Nurse seeks to adopt deserted baby boy she looked after
▶ Sebastian was born cared for at Universal Hospital after his mother absconded
A nurse who cared for an abandoned baby in Abu Dhabi is trying to adopt the boy, who has since been moved to an orphanage in the Philippines.
Myann Abis, 37, is one of the many staff members at Universal Hospital who cared for the newborn when his mother fled the country, fearing the birth out of wedlock would lead to prison.
Sebastian, who is now more than a year old, spent the first nine months of his life at the hospital after being born prematurely.
“All the hospital staff grew attached to Sebastian,” said Dr Shabeer Nellikode, the hospital’s managing director.
The boy was born on August 11 last year and was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit.
“His mother spent a month at the hospital,” said Ms Abis, who was at the delivery.
When asked for a marriage licence, which is needed to issue a birth certificate in the UAE, the mother fled and stopped answering the hospital’s calls.
“We found out that she had left the country,” Ms Abis said.
Staff later learnt that the woman had a husband in the Philippines but their marriage licence was not authenticated. Her passport showed she had not left the UAE for a few years and her husband had never moved across.
“We assumed from the documents that she was married in the Philippines before she came to the UAE and then had an affair here and became pregnant with Sebastian,” Ms Abis said.
The hospital had set aside a room with a swing, a bed, sofa, toys and a full-time nurse to look after the child while they tried to track down the mother.
They sought the help of the Philippines embassy to issue a passport for Sebastian without a birth certificate. After eight months of negotiations, the embassy produced a passport.
In the first week of August, Sebastian was sent to the Philippines in the hope that his mother would claim him. She has so far expressed no interest in the baby.
Handing him over to the embassy official at the airport, Ms Abis said she felt as though she was handing over her heart.
“I miss him so much. I know I didn’t give birth to him, but he is my son,” she said. “Sebastian is a blessing. We have never seen a baby like him. He is always happy and smiling.
“He didn’t start speaking yet, just a few sounds, but he was already starting to stand up alone and walked with support.”
Ms Abis said she would spend all her free time with him.
“I would go into his room between shifts and we all would take turns looking after him,” but the other nurses say he was most attached to Ms Abis.
She has contacted the orphanage with the intention to adopt him. She is single and has no children of her own.
“I’ve already told my family and we are all waiting for him to come back home.”
The orphanage told Ms Abis that she cannot adopt Sebastian until they are absolutely sure that his mother will not come to claim him.