Fears remain for the safety of a mother and her newborn baby almost seven days after a placenta and umbilical cord were found on a Sydney riverbank.
Investigators have yet to locate the woman or child nearly three days after a dog walker found a placenta and umbilical cord on the banks of the Cooks River in Earlwood.
Testing of the material revealed that the placenta and cord belonged to a baby, police said Thursday.
Authorities have feared for the safety of the mother and newborn since he was found Monday afternoon.
The mother is urged to seek medical attention at a nearby hospital as police insist her and her son’s health remains their top priority.
Police have been searching for the woman and her baby after a dog walker found a placenta and umbilical cord by the river last Monday morning (pictured).
Leading Obstetrician in Sydney Dr Stephen Morris told Daily Mail Australia there is a risk of the mother developing an infection ten days after giving birth due to the unsanitary conditions of the river.
Some sections of the Cooks River are heavily polluted as a result of traffic congestion, garbage, sewage, illegal dumping, and industrial and domestic activities.
“Water births are usually just tap water, and you can give birth in the ocean because of the salt water, but a river tends to be the worst place to give birth,” Dr. Morris said.
Obstetrician expert Dr Stephen Morris (pictured) says a mother who gave birth along the Cooks River could soon be at risk of being fatally infected.
‘The uterus is a kind of open wound that comes out of the vagina, so if you immerse yourself in that water, it would be more dangerous.
“So if she went swimming or body-dived in the river, it would increase the risk of getting sick with an infection in the uterus.”
Dr. Morris explained that if the mother becomes infected, she may begin to feel feverish and, without medical treatment, this could progress to sepsis.
He added that the lack of excess blood would probably mean there were no complications during delivery.
“It does not appear that she was hemorrhaging as there was no excess blood in the area and she has not come to the hospital ill unless she died,” Dr. Morris said.
“As for the baby, he’s getting breast milk from the mother, which should be fine, assuming he’s not too cold,” Dr. Morris said.
A large-scale search of the area on Tuesday showed no evidence that the baby had been harmed, nor did it reveal any immediate clues as to why the placenta and umbilical cord had been left there.
Police divers and a blood-detection dog were called before the search concluded later that afternoon.
Tony Robson, who made the initial discovery, said the placenta and umbilical cord were not hidden, but simply placed on the riverbank.
“It’s a secluded, dead-end place…the (dogs) were off leash playing a bit and (a dog) jumped into the mangroves and saw something,” he told Seven News.
“(It was) low tide, so I was in the mud, the water was pretty far away… I’ve seen three births, you know what you’re seeing.”
On Tuesday, police identified a possible burial site near the riverbank.
But it turned out to be a false alarm, instead discovering a cat that had recently been buried.
Investigators have suggested that the woman may have thrown the placenta and umbilical cord into the river because she did not want anyone to know about the baby.
“Birth, for many people, can be a traumatic and very distressing time… I am deeply concerned for the safety and mental health of the mother,” Superintendent Christine McDonald previously said.
“There is no judgment, they need to know we care about them.”
The placenta and umbilical cord were found not far from a sports field and Islamic center on Lang Rd, near a busy walkway frequented by walkers, runners and cyclists.
The Cooks River flows from Yagoona, in Sydney’s outer south-west, and empties into Botany Bay at Kyeemagh, 23 km away.
