Yu Fen Wang, 52, faces five counts of attempted murder in the attacks at a day care in New York City.

An employee at a home day care center has been charged with attempted murder in the stabbing early Friday of five people, including three baby girls, authorities said.

Yu Fen Wang, 52, faces five counts of attempted murder in the attacks at Mei Xin Care, an unlicensed overnight day care center operating in a private apartment in the borough of Queens, authorities said.

One of the infants, a girl, was listed in serious condition, but none of the injuries is considered life-threatening.

A 3-day-old girl and a 1-month-old girl were stabbed in the abdomen. A 20-day-old girl suffered cuts to her ear, chin and lip. Two adults also were injured.

Wang was found in the basement with an apparently self-inflicted slash wound to her wrist, authorities said. A butcher knife and meat cleaver were found at the scene.

Juanita Holmes, assistant chief of the New York City Police Department, said officers applied a tourniquet to Wang's wrist and took her into custody.

Police say the father of a child at the center was stabbed in the leg. It wasn't clear whether his child was among those stabbed. A woman who works at the center also was injured.

Police have not established a motive in the case.

There were nine babies at the informal day care center in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens.

Assemblyman Ron Kim described it as an unlicensed facility that housed mothers and their newborns for a month, a Chinese tradition.

In what is known as "sitting the month," new mothers stay indoors under the supervision of close relatives or birthing specialists for 30 days to recover from childbirth.

There are similar unregulated businesses in Chinese immigrant communities throughout the United States, most notably in California.

"There are legitimate business models that are opening up maternity hotels around the country and they're licensed," Kim said.

A spokeswoman for the state's Office of Children and Family Services told NBC News New York the address is not a licensed or regulated childcare program. Programs regulated by the agency need special approval to care for infants younger than 6 weeks.

The city's Department of Health told News 12 it was investigating the facility after "the horrific incident."

"Although it is still early in the investigation, the department can confirm that there was no home day care license for the location," the health department said.

Neighbors told CBS New York they heard screams coming from the building early Friday morning. Police responded around 3:30 a.m.