Woman who abandoned baby at hospital gave false address

GARDAÍ and Health Service Executive personnel are trying to find a young mother who abandoned her baby daughter shortly after giving birth at Limerick Regional Hospital.

Despite extensive inquiries there is still no trace of the eastern Europe woman who left the hospital hours after giving birth, leaving her baby behind in a recovery ward.

A name and address she gave on entering the hospital are understood to have turned out to be false.

The baby, who hospital staff named Patricia, has been placed in foster care.

A spokesman for the Health Service Executive said: “It is a very sensitive situation and the infant is in foster care and safe and well.”

The mother was admitted to the hospital on March 14.

After giving birth, the mother and her baby were taken from the labour ward to a recovery room.

A few hours later, staff could not locate the woman. The baby had been left in the recovery room where mother and baby were brought.

Garda Inspector Pat Connolly of Henry Street said: “We are aware of the situation and we are assisting the HSE and obviously we would appeal to this woman to make contact with the hospital.”

In October 2003 a newborn girl was found left in a car at Cork’s South Infirmary.

The HSE remained the legal guardian of the child for four years before obtaining an adoption order in favour of foster parents. This order was granted after exhaustive efforts failed to locate the birth mother.