Mothers Discover Their Babies Were Switched At Birth And Make Stunning Decision Together

Sep 24, 2021 by apost team

Families don’t have to be blood-related to love and cherish one another. Family means taking care of the special people in your life despite any challenges. Loving someone like family can conquer any uncertainty or mistake, or at least that is what happened with Marinella Alagna and Gisella Fodera from Mazara del Vallo in Sicily after their babies were switched at birth.

Caterina Alagna and Melissa Fodera were born on December 31, 1998. The staff at the hospital must have been so wrapped up in celebrating the new year that they mixed the two girls up by mistake. The mothers wondered why their daughters were wearing different clothes when they got back to their rooms but were told not to worry about it.

The families went home and for three years nobody knew what had happened. Then, when Melissa was starting school Marinella noticed a young girl in her class that looked exactly like her other daughters. When she recognized Gisella from the maternity ward she had a hunch that something was wrong. 

After a DNA test proved that the girls had been switched, the families were faced with a difficult decision. Since neither mother could bear giving up the child they had raised for three years but still wanted to have a part in their biological child’s lives, Marinella and Gisella did the unexpected. They chose to raise their daughters as sisters and live together on weekends and during their free time. Keep reading to learn more about this stunning situation and what the mothers went through after learning the truth.

Raising their children together seemed like the best choice to the mothers. However, coming to this decision was not easy, and the shock of the realization was a lot to deal with. “I recognized Caterina’s mother, Gisella Fodera, from the maternity ward and got suspicious — 15 days later we did DNA tests and my mind went blank. It was too surreal, too impossible,” Marinella said according to Today UK News.

Both mothers knew that they could not stop loving the child they raised for three years, no matter what the DNA tests said. Gisella added: “I challenge anyone to raise a daughter for three years then give her up over a simple mistake.” This is why they decided to do something so unorthodox.

By choosing to raise their daughters together, the Alagna and Fodera families suddenly grew overnight. “The girls effectively grew up with four parents and eight grandparents, and the experiment worked,” said Mauro Caporiccio, author of “Sisters Forever,” reports The Times. 

Caporiccio added: “They chose to live together during the weekends and free time. And the girls were classmates until college. They are considered twins. When they were little they always wanted to be together and this helped the adults a lot.”

The girls were told the truth of what happened when they were born after they turned 8-years-old. They say they don’t remember a time when they were not raised as sisters. Each daughter feels they have two sets of parents and are very happy with their mothers’ decision. No matter the challenges along the way, the mothers are glad they know the truth and are grateful for the chance to raise two incredible daughters.

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What do you think of this incredible story? Have you ever heard of anyone else who was switched at birth? Let us know and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family.