One of the most pronounced fears many new parents have is being handed the wrong baby at some point while in the hospital. At the hospital where my kids were born, neither of my babies left my sight from the moment they came out of me to, more or less, the moment we went home. We all had ID bracelets that couldn't slip off and my babies had alarm tags on their ankles. It was pretty secure.
But in other parts of the world, things are not as secure. And in Jodhpur, India, one story is particularly tragic. Two sets of parents who gave birth the same day were told they had a son. One of them, in fact, had a daughter. And now, nobody knows which one.
The boy was brought to the mother (who they are now saying isn't the mother). She believes it's her baby as anyone would. And now the hospital is saying otherwise and a baby girl has been abandoned by both parents who say she isn't theirs.
It's a tragedy any way you slice it and, in many ways, it's hard to blame the parents here. Would you trust the hospital in this case? I know I wouldn't.
Those early days are so important, though, both to baby and parents. They are the days when a mother sets up her milk supply, where she bonds with her baby, and where baby learns about the world outside of her mother's body. It isn't the time for baby to stay alone in her bed, far from the arms of her loving parents.
These images in my mind, of this poor baby girl, lying all alone, break my heart as a mom. And while I understand these parents were told something different, isn't it possible for one of them to love this baby while they wait for the results? Imagine the heartbreak one set of parents will encounter when they realize their baby was alone all that time.
If only the DNA test were faster. Every day this baby is alone is another day she doesn't have the warmth and love all humans need to grow well and strong. And every day this mother is separated from her biological child is another day she can't nurse her baby or hold her in her arms. It's just heartbreaking.
If you were these parents, what would you do?
Image via beelerspace/Flickr
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Comments 236
If you read the article, you can see that the hangup is with the hospital which would not allow the other mother to breastfeed the girl without claiming the child and stopping the investigation. She actually wanted to feed the baby until it all got sorted out. Do you really think American parents would be any different, if they doubted they received the right baby? Of course they want to make sure regardless of gender. India is a huge country with a huge population, they don't all fit into little stereotypical boxes. This might not have anything to do with a cultural preference for boys but just with wanting to get the child you birthed.
Me and my DH would take tthe little girl bab.y Our kids always wanted a little sister.
If in the U.S.A., SUE the hospital... In India.. I dont know
I would request a blood test
From what I read in later articles, the mom wanted the baby girl but the father refused to take a girl home. It's so pathetic that in places it is still considered a sin simply to have been born a female. I hope she is able to find a family. I know many here in the states would adopt her in a heartbeat. Sadly, it's becoming a thing here in the US to have an abortion if the baby is a girl. Even here we have freaks who think this is OK.
it shouldnt matter what part of the world you live in. one gender shouldn't be valued more than the other. when you have a child, you need to love them and take care of them. I would have taken care of that child as well as my own until the childs parents were found. this whole religion thing with kids is just ridiculous
It does not surprise me in the least that neither of the parents will claim the baby girl, but were all too happy to claim the baby boy. This is India, and girls are severely undervalued and often aborted simply for being a girl. It's a sad fact, but fact none the less.
well, one of them had to have given birth to that little girl, Im sorry for the boy too. But I don't understand why neither parents want that little girl. Especially when it is your child. I've seen documentaries on orphanages in India. Not good.