Two California couples successfully birthed two babies by using IVF. However, both Alexander and Daphna Cardinale and Annie and her husband quickly noticed their babies were nothing like them. DNA tests would later confirm that doctors implanted the wrong embryos. Both couples decided to meet and then swapped their babies.
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Regardless of the babies' looks, both couples were initially happy to bring their daughters to the world. However, Daphna and Alexander began noticing significant differences between them and their daughter, May. For instance, May had black hair, while Alexander had light features and Daphna had red hair, according to the Daily Mail.
Alexander began joking that they had the wrong baby, but those jokes quickly transformed into legitimate concerns. This led them to take an at-home DNA test, which proved that both of them were not May's biological parents. "I carried this child. I birthed her," Daphna Cardinale told PEOPLE. "She felt so familiar to me that it didn't even occur to me that she couldn't be ours."
After finding out the heartbreaking news, they were worried that the biological parents would come for May. However, they decided to do the right thing and reported the situation to the fertility clinic who, in turn, informed Annie and her husband. They too had a baby that did not resemble them in any way, named Zoë. Zoë was, in fact, Alexander and Daphna's baby.
Both couples met at a law firm and got to know their biological daughters. "The moment my hands went under my daughter's arms and we locked eyes, something powerful and unexpected washed over me," Alexander said about meeting Zoë. "I knew this child." However, he and Daphna were heartbroken to know they had to give away May, who they believed was their daughter all along.
Both couples decided to swap their babies. But that wasn't the end of this story.
Two Families Brought Together
While the swap seemed logical, both couples struggled initially. After all, they had grown accustomed to different babies. However, the mix-up ended up being a blessing in disguise, as both couples began growing fondly of each other. While they were close initially, the bond solidified after Daphna and Annie texted each other.
"We can definitely visit each and check how our girls are doing. It's so hard. I don't know how to let go," Annie texted Daphna. Daphna then told Annie: "What if we don't "let go"? What if we just have 2 babies? We share them."
"We have to find a way to have both babies. Spend a lot of time together. Raise these girls together," she continued. Annie agreed and they started meeting more often. Moreover, Zoë and May went to the same preschool and took ballet lessons together. The couples also became close friends, sharing birthdays and holidays.
"There's no person to give you advice. So we ended up just sort of huddling together, the four of us, and it's a blessing that we all are on the same page," Alexander Cardinale said. "We've spent every holiday together since then. We've spent every birthday together since then — and we've just kind of blended the families."
The Cardinale couple sued the fertility clinic. The suit was settled out of court in 2022.
