Unfortunately, people all over the world are reading some of the most unlikely headlines about sewer and drain cleaning. An unidentified young woman in China gave birth in a bathroom on Sunday, abandoning her baby in a pipe to allegedly hide her pregnancy. A student heard the baby’s cries, and sewer cleaning and plumbing services were able to say the newborn, a baby girl. Authorities have located the mother, and they will decide whether to press charges over the course of the next few days.
Unfortunately, This Isn’t The First Time This Has Happened
This is not the first time this has happened. Hopefully, it will be the last. Also in China, another young woman gave birth in much the same way — over a toilet. Her birth was traumatic and riddled with complications, and she claims that the newborn, at just six pounds, slipped into the toilet accidentally. In this instance, the mother was present for the rescue of her baby. The story drew attention nation- and even world-wide, and many people sent diapers, small gifts, and even offered to adopt the child. In this particular instance, the mother seemed to have a change of heart and wanted to keep her baby. Police did not press charges.
Plumbing Repair Isn’t As Dull As You Think
There are 154,153 commercial and residential plumbing businesses in the U.S., employing as many as 715,387 people. As you can imagine, they have come across some pretty strange things in pipes over the years. BBC News describes some of the most unusual items that turned up while cleaning public pipes: “A large Winnie the Pooh teddy, a bike, a fax machine, jeans and a snake were among a host of bizarre items found.”
Sewer and drain cleaning can get weird, and — unfortunately — it can also take a tragic turn, too, as in the case of the Chinese babies recovered from drain pipes.