Woman wraps newborn daughter in plastic, sends her to orphanage via courier

A baby girl nearly lost her life when her mother tried to send her to an orphanage via courier.

When a courier in Fujian, China, picked up a package from the 24-year-old woman on Wednesday (Aug 9), he wanted to open the package to check its contents, Chinese media reported.

But the woman stopped him from doing so.

While he was en route to the orphanage, he heard cries emerging from the package and was shocked to find an infant wrapped in several layers of plastic.

The newborn's umbilical cord was still attached when she was found, The Beijing News reported.

In a video clip circulating online, numerous passers-by can be seen offering their help, with one woman carrying the baby while another man fed her some water.

The infant could have suffocated in the package as temperatures reached 37 degree Celcius that day.

The courier immediately called the police to ask for assistance.

Police officers arrived at the scene and took the baby to Jinan District Hospital where she was found to be in stable condition.

A hospital spokesperson told South China Morning Post that the infant has been placed under observation in the hospital, but has yet to be claimed by her parents.

Meanwhile, local police said in a statement on Weibo that it has located the baby's mother who is now under investigation for child abandonment.

After watching the video clip, netizens have criticised the young mother for her cruel act while commending the courier for saving the baby's life.

Since June 2011, baby hatches have been introduced in various parts of China to prevent the deaths of unwanted babies abandoned on the streets, Reuters reported.

These havens include an incubator, baby bed, air conditioner, and a delayed alarm device to alert welfare workers five to ten minutes after a baby is placed in the hatch.

The children - often sick or disabled - are given up by parents who cannot afford to care for them.

minlee@sph.com.sg