WESTFIELD (AP) – An hours-old baby boy who was found alive in a plastic bag in trash bin near the police station was in stable condition Monday in a Springfield hospital, officials said.

The baby was found by police who were alerted after the child’s mother went to a hospital complaining that she wasn’t feeling well but denying at first that she’d had a baby, said Denise Monteiro, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Social Services.

“They examined her and said, ‘You just had a baby.’ She said, ‘No I didn’t.’ They said, ‘Yes you did,'” Monteiro said.

With information from hospital officials, police checked three trash bins in an alley about 150 yards from a police station. The 9-pound baby was found early Sunday in a plastic bag, which was open, allowing him to breath, Monteiro said.

He was taken to Noble Hospital then transferred to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, said Police Detective Lt. Michael McCabe.

“I can tell you the child was screaming and breathing and doing baby-type things,” McCabe said.

Monteiro said the baby, who is not yet named, was stable in the intensive care unit Monday.

The identity of the mother was not released. Monteiro said she is believed to be 20 years old. She remains under investigation and did not have a history with Social Services, Monteiro said.

The Baby Safe Haven Law of 2004 waives prosecution for child abandonment when parents abandon children within seven days of birth at a hospital, police station or staffed fire station.

-Associated Press