNA test FFS?

Story here www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/03/british-woman-says-she-was-separated-from-newborn-daughter-in-spain

[Petition link removed by MNHQ as we don't allow them in AIBU or anywhere other than our Petitions topic]

I keep thinking about the actual practicality of clamping the cord (with what in rented flat?) and cutting it, delivering the placenta. It's not the same as giving birth at home and quickly summoning help. There's no suggestion that she or her mum had any midwifery experience. Would people really not bat an eyelid about handling all that without assistance in a strange place

Plus it was the day they took possession of the keys! You wouldn't even be able to find a pair of scissors let alone deliver a baby and all that entails safely and without help. Would anyone really have an unassisted home birth in a flat you rented that very day in a foreign country and NOT seek immediate medical assistance? I reckon the only one reason you wouldn't is if you have something to hide.

AlltheToast, so 2 inquiries later in Rotherham, several other cases up and down the country and the Victoria Climbie case and you're still not convinced.

I think that in Rotherham the race of the perpetrators was just a convenient excuse for the authorities to ignore a difficult situation they didn't want to get involved with.

Time will tell and even if this woman turns out to be telling the truth, the authorities had every right to investigate. Aren't there anyway midwives on MN to give their perspective about woman giving birth without medical help and only going the next day for a check up?

According to this Spanish report (Diario Sur again, seems to be the only Spanish paper reporting it for now)

www.diariosur.es/axarquia/201507/07/madre-britanica-sigue-espera-20150706223245.html

"Según su testimonio, llegó a Málaga para visitar a su madre el pasado 1 de junio, cuando estaba embarazada de 36 semanas, con la idea de estar apenas un par de semanas en España. Sin embargo, el día 16 se puso de parto en la vivienda que su progenitora había alquilado en la pequeña localidad situada a diez kilómetros de Vélez-Málaga. A las pocas horas de dar a luz, acudió al Hospital Comarcal para inscribir oficialmente a su hija.
Cuando los médicos la inspeccionaron, dudaron de su versión y activaron el protocolo que se aplica en los casos en los que hay «dudas razonables» sobre la maternidad de una mujer. Tras abandonar el centro de forma repentina, la Policía Nacional la localizó y la trasladó de nuevo al hospital. El Juzgado veleño fue el que ordenó la prueba de ADN y, según fuentes consultadas por SUR en la Delegación de Salud, «esta semana se sabrá el resultado con casi toda probabilidad, porque los análisis se hacen fuera de Andalucía"

She arrived on 1 june at 36 weeks, planning to be in Spain "for only a couple of weeks" and gae birth on 16 June in a rural apartment and went to the hospital a few hours later "to register the birth".
"When the doctors examined her they doubted her ersion of events and activated the protocol applied in cases where there are "reasonable doubts" about paternity. It also says the DNA will almost certainly be in this week as the tests have been done outside of Andalucia (the region Malaga belongs too). I expect the DNA tests have been done in Madrid.

GoodtoBetter Reasonable doubts about paternity? What has paternity got to do with it?

It's a translation error - maternidad means maternity rather than parternity, as you might expect.

Sorry, I meant reasonable doubts about her being the mother: maternity.

I wonder when the photographs of the baby were taken? They certainly don't show a very recently born baby.

It has now been three weeks according to that newspaper. Come on Spain, get your finger out.

Allthetoast, both of the inquiries have concluded that the crimes were ignored by agencies because they were afraid of appearing racist.

If they didn't want to get involved in child sex abuse cases why were they willing to do so when it involved perpetrators who weren't Asian?

You're talking nonsense. Read up on the case. It wasn't investigated because of race, ditto Victoria Climbie.

I keep thinking about the actual practicality of clamping the cord (with what in rented flat?)

String or similar?

The poor children separated from each other and their Mum. This should be a beautiful binding time not a time of worry, separation and sadness.

I hope the DNA test and secret rumblings are concluded soon.

I'm sure I read that the cord was still in tact. Either in the olive or Spanish edition. But there must be other ways to cut and clamp, birth happens in the middle of the Amazon, in the dessert, and other remote locations far from civilization and traditional medical assistance.
Places where women don't rock up to hospital to have a child.
Interesting the time line is changing. Gone from the following day to a few hours later.

Well of course there are plenty of ways to deal with the practicalities, lots that untrained people can do if they have to. But in an apt in a european country with a hospital nearby and easy access to ambulances and medics you choose not to seek any assistance? At best its completely negligent behaviour.

There are all sorts of reasons this woman may be courting publicity, but she certainly does not seem to be frantically doing all she can to get her baby back, she seems instead to be enjoying the publicity. Lots of people who are lying about their circumstances are daft enough/think they are clever enough to con the authorities. Look at the Tia Sharpe case, The Soham murders etc. Just because she has gone to the media does not mean she is innocent/is the babys real mother. Or she may be the mother, but is for some reason lying about the circumstances/timings.

experienced medics are putting their reputations on the line here saying this does not add up. without having access to what they have seen and heard, and their experience, who on the internet can rave on about 'reuniting this poor woman with her baby'

I expect she is the mother but the there must have being strong reasons for the doctors to believe the baby to be older. In that case I don't think we'll ever know the real story as it's not likely the hospital will disclose details.

"Enjoying the publicity"?!

How on earth do you come to that conclusion?

If I Google her name all I can find is the 2 UK articles and a few Spanish ones, all from a few days ago and all saying the same thing.

Well of course there are plenty of ways to deal with the practicalities, lots that untrained people can do if they have to. But in an apt in a european country with a hospital nearby and easy access to ambulances and medics you choose not to seek any assistance? At best its completely negligent behaviour.

I agree with this. Also, the baby was supposedly two weeks premature. I know she's a dental nurse, but I don't think that qualifies her to assess the health and well-being of a premature infant. There's no logical reason why she wouldn't have summoned an ambulance, or gotten some kind of assistance right away. If they were unfamiliar with the area, they could have requested help from a neighbor or someone. It's very strange.

the flip side, wiggly , is how on earth do YOU conclude, from the very little we actually KNOW, that she must be a wronged mother?? to the extent you beseech the whole of MN to sign a bloomin petition. Do you know her or something?? You do seem to be very invested in this thread.

OK so enjoying is perhaps too strong a word, what I was meaning was that just because she has openly gone to the media with her sob story, does NOT mean her version of events is the truth. Plenty have done that and been shown to be liars.

I've googled her as well. It's a bit odd, because she is a 27 year old but there doesn't appear to be any trace of her online under that name, no social media, no electoral roll, no mention of her through her job or anything.

I know it's a bit nosey, but I do find it a bit odd. I'm wondering if she has given a different name to that which she normally uses because she doesn't want people to put together something in her past with this story.

I don't see that as odd.
Not everyone has their life online. I know several people who are like this. People who you would think would be online because
Of their jobs and there is nothing.

This article says they've been reunited and she has the birth certificate
www.typicallyspanish.com/news-spain/sol/A_British_mother_has_been_waiting_for_DNA_results_to_recover_her_daughter.shtml

The baby's surname seems to be Thompson ( I get this from the photo in the papers) may have been her surname and now may have reverted to her maiden name.

They left the hospital today at four pm