12 Stories Where One Plot Twist Changes Everything

A new mom’s worst nightmare came true when 22-year-old Maisie Beth, from Poole, UK, discovered the baby handed to her at the hospital wasn’t her newborn daughter. Maisie shared her jaw-dropping experience on TikTok, captioned, “My newborn baby was swapped at birth! A true story time.”
Maisie has turned her shocking experience into a cautionary tale. "Never in a million years did I think this was something I'd have to worry about, but yes, it did actually happen to us," she said.
After giving birth to her daughter Isabella in September 2023, Maisie was separated from her baby, who was placed in a nearby nursery for photo-therapy treatments. On her second night at Poole Hospital, Maisie was asked to retrieve her baby at 3 a.m. Nurses claimed Isabella had been removed from the nursery because she wouldn’t settle.
Maisie, although confused, took the baby presented to her and returned to her room. It wasn’t until she went to change the diaper hours later that she made a startling discovery, the baby was a boy!
"When I tell you, I nearly had a heart attack," Maisie said in her TikTok video. "Picked up the baby and I stormed into the office. All I saw was red, and I was demanding for them to tell me where Isabella was because this was NOT MY BABY!"
Thankfully, baby Isabella was found safe and unharmed, but the incident has left Maisie shaken. Her TikTok video has since gone viral, sparking a conversation about hospital safety and the importance of vigilance. The hospital explained the mix-up as a case of mistaken identity, claiming Maisie looked "identical" to the mother of the baby boy.
The Poole Hospital released a statement to the BBC calling the incident "isolated" and expressing regret.
"We deeply regret any distress that was caused and have reached out to the mother to offer her support. We would urge her to get back in touch with us to assist us in our investigation," said Lorraine Tonge, the director of midwifery. The hospital is conducting a full investigation into the incident.
It’s the kind of story that gives every parent a shiver: a baby accidentally switched at the hospital. Thankfully, these mix-ups are rare nowadays—but they do still happen. Sometimes the mistake is brief, like when writer Karin Tanabe noticed the error with her newborn right away.
Other times, it’s heartbreakingly prolonged, just ask Mary Miller, who didn’t discover she’d raised someone else’s daughter until 43 years later.
Hospitals today follow strict procedures to prevent such mishaps, but as a parent, it’s only natural to want that extra layer of reassurance. The good news? There are simple steps you can take to reduce the chances of a mix-up and keep your peace of mind intact.
I charged my stepchildren for Christmas dinner — my house, my rules. My husband has two kids (6 and 10) from his first marriage. Since his ex has full custody, we planned a romantic trip to Europe, just the two of us. The day of the flight, the doorbell rings, his kids were standing on our doorstep! I was FURIOUS. We had to cancel the trip and throw a full dinner. By the end of the meal, I told them: $500 for dinner or... Click here to read the full story!