Imagine that your baby is switched at birth. That’s a nightmare no parent would ever want to live through. But unfortunately, that was a reality for Mercy Casanellas and her husband, Richard Cushworth, last year.
After giving birth via an emergency c-section in her native country of El Salvador, Casanellas met her son for only a brief moment. He was born prematurely and was required to spend the night in the specialist ward, according to The Washington Post.
“He was just passed by me and I gave him a kiss and then he was taken to the nursery and that was the last time I saw him,” Casanellas told the BBC.
The following day she noticed that the baby appeared to have a darker complexion than she and her British husband. Casanellas told the nurses that it wasn’t the same baby, but they insisted the child was theirs.
Despite her reservations, Casanellas and her husband took baby Jacob to their home in Texas. However, her intuition led to having a DNA test done to find out if Jacob was really hers.
“I thought I was betraying him,” she told the BBC. “That was the feeling I had — I’m betraying my son but I cannot live with this.”
But as she had originally thought, there was a less than one percent chance that Jacob was her baby.
After nine months of filling out paperwork and taking a financial hit, the couple was able to bring their biological son, now named Moses, back to the United States.
As a parent, the thought of my baby being switched at birth makes my blood boil. I don’t know what I’d do if I missed out on the first few months of bonding, as Cassanellas and her husband experienced.
Ultimately, charges against the gynecologist were dropped and the cause of the switch is unknown. Regardless, I think the hospital or someone should be held accountable. I understand that mistakes happen, but this is ridiculous!
While I can’t speak for El Salvador’s labor and delivery protocol, I do know that the hospital in which I delivered both of my children were diligent in always checking my wristband to make sure I was given the right baby.
No parent should ever have to experience this, but sadly babies have been switched at birth before, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
It took a year of getting through immigration, but the Casanellas and Cushworth were finally reunited with baby Moses. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.
What would you do if your baby was switched at birth?
CommentsPhotos: Thinkstock
Stacy-Ann Gooden (aka Weather Anchor Mama) can be seen delivering the weather forecast on the news in New York City. But her most important role is being a wife and mom. She writes about balancing career and motherhood in her blog, Weather Anchor Mama. You can also follow her on twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
