S'pore woman gives birth in toilet, baby dies after hitting ground

A woman in Singapore had kept her pregnancy a secret from her family, while the father of the child did not want the baby.

Despite his stance, she decided to keep the child.

However, on Sep. 19, 2023, she unexpectedly went into labour, an event that tragically ended in the baby losing her life.

A coroner's inquiry into the cause of the baby's death was held on Dec. 2, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Unexpected birth

On that fateful day, while using the bathroom at home, the woman suddenly went into labour.

The baby girl fell to the floor during delivery.

The mother briefly fainted.

Upon regaining consciousness, she wrapped the baby in a towel and placed her in a bucket.

Other family members later discovered the baby, and both the mother and the newborn were rushed to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

However, the baby was pronounced dead at around 3pm that day.

An autopsy revealed that the baby was malnourished and sustained minor scalp injuries from the fall.

However, no severe injuries were identified, and the medical examiner was unable to determine the exact cause of death.

Police investigation

The mother had found out she was pregnant in March 2023.

Although she had informed the father of the child, he had expressed no intentions of raising the child.

Despite that, the mother decided to keep the child and kept the situation a secret from her family.

She was living with her stepfather, mother, three siblings and a domestic helper at the time.

Police investigation

Records from the woman's phone showed searches related to premature births, suggesting she was unprepared and unaware that she was about to give birth.

In addition, the woman was reportedly very caring towards her baby girl when she regained consciousness after fainting.

As such, the police ruled out the possibility of homicide.

The coroner delivered an open verdict and expressed condolences to the family of the deceased.

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