Mom Learns Her Late Son Was Actually Switched at Birth and Her Real Kid Is Alive – Story of the Day

Amy and Fred's delight at the birth of their son turns to tears when the child doesn't survive a difficult labor. In her grief, Amy begins studying her son's medical records and unearths a terrible error.

"Fred, wake up!" Amy shook her husband's shoulder. "My water just broke."

Fred jerked upright and leaped from the bed. "I'm ready. I'll get your things and help you to the car. How bad are the contractions?"

"Manageable," Amy said through pursed lips. She was focused on her breathing exercises now.

Fred and Amy sped to the hospital. This was the young couple's first child, and they were both frightened and highly excited about becoming parents. All the months of anticipation were finally coming to fruition! Neither one could wait to hold their sweet baby for the first time.

The hospital staff rushed Amy to the maternity ward. She'd had an easy pregnancy, and the doctor anticipated a straightforward birth. Amy pushed and breathed as the doctor instructed, but it soon became clear something was wrong.

"We need to perform an emergency C-section."

Panic swept through Amy. She reached for Fred, but the nurses were ushering him out of the way.

Amy prayed as the doctor performed the surgery. She listened desperately for her child's first cry but only heard the bustle of nurses rushing her baby away for treatment.

She and Fred clung to each other in the recovery room. They didn't speak because neither wanted to voice their fear. Eventually, Amy's doctor entered with a pediatrician.

"We've stabilized your son," the pediatrician said, "but we still need to monitor his condition."

"Will our baby be okay?" Fred asked.

"We're doing everything we can for him," the doctor replied.

Amy tightened her grip on Fred's hand, and the two young parents looked at each other. The doctor's words weren't reassuring. If anything, the gravity of their situation felt darker now and more ominous than before.

The couple's fears were confirmed a few days later: their son had died. Amy and Fred collapsed beneath the weight of their grief. They cried until their throats were raw, and they had no more tears to shed. Even then, the sadness was a wound in their hearts.

They named their baby Shaun and buried him. It was impossible to get back to everyday life afterward. They each went through the motions of working, eating, and sleeping, but there was a painful void where there should've been diaper changes and a baby's gurgling laugh.

Amy couldn't understand what had caused the loss of her baby. She pored over the reports from the hospital and sat up late at night to research medical terminology she didn't understand.

On her way to bed, she'd often step into the nursery. She'd trace her fingers over the scar on her belly and stare at the empty crib.

"I'll find out why this happened to you," she'd whisper to the empty room.

"I'll never give up, and I'll never stop searching for answers."

Later that week, Amy was thumbing through the pages of her son's file when her gaze fell on the one test she'd yet to examine in detail. She scanned it now and immediately noticed something peculiar.

Amy and Fred insisted on having DNA tests done when they found out they were pregnant to ensure neither of them carried a disease they might pass to their child. The results for those tests were clear, but the test in her hands showed positives for genetic abnormalities.

This was impossible! Amy called Fred, and they cross-checked their son's DNA test results against their own.

"This doesn't add up," Fred muttered a few hours later. They'd compared the tests several times by that point.

"I know." Amy gritted her teeth. "First thing tomorrow, I'm taking this to my doctor."

The next day, Amy watched her doctor study the test results. A frown appeared on her forehead, and she stood suddenly.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, Amy," the doctor said. "You're right, there is something wrong here, but I can't give you any explanations yet, unfortunately. I'm taking this to the hospital administration right now. Please wait here."

Amy nodded. It felt like the clench of her heart had eased a little, knowing she'd finally get answers. The doctor returned a while later with news that Amy never would've expected.

She left the hospital in a daze of disbelief. The first thing she did was call Fred, but Amy burst into tears the moment she heard his voice.

"Amy, what's wrong?" Fred cried.

"Our son is alive!"

That evening, Amy told Fred how the doctor explained that their son had accidentally been switched with another baby born the same day. Although the doctor hadn't provided much information about the other family, Amy had inferred that the mother had a very challenging pregnancy and labor.

"The doctor hinted she had multiple miscarriages or stillbirths before," Amy added. She let out a deep sigh. "I never thought I'd say this, Fred, but I feel torn. Our baby is alive, but..."

"But he's also become another family's miracle," Fred finished. They were sitting on the couch, and Fred hugged Amy closer to his side.

"Exactly. I...I don't want to be the reason for another family to suffer the pain we've endured these past weeks."

Just when it seemed like Amy and Fred had reached a place where they could be content with their life, they received shocking news.

"What did the doctor say about the situation?" Fred asked.

"They insisted we meet with the other family as soon as possible. The woman is scheduled for a check-up this Wednesday and we need to be there so this mess can be sorted out." Amy looked up at Fred. "I'm scared, Fred."

Fred held Amy as they both began to weep. They were relieved their son was alive but felt guilty about removing him from a family that had already suffered so much to have children.

That Wednesday, Amy and Fred arrived at the doctor's office and were escorted inside.

"The mother is already here," the doctor said. She pulled aside the blinds and pointed to a woman holding a baby.

Amy pressed her hand to the glass and stared into the waiting room. Tiny fists emerged from the baby blanket and battered the air, but the woman smiled. Her face glowed with love and joy as she soothed the baby.

"I can't do this."

Amy fled from the doctor's office in tears. When she reached the hallway, she collapsed to the floor.

A few years later...

Amy sat in her car and aimed her phone camera at a woman pushing a young boy on the swings. Both mother and child laughed and chatted with each other nonstop. When the swing reached its peak, the boy leaped to the ground and sped around to tag his mom.

Amy smiled and stopped the video as the pair ran toward the park's far side. Her son was growing up to be a handsome young man with good humor. Although she'd only seen him from a distance, Amy was proud of him.

She and Fred watched the video together that evening, and Amy burst into tears.

"That should be me," she wailed.

"I know. Amy, we still have all the proof we need to take him." Fred dried his wife's tears with his fingers. "We're his true parents, after all."

Amy shook her head.

"I still think we did the right thing and besides, if neither of us had the heart to take him as a baby, how could we do it now that he's older? It would be cruel."

Fred nodded, and Amy pulled him into a tight hug. In truth, there were times when they keenly felt the gap in their lives where their son should be and regretted not reclaiming him as a baby. They had tried to fall pregnant again to ease their suffering but hadn't succeeded.

One day, Amy was scrolling through her social media when she saw a post that immediately grabbed her attention. This was the solution to her dilemma about her son! She took down the contact information on the post and dialed the number.

A few days later, Amy arrived at a neat suburban home with a folder full of papers. She sat down with the woman who lived there and, an hour later, had a job as her son's nanny.

"I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early," the woman, Carly, said to Amy when she left. "I'm sure my son, Ed, will love you to bits!"

"I can't wait to meet him," Amy replied.

Fred was surprised when Amy told him what she'd done, but he supported her completely.

"This is a great idea," he said. "Now you can spend time with our son, and we'll know once and for all if we made the right choice."

Amy was almost overcome with emotion when Carly introduced her to Ed. He was shy at first, but he and Amy were soon playing with his toys and coloring together.

As the days went on, Amy was impressed by Carly's kind and caring approach to parenting and how Ed was thriving in her care. The boy was confident and intelligent and often surprised Amy with his keen wit.

Working as Ed's nanny allowed Amy, and Fred, to heal the scars left in their hearts from the difficult decision they'd made several years ago. In weeks, they transformed from a couple filled with doubt and grief to a confident pair who knew they'd made the right decision.

Just when it seemed like Amy and Fred had reached a place where they could be content with their life, they received shocking news.

"Are you sure?" Fred held Amy's hands as he stared into her eyes.

"Yes." Amy bounced on her heels, unable to contain her joy.

"The doctor confirmed it today. We're going to have a baby!"

Fred swept Amy into his arms and twirled her around the kitchen. Finally, they were going to have a family.

When Carly told Amy she was pregnant, the woman jumped from her chair and hugged her. They'd become friends over the past few weeks.

"I'm so happy for you," Carly said. "Having a baby is such a miracle! It's the greatest gift in this world."

"I know," Amy said, watching Ed play with his toy dump truck in the next room.

Amy continued to care for Ed until her third trimester. The pregnancy went well, just like before, and Amy was overcome with nerves when the big day came.

"What if something goes wrong?" She asked Fred as the nurses escorted her to the maternity ward.

"Nothing will go wrong," Fred replied, but his smile was grim, and Amy knew he was also worried.

"Doctor, you're going to take good care of my baby, right?"

The doctor took Amy's hand and nodded. "Every step of the way, Amy. I promise."

In the early hours of the morning, Amy gave birth to a healthy little girl. She and Fred decided to name her Miranda.

A few weeks later, Amy took Miranda to visit Ed and Carly. The two mothers were drinking tea, and Miranda was sleeping when Ed tugged on Amy's sleeve.

"What's that mark on Miranda's foot?" he asked.

Amy glanced over at her daughter and smiled. "That's a birthmark. Everyone in my family has it."

"Does that mean I'm your family, Amy?"

"What?" Amy looked down at the little boy. "Why would you say that?"

"Ed has the exact same birthmark," Carly replied. "We've always wondered about it, actually. It's very unusual, and nothing like that runs in his family."

"Oh." Amy laughed nervously. "That's weird, huh?"

Carly was glancing between her and Ed with narrowed eyes now. She also peered over at Miranda and frowned.

"You know, Miranda looks exactly like Ed did when he was a baby."

"I'd best be going," Amy said. "Miranda will probably wake up soon and need to be changed."

Amy rushed from the house with her heart pounding. She couldn't believe how narrowly she'd avoided revealing her secret! However, Amy soon discovered that no secret stays buried forever.

When Amy next visited Carly, the other woman was waiting for her with a bundle of documents and millions of questions. She admitted that she'd always thought it strange that Ed didn't resemble any of his family members. When she noticed how much he looked like Miranda, Carly began investigating.

Amy confessed what she'd done and told Carly that she'd never had the heart to take Ed back. The two women wept together, and Carly thanked her. They agreed they would wait to tell Ed, however.

Ed received a unique gift on his eighteenth birthday: a sister and another mother and father. Although he was initially shocked, Ed was delighted to be part of two loving families.

What can we learn from this story?

• An immense sacrifice can reap great rewards. By letting Carly raise Ed, Fred and Amy were able to give the woman a powerful gift and an opportunity to heal by finally becoming a mother.
• Sometimes mistakes happen for a reason. While it might seem as though life has dealt us an unfair hand, there are times when a small mistake can lead you right where you need to be.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who is shocked to see his wife and son on vacation two years after he buried them both.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.