In a shocking incident at Chipinge District Hospital in Zimbabwe, a new mother, Cynthia Masocha, gave birth to a baby boy, only to find out the following morning that her child had been switched with a baby girl.
The incident, which has stunned the Chipinge community, is now the subject of an ongoing investigation by both police and hospital authorities.
According to Manica Post, Masocha delivered her baby boy on September 21, 2024, with the assistance of midwife Blessing Mutimbu. After the birth, Mutimbu raised the newborn to confirm its sex, which Masocha verified as male. Following the delivery, Masocha breastfed her son and went to sleep. However, to her astonishment, she discovered the next morning that the baby was a girl when she checked the nappies.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I checked the nappies. I was sure I had a son, and the hospital records confirmed it,” Masocha reportedly told authorities, expressing disbelief at the unexpected swap.
Masocha was one of three women who had given birth at the hospital on that day, but she was the only one to deliver a male child. The hospital’s birth records affirm that she had indeed given birth to a baby boy, deepening the mystery surrounding the swap.
In response, hospital authorities and police are conducting DNA tests to determine the baby’s true identity and how the mix-up occurred. Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the incident and emphasized that investigations were ongoing.
“On the evening of September 21, Ms. Masocha gave birth to a baby boy. The newborn was lifted for confirmation of its sex, and the hospital records listed the child as a boy. However, on the following morning, Ms. Masocha discovered that the baby she had was a girl,” Chinyoka explained in a statement.
While no suspects have been named yet, detectives are working to uncover how the switch took place. DNA tests will be conducted on all involved parties to determine the paternity and clarify the truth behind the incident.