I have no words - woman now stranded after wanting to give birth in St Lucia (on the beach...)

[Nanny0gg]

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/new-mum-stranded-after-being-8669669

What on earth were they thinking??

It’s not clear if mum asked to be checked 3 days post birth.
If she wanted a birth without medical attention then she may not have wanted examining. Plus issues of paying hospital.
It reads as though they just turned up at hospital thinking they could get a bc not for any medical reasons.

I think I really have heard it all now!

Just what were they thinking 😮

I am glad to hear the baby and mother are well because the whole thing could have gone spectacularly wrong!

If she wanted a beach, surely a UK beach would have sufficed!

I wonder if he has an ex-wife back in Stevenage or wherever, having a good old wheezy laugh on the group chat today about Clive's predicament.

😂😂 I really hope so 🙏

SS are also going to be busy looking into all the 8 year olds at boarding school, then.

As someone born abroad and registered with the British High Commission just over 50 years ago, it has always been the case that there is red tape which can take time to process. They are not stateless, they are in a process of administration.
Two minutes of research would have show the red tape issues and sent any normal person off researching things more.
However I get the feeling that in this case Intsagram was the research tool used...

Maybe she self identifies as a turtle...

The whole story sounds completely dubious though I’m not surprised the authorises are questioning whether the baby is even theirs! I guess they can prove it when the DNA test come back though!

That aside A. they sound like complete idiots and B. Why the hell would anyone want to give birth in a beach.. think of the sand.. it’s bad enough going to a beach for a picnic never mind giving birth there with all the bodily fluids and exposed orifices!

I have zero sympathy for them bleating about being stateless when it's entirely their own doing. They are the definition of "fuck around and find out".

They found out 🤷‍♀️

They are not stateless but they do need to prove that is their baby. I wonder if they can pay for an expedited DNA test in that case.

I don’t understand what they expected.

You can’t just rock up to a hospital with a baby that’s a few days old and claim it’s your own, I too would be suspicious.

Why wait so long to get your baby checked out?

How long we’re they planning to stay in that country until their baby was ready to be born?
They left at 35 weeks and the baby may not have come until 42 weeks.
And were they seriously happy to leave their DD for so long.

I wonder if there is proof that she actually gave birth to the baby as it all seems a bit dodgy.

No one would choose to give birth in a random country, surely.

Just realised they left in March. Her poor daughter.

That’s totally different. It’s literally a handful of 8 yr olds that board in Uk often due to disability or educational needs ie no local suitable school. With consent forms that school are in loco parentis eg for medical care etc. If they couldn’t even sort a passport renewal I doubt they’ve sorted anything formally.
This child is effectively being fostered by her auntie.

They left in March. March for fucks sake.

Their DD has been staying with her aunt for 5 months and looks like it'll be for another while longer.

Thats not illegal tbf

'No one is helping us' bleated Clive.

FFS...

Too often people think that the UK government will just bail them out if there's a problem. They no doubt expected consular assistance and a free flight home.

Sympathy for the child and the other child back in England. There are worse parents but that is no defence.

I agree - the role of the consulate is to advise and maybe assist Britons overseas (depending on what the issue is.

So yes, they're the first port of call for emergency travel documents if your passport is lost/stolen

If you are arrested, they can check you are being treated normally in accordance with the laws of the country, can explain the key points of the legal system, signpost suitable lawyers and interpreters and may talk to the local authorities if there are significant differences to the country's normal standards. They cannot intervene to get you more favourable treatment (in the judicial process or during imprisonment) nor can they arrange repatriation under any terms other than those of international prisoner exchange agreements.

If you are a dual national, you are in the country of your other nationality and that country does not recognise second nationalities for its citizens, you may not get ant help at all - not because the British authorities are unwilling, but because the local authorities simply don't permit it.

They cannot pay for stuff for you - better to get on to your bank or have someone use Western Union to transfer funds if you are stuck. Slightly different if in a crisis situation - but you'll still need to sign a binding agreement to repay.

They also deal with paperwork and some practical aspects of births marriages and deaths abroad. Plus playing a role if there is a kidnapping or hostage situation, and in some circumstances offering victim support.

They also assist in averting/escaping forced marriages, can help if someone goes missing abroad, and deal with international child abduction cases.

What they are not is some sort of catch-all/holiday rep/saviour. You can get a range of services, but you need to pay for nearly all of them, and also it's worth being aware that some of these are signposting the relevant local services and then expecting you to get on with it

I wonder where St Lucia idea came from?
If she wanted a beach birth then same could have been achieved here. I appreciate Blackpool is their nearest beach and probably isn’t aesthetic going for but Isles of Scilly or Scottish Islands could be and it was late Spring so weather ok.
If money was tight and had an 8 yr old couldn’t travel surely Uk beach would have been a more natural choice.
Another red flag that more going on that meets the eye.

Making them stupid, shellfish people?

(I'll get my coat)

Good Lord. So much wrong with this it is hard to know where to start.

I would make comments like “surely you’d look up the rules of how you’d get a birth certificate and what you’d need in a foreign country with an unassisted birth when you came up with this plan” but this pair seem very short on thinking.

It sounds like it doesn't it. Agree with a PP they should have done their research! A quick Google gave me enough info to conclude this isn't a good idea.

I work in a boarding school that takes from 7-13. We would have a huge issue with parents of that age of child pissing off for 6 months. We have exeats every 2-3 weeks so child see their parents more than every 6 months. If parents were expats then kid may not go home for exeat but would most certainly be expected to go home for 1/2 term, still less than 6 months

(Oh and we also have to be trained to care for kids and inspected.)

kinship care isn’t illegal but now ss know I suspect they’ll want to check the 8 yr old child is being adequately cared for.
She may well be absolutely fine.

Knobs. They’re up there with the people who wait until there’s a blizzard before deciding to climb Ben Nevis, or have a bunch of tequila shots and decide to take the inflatable swan for a test drive down the Panama Canal. ‘Oh look, here I am in a terrible predicament entirely of my own making. Why isn’t everyone dropping everything to help me because I am special?’