A mother in China has been put under psychiatric observation after she was caught eating her own baby.
A mother in China has been put under psychiatric observation after she was caught eating her own baby.YouTube

A 24-year old woman has been sent for psychiatric evaluation in China after she was caught 'engrossed' in chewing the hands and face of her newborn child. 

Reports branding the mother a cannibal has gone viral.

According to reports, the 'cannibalism' incident took place in Shenzhen where a nurse at the local hospital found the mother eating the hands and face of the infant.

"Her jaws were tightly closed and she was attacking the baby's face and hands," the hospital authorities told the media.

The nurses had a tough time trying to rescue the three-day old baby from the cannibal mother, who has been identified as Li Zhenghua, reports Bestdaily.co.uk.

But as soon as the baby was taken from her, the woman went 'berserk' and had to be sedated. The social service authorities have been informed, and the baby is now recuperating from severe injuries on his hands and face.

The young mother, who is currently receiving psychiatric care, has had a very tough pregnancy. Shortly before giving birth, Li was evicted from her partner's family's home, forcing her to seek refuge on the street.

Cannibal Mother Caught Eating Baby Video

The heavily pregnant mother was then discovered by the hospital authorities on a street and after local residents found her crying with labour pain. The hospital authorities admitted her where she gave birth to a baby boy. There is no information about the family of the woman.

Li will now go through psychiatric evaluation, however her chances of getting the baby back appear to be slim.

Following the reports, the pictures of the injured baby and some images of the mother chewing on her newborn have gone viral.