Dumped-in-drain newborn's survival no surprise - experts

The week-old boy is in a serious but stable condition. Photo / AP

Babies evolved to live days without feeding, says doctor after tiny boy found in drain

It's not unusual that the newborn found dumped in a Sydney stormwater drain could survive days without fluid or food, experts say.

Sydney obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Andrew Pesce said babies have evolved to be able to live for days without feeding.

"If it had been a really sickly child at birth it probably wouldn't have been able to survive," he said.

"If it has underlying good health, they're evolved to be able to withstand malnutrition in the first few days."

For most mothers, milk will "come in" - increase in quantity and begin the change from colostrum to mature milk - between days two and five, said Pesce, the former president of the Australian Medical Association. "It's quite normal for a baby to lose up to 10 per cent of its birth weight in the first few days after birth because of this.

"That's why a baby - that would otherwise seem to be very vulnerable - is actually quite robust in a situation where it's not getting fluid or foods."

A 30-year-old Sydney mother Saifale Nai has been charged with the attempted murder of her son who was allegedly abandoned in a roadside drain for five days before passers-by heard his cries.

Her case was mentioned in court yesterday , when it was revealed she admitted to police she dumped her baby, knowing it might kill him.

She didn't appear in court. The case will come before Penrith Local Court on Friday.

The week-old baby was in serious but stable condition in Sydney's Westmead Children's Hospital yesterday, a day after cyclists found him in a 2.5m deep drain beside the M7 Motorway in the suburb of Quakers Hill, police said.

Police claim the baby, believed to have been born on Monday (November 17), was put in the drain on Tuesday.

Pesce said such an ordeal could leave a newborn baby with long-term problems such as brain damage.

"There would still have to be some concerns about the baby."

If he was dropped into the drain, a combination of naturally soft bones and the blanket would have protected him from serious injury, Pesce said.

Associate Professor Kei Lui, of the University of NSW, said the baby was extremely lucky the weather was warm in recent days. "Hypothermia is probably the biggest killer of abandoned babies," he said.

The mother lives at Quakers Hill with relatives but her parents are in Samoa.

A group of people who are believed to be her family members attended court yesterday but made no comment.

Police doubt the baby would have survived Sunday's 40C heat. "Dehydration would have taken effect," Inspector David Lagats said.

- AAP, AP