A 17-year-old Colombian woman claims that doctors told her she had given birth to a boy, but that when she took the baby home five days later, she found she had a girl, Caracol Radio reported Monday.
According to the young mother, doctors at San Jeronimo Monteria Hospital told her that she had given birth to a boy and that the baby needed to be placed in an incubator because of respiration problems.
The mother took her child home five days later and when she went to give the child a bath she discovered that the child was female.
The mother and her husband are now demanding that the hospital clarify the situation and return their real child.
The hospital’s director Jairo Llorente said that the mix-up was a matter of miscommunication.
“What happened was that when the child was born the nurses assistant initially called him “niño” without identifying a sex, she spoke of him as a “niño” without knowing whether it was a male of female, just as when one speaks of “man” which includes both women and men, but it was by mistake,” said Dr. Llorente.
In Spanish, “niños” can be used to refer to a group of children without identifying a specific sex, where as “niña” only describes a girl.
The doctor said the hospital will conduct a DNA test to conclude whether or not the baby girl belongs to the young couple.
