Switched At Birth: Maternity Ward Mistake Discovered 26 Years Later Because Of Facebook

Switched at birth? Lorena Cobuzzi and Antonella Zenga were reportedly the victims of a massive hospital mistake in 1989, and only recently discovered the shocking news. In 1989, a hospital in Puglia, Italy, reportedly mixed up two baby girls, born via Caesarean section, and gave them to the wrong mothers.

Lorena Cobuzzi and Antonella Zenga grew up just two miles apart in Trinitapoli, a small town in Puglia. While Cobuzzi recalls a happy childhood with “warm and loving” parents, Zenga was not quite so lucky. The switched-at-birth baby girls had lived vastly different lives after leaving the hospital nursery. Zenga says that her upbringing was difficult, adding that she was abandoned by her mother and put up for adoption.

The switched-at-birth babies were placed in the hospital maternity ward and given wrist bracelets numbered 47 and 48, before being handed over to their mothers. Lorena Cobuzzi was placed in the arms of Caterina and Michele Cobuzzi. Antonella Zenga was handed to Lorena and Luigi Mazzone.

During an interview with the Daily Mail, Lorena spoke about being informed about being switched at birth by Cobuzzis — the only parents she had ever known.

“I felt physically sick,” Zenga said. “They sat me down and told me they had something important to tell me. They said there had been two families at the hospital that day. They said the babies had been swapped. The feeling was terrible — I didn’t know who I was anymore. I didn’t know who to call mum and dad.”

The couple had seen a photo of Antonella on Facebook and were surprised at how much she looked like Caterina. She was standing next to another girl who was identified as a sister, but the girl reportedly looked very much like Lorena. The couple contacted Loreta and asked for a family photo.

“Antonella, who has naturally curly hair, looked exactly like my official mother, Caterina. While Elisa looked exactly like me. It was like seeing myself in a photo,” Lorena added.

The family soon found out that the girls shared a birthday and were both born at the Canosa Hospital. A DNA test was ordered, and the switched-at-birth concerns were reportedly proven correct. The maternity ward mistake has prompted both girls and their respective parents to file a lawsuit.

[Image via Shutterstock]