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Newborn taken by Child Safety Services

Newborn taken by Child Safety

A newborn child has reportedly been taken away from her parents just six hours after being born by Queensland’s Child Safety Services.

In the last three months there have allegedly been two cases of a baby being taken from parents at the Townsville Hospital.

The Townsville Bulletin reports the mother had just come out of surgery due to a complication in childbirth when Child Safety officers, escorted by two security guards, took the baby away.

“I was about to breastfeed when they came storming in with two big security guards standing over me – I was heavily sedated.

“I had no idea what was going on – and this lady said, ‘No you’re not allowed to breastfeed’,” the mother said.

In a separate incident at the same hospital, another baby was reportedly taken by the department in July this year.

That child was later reunited with its mother on the condition she separated herself from the father and now resides in another residence.

The latest parents to lose their child say they never received any warning during the pregnancy from Child Safety.

The parents say the baby was taken away because of a domestic dispute last December.

"They made it pretty clear that there wasn't an option and they didn't tell us why," the father said.

A spokesman for the department said he couldn't comment on the incident stating their primary concern is for the safety of children.

"On occasion mothers due to have their babies will be aware that the department has concerns for their unborn child.

"This may be because the department has been in contact with the mother about concerns raised by members of the public, or because the mother has other children in care."