The DNA test that showed two women had been swapped at birth

[SerendipityJane]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3njqd9nl9o

Wow, what a sad story. I really feel for Jessica who seems to have had the hardest reaction, and that it's put a divide between her and her mum.

Wow that’s terrible. I also feel really sorry for Jessica (and all of them).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0023syj/40-minutes-mixed-blessings

It probably happened a lot more than was admitted. This was an interesting documentary from the 1980s showing how two women and their families coped with knowing that their daughters had been swapped - yet not knowing because there was no proof available then.

I think they will sadly be the first amongst many.

I read that whole article feeling sorry for Jessica... looks like Clare did have an inkling but Jessica has basically been pushed out.

I honestly think these DNA tests do more harm than good.

I know this isn't the point and might sound ridiculous, but having had a couple of babies myself, I'm wondering how the mothers did not recognise that the baby handed to them was not theirs.

This is so tragic.

I read the entire article feeling sorry for Jessica. It sounds like she feels completely replaced by Clare (and I'm not surprised, given it sounds like Clare and Tony spoke a lot before ever breaking the news to Jessica).

How awful for Jessica - she wasn't the one who even took a test, and within the space of 5 days her whole world was blown apart, and her brother was welcoming his new sister in to meet their mum etc. I can see why she must have felt very pushed aside.

A bit of a side note, the article mentioned that since the 1980s all newborns have been fitted with radio tracking devices. I've had two babies in hospital in the last 15 years, and they never had anything other than a plastic wrist band with my NHS number printed on and "Baby Surname" written in sharpie?

What a sad story and poor Jessica seems to have been well and truly replaced. No wonder she didn't want to comment.

Like in the story with Joan, the babies were taken to the nursery pretty early on, and often the mother had had a difficult birth.

I have even heard stories of the child being taken away for measurement etc the mixed with the one born in the next room.

There was a lot of publicity about cases in the late 70s and early 80s when more women were having their babies in hospital so 'rooming in' became a thing

Mine were very generic looking squashed, bald, angry blobs when they first came out, and they changed enormously even over the first 24 hours.

A bit of a side note, the article mentioned that since the 1980s all newborns have been fitted with radio tracking devices. I've had two babies in hospital in the last 15 years, and they never had anything other than a plastic wrist band with my NHS number printed on and "Baby Surname" written in sharpie?

I thought that was inaccurate too. My son is 4 and he only had a band with information written on. I wonder if it varies by trust?

I really don't think I'd notice if it were me. Babies tend to look pretty similar at first glance. Loads/absence of hair in a certain colour is probably the most defining initial characteristic but even then babies are often wrapped up in a towel immediately obscuring your view of their head/hair. Mum could be in pain, could be woozy from ill health/exhaustion/medicine etc and can't focus properly, and in those days dad wasn't there to view baby before they were taken to the nursery. Can definitely see how it could easily happen without mum realising.

Very sad, feel so sad reading about Jessica.

In the 1960s, my mother gave birth in a big city hospital instead of the local maternity hospital due to complications. She said she was given back a little boy one day.

(I know she is my mother - I look too much like her 🫣)

I don't think this is correct either - my DC were born in early 1990s, and had the usual wrist and foot band with my name and hospital number on it.

There was a big increase in security just before DS was born in 1991 after someone posing as a hospital worker stole a baby.

My daughter is 10 and had a band on her wrist and a tracking tag on her ankle.

I had my ... doubts ... about that too. Pretty fundamental error of fact that might cause some people to question the veracity of the whole story .... even on the never wrong BBC.

Yes I’m surprised by that radio tracking stuff, unless there is somehow a secret radio tag in the little plastic bracelets they all have? I’m pretty sure it’s bullshit though!

Poor poor Jessica. If I were to make a wild guess - I would say that the way her mum and brother responded to Claire tells you a lot about the overall relationship dynamic. Even in this short piece the lack of loyalty really shines out - Joan and Tony travelled together to break the news in person? Wtf? Like she’s a distant cousin or something. They’ve all been discussing it with Claire already THEN they tell her. It’s obvious that Jessica didn’t have a particularly close relationship with her mum and from the way this is written it’s tempting to guess why. Sounds like there was already a distance there and when you see the way Joan throws herself into it - showing photos and getting excited to have a new daughter instead of devastated at the news and focused on Jessica - you can see why.

Then there’s Claire who’s had a rough home life and is clearly delighted to have a family at last and Joan and Tony just look like they’re lapping that up. It tells you so much. Poor Jessica, but I’m guessing that things were not rosy to start.

First baby in 1993, plastic wrist and ankle tags. Certainly no tracking device, perhaps that was in private set ups.

Yes I’m surprised by that radio tracking stuff, unless there is somehow a secret radio tag in the little plastic bracelets they all have? I’m pretty sure it’s bullshit though!

Imagine if it emerged that a slip in a BBC article like this turned out to be proof that the antivaxxers were right all along and Bill Gates was secretly tracking us all ?

Also, Claire gained a lovely family whereas Jessica gained the knowledge she should have been brought up in the abusive childhood Claire described. That must have been hard to swallow.

My babies were taken away due to complications both times - so I was separated from them very quickly after delivery (both c sections) and they were not in my room with me.

Also I agree about the radio tags thing. Neither of mine had those, just the handwritten tag with sharpie pen. This was in the 90s.

Another who suprised by the radio tracking comment, it felt very flimsy are they hiding secret tech!?

It is definitely worth watching the documentary I posted above.

These two women managed to stay friends over the years, in spite of the undercurrents of what was going on with the different people involved and the knowing and denial. In the end they had a special bond because of what had happened - they are saints.

It is fascinating how people know or don't know who is their family and it is quite variable.

I had my two (recently) in a private wing where they take the baby to the nursery to let you sleep, they only had the plastic tags in the cot with thr child, not on their wrist which looking back now doesn't seem sensible (mine are definitely mine aa they are mini mes)