The police have managed to locate the mother of the abandoned newborn baby in the Roma settlement in Aytos. It was discovered days ago, dumped next to trash cans and frozen solid. The mother is a 27-year-old woman who abandoned her fourth child for no good reason. The newborn was taken by ambulance to UMBAL - Burgas. It weighs 2800 grams and is a full-term child. He is being cared for in the hospital's neonatology department. Dr. Stiliyana Tomova, head of the Department of Neonatology at UMBAL Burgas, spoke to FAKTI.
- Dr. Tomova, you saved yet another baby abandoned on the street. A newborn boy was found dumped next to a waste container in Aitos. How is it?
- The child is in good general condition, with good vital functions. So far, research shows no serious health problems. This is a full-term baby, weighing 2800 grams.
- The baby had a low temperature. How long do you think it was on the street…
- When he was admitted to the ward, his body temperature was lower than normal for a newborn, but not to the extent of hypothermia and without affecting his vital signs. The temperatures were not high that day, maybe around 15-17 degrees. The child was wrapped, but it must have taken several hours for him to freeze,
- Do you already have clarity whether the birth was at home or in a medical facility?
- The umbilical cord does not appear to be processed as it would be in a medical facility. When the birth is in a hospital setting, the umbilical cord is cut and clamped – a clip is placed to stop the blood loss. As far as I know from media reports, the mother has explained that the birth took place at home.
- How do you view each such fate. Abandoned…
- Difficult. No child should start life this way. These are human beings who are so fragile that they cannot survive without the help of an adult. The baby needs its mother, it needs a family, love, care. It is sad that in the 21st century, in a European country, children are abandoned.
- From the hospital, you announced that you take care of about 50 abandoned children annually in the Department of Neonatology. 50 lives at the whim of fate…
- We can say that every year around 50 mothers express their desire to leave their children. We manage to dissuade half of them, but 25-30 children still remain in our care. With the help of a psychologist, social workers have many conversations with the mothers. We are trying to understand the reasons, and child protection and social services are trying to understand the family's problems and help solve them. When the mother is convinced that she wants to abandon her child, she does. They usually leave the hospital after the birth, and the baby stays. In most, if not almost all, cases, these are children from minority backgrounds, from dysfunctional families, another child in the family who are a burden. The explanation lies in the socio-economic conditions in which this family lives, but we cannot avoid the question of education, health education. There are many methods of contraception, there is a way to avoid unwanted pregnancy, but despite working with minorities, there is still much to be desired in terms of family planning.
- What happens when an abandoned baby is brought to your hospital. What procedure follows…
- This happens rarely, not to mention that in my long-term practice there are only a few cases when we accept a baby thrown out on the street. Two years ago, there was another similar case, again from Aytos. Then a premature baby girl was abandoned. It stayed with us for a while, after which it was transferred to the Center for Complex Services for Children with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses, where we refer premature babies for follow-up care. As far as I know his fate, he was placed in a foster family. This is already within the powers of the Child Protection Agency.
The standard procedure we follow when children are abandoned in hospital is to inform the Child Protection Agency. From there on, the case is taken over by them. If the mother is adamant and does not want to take the child, a foster family is sought to place the child. In the past, when there were homes for abandoned children, these children went immediately from the hospital to such a home. But there was a reform, the homes were closed so that all children could live in a family environment. Therefore, foster families are being sought. The bad thing is that the procedure for searching for such families is long. In Burgas, there are almost no such people willing to become foster families, and families from other parts of the country are being sought. Sometimes it takes 20-30 days for the child to leave the hospital. During this time we take care of him. But no matter how much we care, we cannot give the love that a mother can give. And it's not healthy for a healthy full-term baby to spend a month in the hospital.
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Dr. Stiliyana Tomova is a neonatologist specialist. He heads the Department of Neonatology at UMBAL Burgas. Here they take care of premature newborns, babies with extremely low weight and in need of long-term intensive therapy. She says she was destined for her profession since birth – the saint whose name it bears – St. Stylian, was called the Guardian and had the miraculous power to heal seriously ill children. She shared that she always wanted to be a pediatrician and knew that this was her calling. There are dozens of people who help the department and now it has the best and most modern equipment in the whole Burgas region. The success of one of the largest donation campaigns in Burgas is also due to the efforts of Dr. Stiliyana Tomova and her colleagues – "Donate a cap, save a life", which attracted thousands of followers to its cause. Dr. Stiliyana Tomova was born in Elhovo, has lived in Burgas since she was a child. She graduated from the English High School in the city, specialized in “Mother's Home” – Sofia.