The story of a baby who got switched at birth
It’s one of those things you would never wish on your worst enemy. The child you have brought up, that you have loved from day one suddenly is discovered to belong to someone else.
This is not just the case of your wife cheating on you and the baby she gave birth to is not biologically yours. This is a case of being switched at birth. Being handed a child that is not biologically yours and raising her like your own for 12 years!
My daughter…not my daughter?
Your own flesh and blood, her image a carbon copy of yours, yet she is but a stranger to you. How does one begin to mend the confusion, hurt and conflict that such a thing is sure to bring up.
According to a report by the Siberian Times and Daily Mail UK, this is the reality that two families in Russia, the Belyaeva’s and the Iskanderov’s, are living with, as they discover that they have been raising each other’s daughters for the past 14 years after being swapped at birth.
The glaring error was only discovered 12 years on after a DNA test was carried out to establish the paternity of one of the girls, Irina Belyaeva when she was 12.
The moment of truth
To the astonishment of her mother Yulia and father Alexei, the results showed that Irina, the girl they had brought up from birth was not their biological daughter.
This led to Yulia embarking on her relentless search to find her birth daughter, who, with help from a female investigating officer, she managed to trace. The search led her to make contact with Naimat Iskanderov, the father
A tearful reunion
The two beleaguered parents met soon after and exchanged photo albums. They recounted breaking down into tears, the moment they saw the pictures of their respective daughters which looked exactly like them!
An uphill task ahead
To explain to their daughters the situation was by far the most difficult thing that both parents had to do. However according to reports, the girls have handled it surprisingly well and have become fast friends. The reunion though is not without problems as the parents have struggled with how differently their biological children have been raised, especially since Naimat is Muslim and Yulia, Christian.
According to Naimat, it was difficult for him to see Irina’s manner of being very open, not shy to talk to boys, and asking for a lot of hugs and kisses from relatives as that was not how he brought up his own daughters. Yulia, too has voiced her observations of how Anna is surprised when she openly shows affection towards her such as kissing and hugging her.
A compromise
Understanding that a simple switching back of their children is not possible, the parents now ‘share’ their daughters, with Yulia encouraging Irina to get to know her biological father, Naimat, as well as her five sisters and Naimat encouraging Anna to spend time with Yulia and family. The two girls now call Naimat and Yulia ‘Papa’ and ‘Mama’ respectively and are trying to come to terms with their unique position.
Naimat adds, “We[Yulia and Irina and me and Anna] are just different, but that doesn’t prevent us from communicating and spending time together,” highlighting that the bond of family is much stronger than any cultural or religious differences.
Moving forward
For now, no concrete plans have been made with regards to the children’s future arrangements. However, the pair have decided to prosecute the hospital for negligence as it was believed that the babies born within minutes from each other were accidentally switched and wrongly tagged after their birth, resulting in them being handed to the wrong set of parents.
Both Yulia and Naimat were awarded six million roubles each but are still awaiting payment as the maternity hospital has since gone bust.
A timely reminder
The story rings really close to home because of the recent hospital debacle right here in Singapore that saw two newborns being handed to the wrong parents. Thankfully in that case, the babies were returned to their rightful parents within a few days.
It also serves as a timely reminder of how a momentary slip or negligent behaviour can have far reaching consequences. With that we would like to share some tips to prevent a baby swap from happening to you.
- Mums, we know that you are absolutely exhausted from giving birth to your child but after they are delivered, remember to take a quick look at them so you can recognise certain features later.
- Dads, to help mothers, we encourage you to be with your wife in the labour ward (if you can) so that you too can look at your child when he first comes out.
- Always check all identity tags on your baby before leaving the hospital.
Related: Hospital bag – checklist on what to pack
Related: Registering your childs birth – FAQ’S
Related: Is a water birth right for you?
