Pregnant gambler gives birth while under arrest at a police station

A gambler in the eighth month of her pregnancy gave birth to a baby yesterday while she was under arrest at a police station in the central province of Prachin Buri. Both mother and son were safe and well.

Officers of Baan Sang Police Station were notified of an illegal gambling den in the Bang Kra Bor sub-district, Baan Sang district, in Prachin Buri, and swooped to make arrests.

Several gamblers were arrested, one of them an unnamed eight-month pregnant woman. All of the gamblers were taken to the Baan Sang Police Station to be questioned and fined.

The pregnant woman asked to go to the bathroom immediately after she arrived at the police station, saying she had a stomach ache. Not long after she entered the bathroom, the woman shouted out…

“Help! Please help! I’m about to deliver my baby! His head is already there!”

Officers told the media that they were all shocked and did not know what to do next. They finally managed to contact Baan Sang Hospital and a doctor and nurse rushed to the scene to help with the delivery.

The woman gave birth to the baby in the police station’s bathroom before the medical team arrived.

The baby boy was born at 3.41pm on January 5 and weighed 1.6 kilogrammes which is well below the weight of an average newborn baby.

The nurse spoke to the media immediately after helping with the birth. She said that the baby was probably one-month premature because the mother was frightened when she got arrested.

The nurse reported that it was a difficult, dangerous, birth because the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck but added that the delivery went well despite that problem.

Thai netizens commented that they were happy the birth went well for the new mother. Some noted the birthdate and time for the next lottery announcement, while others gave the little boy various nicknames related to gambling.

Mother and baby may be doing well but there was no sentiment from the police who charged her under Section 12 of the Gambling Act: gambling without permission. The penalty will be imprisonment for up to three years, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both.