Photo: CTV

A newborn who was delivered by emergency C-section after its mother was stabbed multiple times died in hospital Monday, police said.

A 37-year-old man who is the woman's partner was taken into custody several hours later, said spokesman Jean-Pierre Brabant.

Police were called to a home in the city's Montreal North borough around 2:30 a.m. and found the woman, 33, stabbed multiple times in the upper and lower body.

The suspect was not at home when police arrived and the victim, who was eight months pregnant, was transported to hospital.

"The woman is in stable condition," Brabant said. "Unfortunately the baby did not survive its wounds and was pronounced dead in hospital."

Hours after the attack, around noon Monday, the suspect reappeared and approached a police vehicle not far from the scene of the crime.

"After a brief discussion, he was arrested," Brabant said.