Baby Surrendered to Safe Haven Baby Box in Madison

A silent alarm went off, and within two minutes the baby was safely in the arms of firefighters who were admittedly surprised by the afternoon surrender.

With training completed and procedures ready to follow, fire chief of Madison David Bailey and his team sprung into action, completing an initial medical evaluation before determining that no medical attention was needed. The baby was then placed in a baby car carrier and taken to Madison Hospital in a staff car.

The baby has been loved on profusely by every firefighter and hospital staff member who has had the chance to do so.

The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) was then contacted, which took custody of the child

The baby will soon be placed with a licensed adoptive family and is expected to be legally adopted within a few short months. Authorities have also worked with law enforcement to ensure that the surrendered child isn’t a missing or endangered child.

This baby isn’t quite a brand new newborn but IS less than 45 days old. This is important to note because up until last year, legislation required that surrendered babies be less than three days old. Representative Donna Givens and Lee Marshall, Founder and President of Kids To Love, worked diligently to have this legislation changed to allow a mother up to 45 days to legally and safely surrender her child. This bill was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey and took effect in September of 2023..

There are currently only two active Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the state of Alabama; Madison’s recently-installed box was the second, following a box in Prattville. Four more Safe Haven Baby Boxes will be installed in Alabama soon.

Monica Kelsey, Founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, was in Madison today for the 11 a.m. press conference, held in the same room where an infant was surrendered selflessly just days ago.

She shared that the number one reason press conferences are held is to address the parent that walked up to the baby box and decided that they wanted the best for their child, and it wasn’t with them. She deeply praised and thanked the anonymous mother for trusting the city and others to keep her child safe, while reiterating that ample resources and support are available should she chose to receive it.

“This is one of the most important things we’ve ever helped accomplish in this city,” shared Mayor of Madison Paul Finley.

To learn more about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, visit shbb.org.