Baby Abandoned In Worcester In The West Midlands
An urgent plea is made for the mother of a newborn baby left outside a home in Worcester to come forward.
Little baby Joseph – named by the nurses caring for him
A newborn baby boy found abandoned on a doorstep has triggered an appeal for his mother to come forward over concerns for her welfare.
Little baby Joseph – named by the nurses caring for him – was discovered by homeowners in Worcester, in his baby-grow, lying in a hessian shopping bag just before 4.30am today.
He is now being cared for by children’s nurses at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, who say he is healthy and looks as though he was born to term.
Patti Paine, head of midwifery at the hospital, said Joseph was “a lovely little boy” and was “doing very well”.
“He is being well looked after by the nurses here,” she said.
She added that a search of records had not revealed any expectant mothers known to the health services in the city, to whom the baby may belong.
She also said she could not rule out the chances the mother had been concealing the pregnancy.
Joseph was found on the doorstep of a home in the Lower Wick area of Worcester. The residents heard their doorbell ring and when they went to answer it saw the baby boy wrapped in a blanket and bag.
The baby’s discovery has triggered a public plea for Joseph’s mother to come forward, over concern for her welfare.
Mrs Paine said: “I would like to appeal to Joseph’s mother to come forward to us because we believe she may be in need of urgent medical attention.
“It’s important she’s seen by a midwife as soon as possible to get checked over.”
A 24-hour phone line has been set up by the hospital, in order for the mother to make contact.
Mrs Paine said they were confident Joseph was about a day old, and had been doing well since arriving on the children’s ward.
She added: “We’re fairly confident he was not born in a hospital because we have that network in the region to be fairly confident that’s not the case.
“We alerted our community midwifery team and to our knowledge there isn’t anyone who’s gone missing who we would be expecting.”
Detective Chief Inspector Stacey Williamson, of West Mercia Police, said: “It’s the mother’s welfare which is our priority.”
She added that when found Joseph was “clean and clothed” and that someone had obviously been caring for him.
She said it was not known if the mother had left the child at the door, but that whomever had left Joseph had made sure he would be discovered.
Police urged anybody in the area who saw somebody carrying a baby or pushing a baby, or anything they felt relevant to the inquiry, to contact them.
Officers are also keen to hear from anybody who recognises the hessian shopping bag he was found in, which bore the words: “Woolworth’s – The Difference, A Community Based Project”.
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