Experts believe that profound grief and untreated psychological trauma after pregnancy loss are major drivers behind the disturbing rise in infant abductions.
For many women, the emotional void left by miscarriage or infertility, particularly when compounded by social pressure, can lead to irrational, sometimes delusional thinking that stealing a child is the only way to restore the loss.
Prof Nontembeko Bila, HOD for the department of social work and criminology at the University of Pretoria, said conditions such as pseudocyesis, delusional disorder and unresolved post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can lead women to falsely believe a child is theirs, or that they are entitled to one.
She said these disorders, often triggered or worsened by pregnancy loss, can cloud judgment and drive the kind of behaviour seen in recent infant abduction cases.
In May, two newborn boys were abducted from the maternity ward at Dora Nginza Hospital in the Eastern Cape. The first infant was four days old; the second was two days old. Two female suspects, were arrested.
Also in May, a two-week-old baby was kidnapped in Durban by a 21-year-old woman.
The woman confirmed she had kidnapped the child after she suffered a miscarriage the previous month. She met the newborn's mother at a clinic and allegedly hatched the kidnap plan so her boyfriend would not dump her. After abducting the infant, the woman took the baby to her boyfriend in Chesterville and falsely claimed it was his child.
In June, the Gauteng health department sounded the alarm after the abduction of two infants from public health facilities, calling for heightened vigilance. On May 12, a one-month-old baby was reported missing from the paediatric outpatient department at the Alexandra Community Health Centre. The second incident occurred on June 23, when a three-day-old infant was stolen from a clinic in the Winnie Mandela section of Thembisa.
Bila acknowledges that the trend of infant abductions is deeply troubling — not only because of the trauma it causes families, but also because it reflects complex emotional, psychological and societal dynamics that require deeper understanding and comprehensive preventive measures.
She believes that women who abduct infants often do so under the burden of profound emotional distress.
“These acts are commonly linked to unresolved trauma, identity crises, intense social pressure to become a mother, or the psychological consequences of infertility, miscarriage or relationship breakdowns. In contexts where motherhood is central to female identity, the inability to conceive or carry a child to term may trigger feelings of inadequacy, grief and desperation,” she said.
Bila said for some, the abduction may be perceived as a way to preserve a relationship, reclaim lost status or fulfil a constructed maternal identity.
Dr Patience Kovane, a senior lecturer and research co-ordinator: fundamental nursing science from the school of nursing science at the North West University also believes that the loss of an expected future can trigger profound grief, with perinatal women often developing strong emotional bonds with their unborn child, even in the first few weeks of the pregnancy.
“This sudden loss provokes feelings of immense sadness, numbness and yearning, sometimes accompanied by symptoms like intrusive thoughts, irritability, sleeplessness, and overall detachment and apathy, which are prevalent symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some women may develop characteristics of PTSD. In addition, pregnancy loss can strain relationships due to both partners gravitating towards different coping mechanisms and struggling to provide support for one another, which can lead to increased conflict and weakened communication,” she said.
The distinction between rational and irrational behaviour blurs when emotional dysregulation, delusions, or severe mental illness are present,
— Prof Nontembeko Bila
Kovane said the plethora of emotions and encompassing intrusive thoughts can drive the woman to have poor judgment and think that stealing another baby is a solution.
She said these thoughts can be so strong that they can make these women act against their values.
“They see no other way out and resort to stealing to replace their pregnancy loss because they are yearning to hold a baby,” she said.
Bila said infant abductions may be premeditated or impulsive.
She noted that some individuals plan meticulously by visiting healthcare facilities under false pretences while others act when an opportunity presents itself.
“The distinction between rational and irrational behaviour blurs when emotional dysregulation, delusions, or severe mental illness are present,” Bila said.
She said certain mental health conditions may distort a woman’s perception of reality and her entitlement to a baby.
These include: “Delusional disorders, pseudocyesis (false belief of pregnancy), post-partum psychosis (even without childbirth), borderline or histrionic personality disorders and PTSD or trauma-related disorders.”
She said such conditions can lead a woman to perceive a baby not as an individual, but as a symbolic solution to her emotional distress or social crisis.
Kovane also said there is a mental condition that can cause a person to believe they need or deserve a baby that is not theirs.
“Bipolar disorder with psychotic features and schizophrenic patients can have delusions that the baby is theirs. The emergence of delusional thinking, such as believing a specific child is theirs are often associated with underlying psychiatric conditions, including delusional disorder, schizo-affective disorder, or bipolar disorder with psychotic features,” Kovane said.
In extremely rare and severe cases, Kovane said unresolved reproductive trauma has been implicated in infant abduction cases, where individuals act on fixed false beliefs about entitlement to a child.
Bila notes that miscarriage, infertility and stillbirth, particularly in societies where motherhood defines womanhood, can lead to obsessive attachment to the idea of having a child.
She believes that the risk escalates when such loss is unacknowledged, socially stigmatised or unsupported, potentially resulting in fixation or maladaptive coping mechanisms, including deceit or abduction.
“Grief following pregnancy loss, especially when invalidated by families or the health system, can lead to complicated bereavement, depression or psychosis. In South Africa, culturally appropriate grief support remains limited, leaving many women isolated and vulnerable to long-term emotional instability,” she said.
Bila has called out for healthcare professionals, families and community members to be alert to potential warning signs, which include:
- Repeated visits to hospitals without medical need.
- False claims of pregnancy or childbirth.
- Attempts to isolate or befriend new mothers.
- Sudden attachment to an infant.
- Emotional volatility or detachment from reality.
She said that training frontline health workers to recognise these indicators and respond sensitively and ethically is critical to prevention.
Further, Bila said that preventing infant abductions requires a multifaceted, trauma-informed approach.
Kovane said there are no programmes tailored to support women post-pregnancy loss.
“I have a PhD student who will be developing guidelines to support women post-pregnancy loss. Hoping the research will be impactful [enough] to influence policymakers to support perinatal mental health,” Kovane said.
She believes that some of the support should include culturally sensitive and individualised care, where intervention should also integrate religious and spiritual beliefs because they play a very influential role in coping for many women.
Bila said infant abductions are not merely criminal events but are often desperate attempts to cope with unresolved grief, psychological distress and social marginalisation.
Understanding the psychosocial context of these acts is crucial for developing effective and compassionate interventions.
“Through trauma-informed care, accessible mental health services and community support, we can mitigate the root causes and protect vulnerable mothers, infants and families,” she said.
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