3-Day-Old Baby's Cries Heard by Passersby, Rescuers Find Her Tiny Body in Drain
There’s no sound quite like the cry of a baby. One of the amazing things about parenthood is how fast one learns to distinguish between the various sounds an infant makes.
A yowl of anger. A keening cry of pain. A thin wail of desperation. You learn to recognize them all.
But no matter the sound a baby makes, they all have the same goal; They’re intended to get an adult’s attention and bring someone over to help.
That’s exactly what one tiny little life did in Durban, South Africa. According to The Associated Press, pedestrians heard the sound of crying on Feb. 11.
Now, a baby sobbing isn’t a particularly strange sound, even in public. However, the strange thing was that passersby couldn’t pinpoint where the crying was coming from.
Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo of KZN Health MEC noted on Facebook that the sound originated near Barracuda Road and Herring Circle in a seemingly suburban section of Durban. One individual started searching for the child making the noise.
Can you imagine the person’s surprise when, according to CNN, he or she scouted out a nearby storm drain and discovered the baby therein? A quick call to emergency services later, and the area was soon swarming with first responders.
There were several problems, though. For one thing, the length of pipe in which the baby was lodge was several feet underground.
First responders could dig, but they faced the chance of having the dirt walls of the pit collapse in on the pipe during the rescue. Fortunately, neighbors came to their aid.
They stripped doors from their cabinets and gave it to the rescuers. After bracing them securely, first responders were able to unearth the pipe.
Then they took a hammer and chisel and began chipping away at the pipe. Eventually, they were able to free the child, a young girl no older than two or three days.
In fact, the baby still had her umbilical cord attached.
“She has been awake, responsive, and crying,” said Dr. Timothy Hardcastle of Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital.
“Her glucose and blood levels are good. She is stable enough for (a) transfer to base hospital so the social aspect can be sorted.”
“It’s really a miracle that this baby was saved,” Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo of KZN Health MEC added.
“The doctors have given this baby a clean bill of health, and she will be transferred to another hospital.
“This little one was very fortunate to be alive and well. Some of the babies who get abandoned do not come out alive.”
Not only has the newborn received a second chance at life, but she also was given a new name. Officials named her Sibanisethu, which means, “Our ray of light.”
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