if your baby was accidently switched at birth...

If the children are two years old, they are still young enough that they will not remember the switch. These children deserve to be with their real families. It is like being adopted when you don't need to be. It will be hard for everyone at first, but it hast to be done. My sister was almost given to another family at birth. The other family was a totally different nationality. So I would have had a Hispanic sister and the other family would have had an African American in their family. One of the ways that families bond is do to simularities, there are no real comparisons if the child is not biological.

I think I would do the same thing as you. My daughter is 17 months old and I couldn't imagine ever giving her up for anything in the world. Luckily I don't have to worry about that because she never left my sight after I gave birth to her and we were the only ones who had given birth in the birth center that day. But you do hear of these unfortunate mix ups happening.

Oh lord that is a hard one because i would want my real child but I don't think I would want to give up my other child either even if it wasn't mine. There are alot of ther things to consider health issues and things that is something both set of parents need to be aware of. I would try to set up meeting and that way the children will get to know each other really well and that way I would get to see my child and maybe do weekend visits for both sets. I would try to get a house if possible next door to the other people so as I said everyone would be close the hard part would be tellilg them when they are old enough to understand and why we made the choices we did. There will be alot of confusion and hurt. I would want my family to also know my real child maybe in the long run both children will forgive us for being selfish and not getting them back and when htey are older they can also make their own disions and live with whom they want.

I totally agree with you!! My son recently turned two and I cannot imagine giving him up for anything!! He is attatched to me and I am attatched to him, I think that would be terribly hard for a baby to go through. I would still want to see my genetic baby but wouldn't want to take him or her out of the home they have known for two years. That would be devestating to learn.

Thats a tough question!! If I had raised a child for 2 years, there is no way I would be able to giveit up, regardless of the biology. However, I would also want to know the child that was biologically mine. I would hope that the other parents would be willing to find a way for us each to get to know our own children. Maybe start off with day trips as a group, and once you know you can trust each other, and the children are comfortable, allowing sleepovers on the weekend. I would make sure the child was aware of exactly what the situation was though. Who knows, as a teenager they may decide they want to live with their biological parents, and although it would kill me inside, I would want them to be happy, more than anything. I would want to maintain a relationship with both my bioloigcal child, and the child I had raised though. As far as I am concerned, both would be my children. I remember this happening on a TV show. I can't remember which one. These parents were going through a really nasty divorce, esp. over custody of their son. In court, the mother claimed the father was not actually the father. They had DNA tests and revealed the babies were switched at birth. As a result of the bitter custody battle, sole custody of both boys was awarded to the other parents. I know, I watch way to much TV!!

I would not be able to give up the child after two years regardless of if it was my biological child or not. I would however, become friends with the parents, so each would get to know the others child and explain to them when they are old enough to understnad, that regardless of what happened, they were loved by everyone involved. That is a difficult question!

yes i will still want my own baby be back to me and i sue the hospital for being so careless and putting my baby away for me, because i know its impossible to mix the baby in the nurserry room they have name tags.

There is really a big difference between your own gened child and the one which is not yours. If they are still two years old, I think ill take that opportunity to immediately switched the child. They are still very young, and pretty sure they won't remember that they are being switched. the love and binding is easy to nurture and easy to get. You can easily give it to your child and its for FREE, it may take time, but patience is a virtue. It might be hurting and devastating at first but time will heal everything. I can't stand the guilt of conscience for not taking that opportunity to be with my own child.

If i knew, I would change the babies back. Cos I am confident of giving the same or more love and care to the child as I would the wrong one. That's just a simply rule that parents follow, and most parents will really like to hold on to their own. In some shows, some poor families will switch their babies with babies from rich families. But as far as i know, thats only in shows.

Your situation is very close to my heart. What you describe actually happend to me. I was switched at birth and was given back to my parents when I was 18. Yes, not that long ago! Funny thing is my parents knew about the switch when I was 3 years old. I rather would have been with my real parents ASAP! I now do not talk to any of them because I am so angry and hurt. So keeping one away from their own true identity is wrong but as a parent I understand your love. It's complicated.

Wow, that is really a tough one. If the child was only two I think I would want it back. I would also hope for everyone's sake, all the children and families involoved that there could be continued contact with the 'wrong' child. If the children were older, then I think it would be a much harder choice to make and it might be best to leave them where they are.

I would do exactly the same thing as you. When my son was born their was a mixup at the hospital with the 2 other boys that were born on the same day. They were switched. I have a hard time thinking that the mothers wouldn't realize that she was nursing a different baby. From the moment my children were born, I examined every inch of them and knew every marking. The hospital called my when I was home with my son and asked me to double check the bracelet on his ankle. I did have the right baby, but the other boys were switched! Scary stuff.

I dont think i could take that child away from the family that raised them nor could i give up the child i raised. A mothers bond is more than genectics. Its about the bond between the two of you. Of course I would love to be in both childrens lives and watch my child grow even if someone else is rasing it. Very tough decision for anyone to make.

I agree with you whole-heartedly happy2bmommy. I would never give up the child I had raised as my own, regardless as to who were the biological parents. I would want to see the child that came from my genes (human curiousity), but I would never switch them. I would be the child's mother, having raised that child as such. That would be my baby, no matter who actually "created" said child. And, it might be an interesting opportunity to create a life-long friendship with that other family. :)

That would be such a hard decision! I guess the families would have to get together and decide what to do. Maybe they could go on vacation together and get to know the other child and see if there is bonding possible to happen. Definitely I would want to stay in close contact with the other family and see the children grow up. And, heaven forbid, what if something happened to the other parents? I would want to keep both children and raise them as siblings. In any case, maybe they could buy houses next to each other and be one big family together.

Oh my, that would be such a hard choice I would ever have to face if my child was switched at bith and then two year later found out about it. Just thinking about it really makes me feel sick. I couldn't do it. I couldn't give him back and I would just want to leave things alone. Better yet, I wouldn't even want to know, you know? I know this has happened before many years back and the families found out about it and the one family wanted to switch back and the other didn't want to. The kids were not even a year yet, about 10 months, but still, that is a hard choice. A mother and a father already have bonded with their child. It's hard to explain. But anyway, they ended up going to court over it all because the family was fighting for their birth baby back and they didn't get their baby back at the end. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I know my kids are mine though because with my first child my mom fallowed them to the nursery and kept her eye on her the whole time until I moved from the recovering room into my room. I had a csection both times and with my second, my husband was handed my son right after they weighed him and he actually walked my son back into our room, there was no nursery in this hospital, only for sick babies. Witch might be a good idea for all hospitals.

I would do the same as you. I would not want to give the child up but would definitely want to know the other family. Even if I did not become friends with them and things of that sort at least once I would want to see my biological child and be able to give their family my medical history. As for being able to actually give a child up at the age of 2. Yes, it is hard to do but it is the right thing for the child it should be done. I put my daughter up for adoption when she was 5. I think it is the best thing I could of done for her. Do I think she has scarring for life? Maybe but I also know that she knows that it was done out of love and not of selfishness. It is selfishness that let me keep her so long before making the decision I did. And it was tough. It was the hardest thing I have ever gone through and still go through. But it was what was right. You'd be amazed at what you will put yourself through as a parent when you love your child that much.

It this will happen, it is quite a dreadful experience but I think it will be better to keep in touch with the other family, get real close so you get both worlds. You would love both children but I can't imagine this happening to me at all. For one thing, I will really know it is mine and I gave birth in a private room, the moment my baby came out...she was on my chest umbilical cord and all. I had memorize all her feautures, coloring, every aspect. And blood is thicker than water, there is always this thing in you that you will know who belongs to you. But this kind of incident happens now and then and my heart just go out to the family. This is a very hard situation especially emotionally.

That's a very difficult question to answer. A huge chunk of me would be very angry at the hospital that made the error and want to have the child back. Then again, once the anger simmers down and I think about it, I know switching children at that point would be damaging to both families. I would probably act in the way you would act by becoming close to the family so each side can be a part of the kid's life growing up.

At two years of age I would say yes I would want to switch back. Its pretty uncomplicated at that age I am not to sure about what I would do if they were older it might do alot more dmg than good to try switching them later on in life even at 2 years of age its kinda risky and would have to be a slow process.