Following last week's abandoned baby incident in Istanbul, the child, who was breastfed by an emergency medical technician after being rescued, died shortly after she was taken to the intensive care unit; the birth mother has since been detained, Demirören Agency (DHA) reported on Tuesday.
First responder Büşra Durmaz on March 29 melted hearts when she nursed a 3-month-old baby abandoned by her birth mother in a deserted area in the Pendik district of Istanbul. Durmaz and the baby received widespread attention in Turkey after the heart-warming incident. Despite Durmaz's kindness, the baby did not survive.
The child's mother, 20-year-old E.S. (identified only by her initials), has been detained on charges of "attempted murder" and "abandonment," according to the reports.
"My family does not know that I was pregnant. I left the baby for someone to adopt," the mother told DHA, adding that she deeply regrets abandoning her baby.
Underlining that there was no intent to kill her baby, E.S. said, "I left her in a public place where everyone could see her."
Stating that she found out about her pregnancy after she settled in a women's shelter, E.S. claimed that she was not allowed to stay at the shelter after giving birth to her child. "Women's shelters have an expiration date. You can stay anywhere for six months, and my time was up," she said.
It was also reported that E.S. has one more child from a marriage in 2019, and this child remains with her ex-husband.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also released a statement on Twitter after the incident.
Pendik’te görevli Acil Tıp Teknikerimiz Büşra terk edilmiş bir bebek vakasına gitti. 14 aylık bebeği olan Büşra kardeşimiz aç bebeği kendi bebeği gibi emzirdi. Ertesi gün hastaneye gidip ilgilendi. Ona bebeğinin elbiselerinden giydirdi. İstek üzerine adını o koydu: Nisa Mihriban. pic.twitter.com/1GLu4PoLFV
— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) April 1, 2022
"Büşra, who has a 14-month-old baby, breastfed the hungry baby like her own. The next day, she went to the hospital and took care of her. She dressed her in her baby's clothes. She named her on request: Nisa Mihriban," Koca said Saturday.
Speaking to DHA, Durmaz said that she decided to breastfeed the baby when she realized it was hungry. "During the first examination, the baby was crying all the time," said Durmaz, adding that they also visited the baby at the hospital.
"I felt like I was breastfeeding my own daughter," she said, noting that she was very upset that the baby was left in a field with stray dogs.
