Woman in Portland Gives Birth on Sidewalk, Walks Away

Newborn is fine, and mother is undergoing a mental health evaluation
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2022 5:40 PM CST
Woman in Portland Gives Birth on Sidewalk, Walks Away
   (Getty/vmargineanu)

A disturbing story out of Portland, Oregon, but one that seems to have ended as well as possible under the circumstances. Police say a woman gave birth on a downtown sidewalk and then walked away from the newborn, reports KOIN. Bystanders quickly wrapped up the baby and called 911, and officers were able to find the troubled woman and bring her in for psychiatric help. “It’s a cold day, it wasn’t raining at that moment, but it was raining earlier and the sidewalk at Southwest 13th and Market is no place to deliver a baby alone,” says officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski.

The officer tells the Oregonian that "in addition to any physical trauma the mother had experienced, she was also undergoing a pretty serious mental health crisis." Both she and the newborn, however, are reported to be in good condition in the hospital. The Portland Police Bureau thanked bystanders who acted so quickly to help the infant, per KATU. And a neighborhood resident says of the mother: "I'm glad to hear she wasn't alone, and she got some help." (More Portland, Oregon stories.)

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