Baby joy and tragedy

By Shaun Inguanzo
BUNDLES of joy – expected and unexpected – found their way into the world at Dandenong Hospital on Mother’s Day.
Endeavour Hills residents Abdul and Zarghuna Aatifi welcomed baby boy Sabawun into the world at 3.20am on Sunday.
Just hours later a baby girl was left stranded outside the hospital, sparking a statewide interest in the mother’s welfare.
Little Sabawun’s birth made the newest addition to the Aatifi clan the first baby born on Mother’s Day at Dandenong Hospital. He weighed 3.6 kilograms and, fittingly, his name means sunrise in his parents’ native Afghani language.
Mrs Aatifi and baby Sabawun (pictured) were showered with gifts by family and hospital staff.
But just hours after Sabawun’s birth, police were appealing to the public to help find the mother of a baby left stranded outside Dandenong Hospital.
Nurses discovered the newborn girl at 6am after hearing her cries from outside a hospital door.
The baby, believed to have been born the previous night, was wrapped in towels and had been placed in a cardboard box.
Hospital staff named the baby Catherine, and she was later transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Police are concerned about the mother’s emotional state. Anyone with information on the mother’s wellbeing or whereabouts should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.