Mother Who Left Baby In Nativity Scene: "I Needed To Take Him Someplace Safe"

Last week, a newborn boy was found in the nativity scene of a Queens church. Authorities declined to press charges against the mother after determining that she was trying to leave the infant in the secure, warm place. (According to NY State's Safe Haven Law, "A parent is not guilty of a crime if the infant is left with an appropriate person or in a suitable location and the parent promptly notifies an appropriate person of the infant’s location.") Now, the NY Post has spoken to the mother, an 18-year-old immigrant, who says, "I knew if I left him in God’s hands, he would be OK."

The woman said, "I had just arrived to New York five months ago from Mexico, and nobody knew I was pregnant. I didn’t even tell the baby’s father in Mexico because I knew I was leaving." She lives with her mother in Queens and said her mother had no idea she was pregnant: "Throughout the pregnancy, I wore loose-fitting clothes, but I didn’t really gain that much weight."

She says that she gave birth alone: "I was too scared to cut the umbilical cord, so I left it on. I picked him up and carried him out the door with the cord still dangling. I didn’t have any baby clothes for him, but I needed to take him someplace safe."

I’m very religious, and I thought about the Holy Child of Jesus Church. I’ve been there before, and the people there are good.

I knew if I left him in God’s hands, he would be OK.

It was cold outside, and on the way there, I noticed his lips were turning purple. I thought, I don’t want him to die, he must be cold.

I ran into the first store I saw and purchased a towel to wrap him in.

I rushed into the church and left him in the manger. He was crying. I just prayed he was warm enough. I knew the priest would find him, and somebody would help him.

I even went back the next day, just to make sure.

The baby was discovered by the church's custodian, Jose Moran, who said, “I was in the church sweeping. Then I hear a child crying. I didn’t make much of it. I thought there was somebody in the church with a child."

While the Administration for Children's Services is determining the healthy baby's future, with numerous families interested in adopting the boy, the mother confessed, "I would love to be a mom one day, but right now, I don’t feel I’m ready. I don’t know when the right time would be, but I do need a stable job first. It’s my baby, and I am still thinking about keeping him. It’s not an easy decision."