Abandoned newborn twins doing well

Dec 8 2005 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

DUMPED twins Holly and Joseph are still in incubators but were today reported to be doing well.

Nurses were also delighted that Holly, the weaker of the two, had taken milk for the first time since being found with her brother in the car park at Heartlands Hospital on Tuesday.

Police have said that their mum, who has still not been traced, will not be arrested or face prosecution.

Hospital bosses said if she was not found, the twins would probably leave hospital and be put into foster care within the next two weeks.

The tiny newborns, who were named by midwives, were left shivering in a box wrapped in a sleeping bag at the hospital's main car park in Bordesley Green.

"The twins are still in incubators as they are very small, but they are developing well," said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Dunn.

"Holly took milk for the first time yesterday, which is a very good sign.

"The healthier they get, they will no longer need hospital treatment and will be put into foster care by social services."

Holly and Joseph, who weigh 4lb 5oz and 6lb 13oz respectively, were discovered by a hospital security guard at about 9.30am on Tuesday.

Det Insp David Wallbank, of Stechford police, urged the mum to come forward and said: "I know you care about the twins as you left them at a hospital where they could be looked after.

"These babies need their mother, but if she does not come forward we've got forensic means of obtaining a DNA profile of the mother."

Police have already trawled hours of CCTV footage from cameras covering the hospital car park, but have not yet found any images of the twins being dumped.

Birmingham and Black Country Strategic Health Authority is liaising with other SHAs across the Midlands to cross match records of any mothers who were due to have twins this week.

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