Baby abandoned at hospital.

"Police have appealed for a Melbourne mother to come forward after her newborn baby was discovered abandoned outside a suburban hospital.

The baby girl was found wrapped in towels and placed in a cardboard box outside Dandenong Hospital as Mother's Day dawned today.

A nurse retrieved the crying newborn from outside a security door about 6am (AEST) as temperatures dipped to eight degrees Celsius.

The hospital's head of paediatrics, Cathy McAdam, said it was unknown how long the baby had been outside but she was "blue and cold" and suffering from hypothermia when she was found.

"It was cold but it was breathing by itself and our doctors who were on site attended to the baby immediately and brought it round to the special care nursery where we were able to warm the baby up," she told reporters.

Victoria Police Sergeant Gerard Vries said officers had "no idea" who had dumped the baby at the hospital.

Police believed it was a local person but a lack of security footage gave officers few leads, he said.

Sgt Vries appealed for the mother to identify herself.

"We're concerned for her emotional health ... and we're also concerned about her physical health because she's given birth to a baby," he said.

Sgt Vries said police had not considered pressing charges against the mother.

"Our concern is for her welfare, that's what we're concerned about," he said.

Dr McAdam said baby Catherine, as she has since been named by hospital staff, weighed 2.94 kilograms when found and looked to be a full-term baby.

The newborn was experiencing breathing difficulties but was "a healthy, active, normal little baby", she said.

"I think the mother must be very unwell or desperate for help to leave the baby at any time, whether it's Mother's Day or any other day," she said.

"I hope that she will come forward. She has a beautiful baby there who obviously needs her.""

Yes, I agree that it is better than a dumpster.
I just don't understand how someone could do abandoned their own baby.

Some people just aren't ready and mentally prepared to be a mother. She may have been very young, scared and could have been in a bad situation. Atleast the baby is still alive

I don't think they want to arrest her.
I think they just want her to take her baby back or something.

I think they just want to see if shes ok. i mean she had a baby. i dont know if she had any medical help when she had her or not..

A guy said that if the mother came forward he would buy her an apartment for her and the baby to live in.

And he said if she doesn't come forward he will still put money into the babies trust fund.

Lesson 4 everyone...

raising a child is a commitment..

you cant just make it and backoff you know

They shouldnt have had unprotected sex if so u shouldnt leave ur kid

Who says she had unprotected sex?
We don't know the whole story.

And Kristen that is wonderful.
People can be so generous and other people just take them for granted.

Yes, but also, if some people aren't ready to have kids, just leaving them out to die is a horrible thing. They could of at least put the girt up for adoption. that's just a sad story.

Oh no, Thats so terrible yet ok at the same time. I can only sort of understand why the mother left her baby at the hospital. I mean if she had absolutly no way of taking care of the baby well enough then that is great that she gave the baby to people who can provide for it better. But it is still so sad that no one knows who the mother is or if shes ok. I hope that the mother didnt give up the baby because it was on accident that she was pregnant with it. I hope she had a really good reason, because that baby will grow up to wonder...and That would be so sad if she was told that her mother didnt mean to become pregnant and didnt want her beautiful daughter.

If the pregnancy could have been prevented it should have..

the lady could have at least had the heart to take the poor child inside..

if i knew who it was and i met her i would probably smack the b_tch... thats just cold.

who leaves a baby outside in that cold?

i hope she comes or came forward and her child know who she is..... even if she is worthless :D

What would you do if you had a baby that you could not look after?
That you couldn't afford it?

Seriously what would you do?

I would honestly put it up for adoption, cuz that's just horrible to leave a kid out in the cold when it could at least have a nice family to look after it. Even if I couldn't take care of it that well.

Thats what you say now.
But you have never been through it so you don't know, I think anyway.

What would you do if you had a baby that you could not look after?
That you couldn't afford it?

Well to answer your question, I think there is no excuse for leaving a baby abandoned regardless of the situation, its selfish and its mean. I am 24 I got pregnant when I was 15 I was still a kid myself and I payed the consequences, I had a rough pregnacy, I had to drop out of school because I was soo sick all the time, I lost all my friends, didn't get to go to prom, didn't get to go out and have fun like a normal teenager. There was alot of things that I did not get to do, I was sad, but I did not cover up my pregnacy, have my baby and dump her off somewhere, that didn't even cross my mind not once. I took responsibility for my actions, plus my daughter meant more to me than anything else in this world. All the other stuff just didn't matter. Yes your body goes through alot of changes, and your emotions get all crazy, but to be selfish and just abandon a precious baby or murder a baby is not right at all. I have been in this situation but there are always better choices, and this mother could have made a better choice!
If she was going to dump her baby off, she should have at least made sure the child was safe, taken the baby inside, hand it to a nurse. That baby could have died in that weather if noone would have found it right away, but thank god the baby is fine.

Cathy you are a cool mom.. i wish my parents are like that...?