The desperate teenager handed the baby to a stranger with the umbilical cord still attached and walked out of the restaurant.
Not everyone is ready to be a mother.
Most of these women are those who became pregnant at a very young age. An unplanned pregnancy can be very emotionally and mentally draining for a woman. This is why many women still choose to give birth to their children.
However, once the child is born, the new mother faces another problem.
Caring for and raising a child is no small feat. Plus, it can be quite expensive with diapers, milk, and regular checkups. This is why one should not be quick to judge when a mother abandons her child at birth.
A 14-year-old girl had the same predicament but alarmingly left her child.
El Patron restaurant owner Frankie Aguilar said the teenager walked into the restaurant on a Wednesday afternoon with a newborn baby. She looked desperate and asked customers and staff for help.
She told people at the restaurant that she had “found the newborn”.
The baby’s umbilical cord was still attached and he seemed to have trouble breathing. A CPR-trained client, Alease Scott, asked the teenager if she could check the baby’s vital signs.
The teenager immediately handed the baby over, and when all the attention was on the baby, she quickly walked out of the restaurant.
Alarmed by the situation, restaurant staff called the police for help.
Help arrived within minutes as police came with an oxygen cylinder and other medical equipment. They attached the oxygen mask to the baby, which gave them instant relief. The baby cried, moved, opened and closed his eyes. The baby began suckling on the mask, signaling that he was hungry.
Alease said she was just happy to be there — in the right place at the right time. She was happy to be able to help and that the baby was safe.
Authorities found the 14-year-old and detained her for a short time.
They took her to Jersey City Medical Hospital to make sure she was okay. She did not face any charges and the newborn was put up for adoption.
This law allows parents to waive their rights over their newborns and leave them in safe establishments designated by law. These are mainly hospitals, police stations and fire stations. The law was made so that parents could leave babies in safer places rather than anywhere that could be harmful to the child.
With this law, the parent waives all parental rights over the child.
The child can then be taken to a shelter and placed in foster care or adoption. The parent would remain unknown, and the only record that connects the mother to the child is a number or code, usually written on a child’s hospital bracelet.
