What would you do if you found out the child you took home from the hospital, loved and raised-for a year-was not your child; and your child was in another home being raised by someone else?
I watched this show today about this very thing, based on a true story and what a mess. Think about it, what would you do?
Of course everyone would want both children but what if that wasn't an option? I'd like to hear your thoughts.
June - Rylee's "Graduation"
9 months ago
4 comments:
Wow, that would be horrible! I don't know what I would do. I imagine I would try to set something up where both families could spend time with both babies. I am sure I would want, "my" baby but it would not be an easy decision at all!!!!
BTW, I have the book One-Thousand White Women and have not read it yet, maybe I will make that next on my list!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi MM,
This is my first time writing on your blog. Hope you don't mind. It popped up because I have an ongoing google search for "switched at birth" and you popped up.
When I was born the hospital messed up and sent me home with the wrong family. That's a little different perspective from your question, but it's related. The error went "uncorrected" and I didn't learn about it until I was fifty. Here's an excerpt from my book that addresses your question:
"How does birth and childhood affect later health, mentally, physically, and spiritually? It’s a mystery right up there with the JFK assassination [which I see live on our black and white TV in 1963] and how come Republicans are. It’s filled with endless variables: physical environment, health care, diet, exercise, social milieu, breastfeeding, etc.
The aspect that rises above all else as a source of anxiety is this: John and Marie return with me when I’m a newborn baby to a home with seven other children already in the house. The couple knows I’m not theirs from the moment the nurse hands me over.
In John’s view I’m just another mouth to feed; it doesn’t matter if I’m the right kid, since a mouth is a mouth. John’s question to Marie is whether she is going to take care of it.
For Marie it is more complex. How emotionally entwined does she allow herself to become with a newborn in her home by accident? How does she reserve space for her biological son? How unconditional is her love? What if her efforts to find her natural child are successful? What if she someday can switch the baby she left the hospital with for the one she gave birth to? When does she start loving me as her own? Those are some of the enigmas – the coulda woulda shouldas – that linger and haunt."
I hope that contributes to your discussion.
Al
www.latedeliverymemoir.com
Al, If you check back here...
I checked out your web site and I will buy your book to find out what happened.
Good Luck to you in the future. Maybe looking back and writing about your life will help you move forward. I hope so.
I seriously don't know what I would do in that terrible situation!
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