I Have a Horrible Feeling That the Hospital Gave Me the Wrong Baby

Parenthood is full of unexpected moments, and sometimes they come with unsettling questions. One mother, after giving birth to a child who looked vastly different from her other kids, found herself grappling with a deep, unanswered question: Is this really my child? The doubt lingered for years, despite her overwhelming love for him. And when a heartbreaking diagnosis struck, the question resurfaced, and she took to Reddit to get some advice.

She knew immediately that something was wrong.

There were complications when my son was born, so they whisked him away from us for a while before we even saw him. It got really, really weird. They brought him back to us finally, and it’s so painful to admit, but I looked at him and crystal clear thought, “Whose child is this???” That thought? I’ve. Told. No. One. Ever.

I felt horribly guilty for that flash of a thought, but I couldn’t let it go. I was groggy and brainless from everything, but still it sliced through my mind. They tucked a super chubby, super ruddy, super lovable and squeezable baby into my arms.

But he looked nothing like any of my other kids when they were born. Or any of the other babies in the extended family. They were all fair skinned, slim and long. He was super pudgy, darker skinned and adorable, but I had a major brain disconnect when they handed him to me.

Now, she wants answers.

Fast-forward many, many years. He has no familial traits. None of my children look anything alike, but you can trace similarities between them. But I can’t find any similarities between his demeanor or physical structure and the rest of the entire extended family.

Not eyes, not lips, not smile, not hands, not feet, not personality or anything else. Obviously, this definitely happens to families, but I’ve always wondered. And I love him insanely.

Again, fast-forward many, many years to today. He was just diagnosed with a heartbreaking disease. It’s something you would think would show up somewhere else in the family but no.

So now I can’t help wondering if he’s not mine and whether I should secretly try to get a DNA test to see if he might be someone else’s child to see if we can learn about other possible health issues. But I don’t really know what I’d do with the information.

Will doing the DNA test help or harm?

What happens if I learn he’s not mine? Do I just try to get the family history? Or do I break???? Do I tell him? Do I tell the family? Do I go after the hospital? Do I uproot his life?

In my state of overload, I’m guessing I’d probably unwittingly go after the hospital at the least, even though I kid myself I’m a good person. I know myself well enough to know I’d pick up the phone immediately, but I hope I’d call just one person I could trust instead of drama dumping everywhere. I hope.

And screw telling his dad, who would treat him like he was defective. There’s a reason he’s an ex.

Some people gave advice.

• Get a DNA test done to see if the heart condition is genetically based, so you can look out for it with your other children. Perfectly reasonable thing to do. The fact that other things might show up is a bonus.
  © bulgarianlily / Reddit
• Baby swaps have happened whether intentional or accidental, if you’re genuinely concerned then do the DNA test.
  © CrystalQueen3000 / Reddit
• Before you do it, please go speak to a healthcare professional. Make sure you’re mentally prepared for whatever the DNA result is.
  If he’s yours, you may be overrun with feelings of guilt for ever doubting or mistreatment, and if he’s not, you need to make sure you do everything that causes the least stress and anxiety.
  © Nervous-Tea-7074 / Reddit

Others chimed in with their own stories.

• My sister was pregnant with her first kid. They got the father’s DNA, the kids’, hers, all tested. Mostly because our side of the family have a heart condition aspect to it all. I have the heart condition, and she wanted to know his side as well.
  All for medical history purposes, but the kid is looking fine. Hopefully all is good. Honestly, I do not understand why all parents don’t go through a full DNA history mark up for their child. I know “cheating” is a thing, but a faithful couple should have zero worries about DNA tests.
  Just look at Chris Hemsworth and his brothers just finding out that his father’s side of the family has a higher chance of getting Alzheimer’s. A huge blow to him and his brothers it seems when they found out.
  © Unknown author / Reddit
• It almost happened to me with my first! This happened back before there were birthing rooms, and they’d take the baby to the nursery. I knew when the nurse came in the room, it wasn’t my baby. I already knew her cry, plus, I had the only girl during that time.
  The nurse wouldn’t listen and insisted that baby was mine, called psych down too when I refused it. Luckily for me, the ward nurse was my old Sunday school teacher and was also part of my delivery team, so she fixed that right quick!
  © Little-Conference-67 / Reddit
• These things happen (or at least used to) more often than we know... My mother was present during her best friend’s birth, since the father wasn’t in the picture. So my mom saw what the baby looked like right out of the womb, he was a pretty hairy baby, which is hard to mistake.
  They take the baby away, the nurse comes back with the baby, and my mom immediately notices it’s not him! She insists: Her baby is hairy, this one isn’t! They really had swapped him and thank god mom was there or else no one would’ve noticed.
  © Du_da13 / Reddit

The search for truth can lead us down difficult and uncertain paths. The fear of discovering something that could change everything is daunting, but sometimes knowledge is the only way forward. If you’ve ever found yourself questioning family connections or uncovered a hidden truth, you’re not alone. Check out this story about a DNA test that revealed a shocking family secret — it might help put some of those fears into perspective.