Foundling 'Jules' in good health

Another baby was discovered in the so-called 'foundling drawer' of the Antwerp non-profit organisation 'Moeders voor Moeders' (Mothers for Mothers). The news was announced only today, but at a press conference it turned out that the infant had already been abandoned early December. The baby is reported to be in good health.

The news was only released today, some 3 months later, to make it easier for the mother to come back and fetch her child.

The chairman of the local Antwerp social service OCMW, Fons Duchateau (N-VA), supplied more details at a press conference at noon. He said the child was a boy and that it received the name 'Jules'. The infant was wearing nappies and had been covered with a blanket when it was abandoned in the first half of December.

The child's mother vanished without leaving any message. She took an information letter with her and a puzzle piece that will enable her to prove she is the mother. Duchateau said that the baby had only just been born when it was abandoned.

Normally, the mother has 6 months to change her mind and ask her baby back. This has not happened so far, which is why a preliminary adoption procedure has been started. Jules is already staying with a family that is taking care of him.

Not the first foundling

The foundling drawer is located in the Helmstraat in the Antwerp district of Borgerhout. It was created in 2000 by Moeders voor Moeders in order to provide an alternative for desperate new mothers that don't feel capable of taking care of their newly-born child. 

It took 7 years before a first abandoned baby was found there. The child was found in November 2007 and received the name Thomas De Kleine (the Little One). Other babies that were found in the foundling drawer all received the surname 'De Kleine'.

A second baby was found there in 2009, while 2012 saw three new babies in a short period. The normal procedure is that the local authorities start the search for foster-parents, but not immediately. The natural mother first has 6 months' time to change her mind and ask her baby back.

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