Distress delivery at hotel, infant dies

File photo

Police are investigating the death of a newborn baby boy after an unexpected delivery at a hotel in Macoya.

According to police reports, shortly after 1 pm on August 16, a young woman complained of severe abdominal pain while at the hotel at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. She went to the bathroom, where she experienced what she described as a sudden "flushing out" of her body. At first, reports said she did not realise that she had delivered a baby.

Security personnel at the hotel discovered the situation and immediately contacted the emergency services. The woman’s mother was also called to the scene. Reports indicate that the ambulance never arrived. Following advice not to disturb the scene, the baby was left in the toilet bowl for over two hours before the mother of the young woman arrived and assisted her to the hospital.

The woman was taken to Mt Hope Women’s Hospital around 3 pm, with the newborn, who was already unresponsive. Medical staff confirmed that the infant, a full-term boy weighing 3.1 kilogrammes, had died. Doctors observed that the umbilical cord had been wrapped around his neck and that he was covered in meconium, signs of distress during delivery.

Hospital personnel contacted the Arouca Police District around 4.15 pm. The infant’s body was later taken to the mortuary, and an autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death. During preliminary interviews, the mother told police that she had been unaware of her pregnancy, citing irregular menstrual cycles. Medical staff also noted that she appeared confused and was possibly of diminished cognitive capacity.