Chinese authorities say they have identified the mother of the newborn baby who was found trapped in a sewer pipe on Saturday. The woman confessed to giving the birth to the baby in the bathroom and then panicking when it got stuck in the toilet.
Fox News is reporting that the mother is a 22 year-old woman from the Zhejiang province city of Jinhua in eastern China whose name has not been revealed. She is a high school graduate working as a waitress at a nearby restaurant who became pregnant after a one-night stand with a man who refused any responsibility for the child.
The woman claims she could not afford an abortion and hid her pregnancy under loose clothes for months until giving birth in the bathroom of the building where she rents a room. She said she tried to catch the baby but he slipped into the sewer line and that she alerted the landlord after being unable to pull the child out.
Authorities say the woman was present while workers were rescuing the child but did not identify herself as the mother until police became suspicious when they found baby toys and blood-stained toilet paper in her room. When they asked her to undergo a medical checkup, she confessed.
A video of the child's rescue was seen around the world and brought an outpouring of support and donations to the hospital where the baby boy, referred to as Baby No. 59, is currently being treated for minor injuries.
Fox reports that unwanted pregnancies are on the rise in China where young men and women have a lax attitude toward sex. Abortion services are widely available in the country where a strict one-child-only policy has been in place for decades.
It is not yet known if the woman intended to abandon the baby, or if she wants to keep the child.
Local police refused to comment further on the case, saying it is under investigation.
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