Maid: I gave birth in toilet

NST Online, 2009/02/17

Yanti resting at the maternity ward in Hospital Tuanku Fauziah in Kangar.

KANGAR: "I was afraid kakak (sister) will scold me because I got pregnant. That's why I gave birth in the toilet and hid the baby in a cupboard drawer," said Yanti, 22, an Indonesian maid.

"I did not know what to do, particularly as the delivery date drew closer. I was lucky that my tummy was not big and managed to hide my pregnancy."

She works for a female senior police officer at the Perlis police headquarters. The father of her child, who is Indonesian, has gone back to Java.

"I never had any intention of cheating anyone, including kakak.

"I was sure if she came to know about my pregnancy, she would have me sent back to Indonesia," she said when met at Hospital Tuanku Fauziah (HTF) here yesterday.
Her employer, who heard the cries of a baby coming from the maid's room at 9.30am on Sunday, found the baby in the cupboard drawer.

Yanti delivered the baby by herself in a toilet next to her room last Thursday.

"Only God knows the pain I went through at that time. After the baby was born, I quickly washed her and hid her in the drawer.

"The umbilical cord was thrown in the bin behind the house.

"I fed her plain water every time she was hungry. I am lucky the baby was not noisy."

Sources said the maid was taken to HTF for a medical examination and it was confirmed that she had delivered a child a few days ago.