Zhi Hao, Author at Goody Feed

Every act entails a price to pay. And abandoning your own newborn baby is no different. According to The Straits Times, an Indonesian woman has been given a lengthy period behind bars... After she reportedly left her baby boy in a recycling bin near Upper Paya Lebar Road on 27 July this year. Woman Who Left Newborn Baby in Recycling Bin in Tai Keng Gardens Jailed 5 Months According to the report, the perpetrator was sentenced to five months' jail, after confessing that she had gone through with the terrifying deed. For committing the offence, she could have been jailed up to seven years and fined. Apparently, the infant had been found in a recycling bin in Tai Keng Gardens. The media outlet has since spoken to a resident, whose family first discovered the infant. A certain Mr Lew revealed that his son-in-law had come across the cries of a baby after a family dinner. Mr Lew said: "He heard a strange noise coming from (the bin), and asked some of us for help to check it out. "No one dared to open the bin because they thought it might be a cat or a dog, so they called me for help." They went on to open up the bin, where they found an infant garbed in a towel and hidden inside plastic bags. The baby was subsequently retrieved and sent to KK Women's and Children's Hospital via an ambulance. Thankfully, the baby failed to suffer any visible injuries, and was deemed to be in stable condition. As for the infant's mother, she was eventually identified through detailed ground investigations and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. "Through extensive ground investigations and with the aid of images from CCTV footage provided by residents, officers from the Ang Mo Kio Police Division established the identity of the woman, who is believed to have abandoned the baby," the Police had said in a statement, days after the discovery was first made. "The police would like to express our appreciation to the members of the community who provided valuable information which aided investigations and contributed to the arrest." Hoping Someone Would Find Him In a recent update, it was revealed that the helper had discovered her pregnancy in May 2020. Although she tried consuming pills, the "abortion process" did not work. She ended up giving birth in the toilet on 27 July this year. According to CNA, she proceeded to sever the umbilical cord with a pair of scissors, before cleaning the boy up. She then wrapped him in a towel and situated him in a paper bag. He was also given clean water to consume. A few hours later, she left the house, and reportedly wandered for a period of time before deciding to give the boy up to a blue recycling bin. Having checked that the bin was empty, the helper set up a small stone between the lid and the bin to make sure there was sufficient air for him. She then left, in the hopes that someone else would discover him. Apparently, she had dated a Bangladeshi until earlier this year, when they broke up. However, she realised she was pregnant thereafter. Unaware of what to do and afraid of the consequences, she then abandoned the baby. "She came to Singapore in 2018. She was working with a family she's happy with and she liked her employers," said defence lawyer Anand Nalachandran. "She had a relationship with a Bangladeshi which ended in 2020, but subsequently discovered she was pregnant." "She was so concerned that by telling her employer, or anyone, she would lose her job - her pass would be revoked, she would be sent back home, and not be able to come back again," he said. "She was on her own throughout this ordeal," he said. "It's almost impossible to imagine being in her shoes at that time. She was overwhelmed by the circumstances." Not The First Instance Though rare, it appears that such cases are far from being non-existent. Back in January 2020, another newborn baby was found alive and abandoned in a bin at the bottom of a rubbish chute at Block 534 Bedok North Street 3. In the eerily similar case, the newborn was wrapped in a plastic bag and was found huddled among other bags filled with rubbish and food packaging. And sometime back, a helper was apprehended for giving birth to a stillborn and hiding the carcass in a drawer on the second floor of the house. The boy was believed to have been born prematurely at 5 months. And in Feb 2019, a Singaporean couple flew to Taiwan, allegedly gave birth and threw their dead baby into the bin before making their way back to Singapore. Between 2009 and 2018, a total of 16 abandoned babies were found in the country. https://youtu.be/VAfxl9PaRHk Those who are expecting a baby and need help can seek help here: 24-hour Mum-To-Be Helpline: 1800-686-8623 Pregnancy Crisis Service: 6339- 9770 Teenagers facing a pregnancy crisis, can get help from: BABES 24-hour call or SMS helpline: 8111-3535 Safe Place: 6817-4202