THE text messages had gone out announcing the arrival of Ryan and the couple were looking forward to dressing their baby in his first set of clothes.

Then came the news: Ryan was in fact a girl. Sarah Wilson and Martyn Cahill had been told by a midwife that they were the proud parents of a baby boy. They sent text messages to friends, telling them, “It’s a boy”.

It was not until 12 hours later, when the baby was bathed for the first time, that Mr Cahill noticed that not all was as he expected. It was then that the couple were told by a second midwife that they actually had a daughter.

They quickly sent out new text messages, which read, “No it’s not, it’s a girl.” They also called Mrs Wilson’s mother who had been sent to buy a blue baby-seat. They got to her in time for her to switch to a pink one.

The couple feared that a bigger blunder may have been made and that their original baby had been switched. They were offered a DNA blood test to establish beyond doubt that the little girl they had now named Keira was theirs. After five weeks the hospital telephoned them to confirm that DNA tests had shown they had the correct child.

Eight weeks after the birth, the couple remain baffled as to how the mistake was made. The hospital has written to apologise, and is investigating.

Ms Wilson said: “When Keira came into the world, the midwife wrapped our baby in a towel and said: ‘Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby boy — they are all boys tonight; it must be a boy’s night.’ When we got to the washroom and the midwife unwrapped the towelling, she gasped and said: ‘You’ve been calling her a he all this time.’

“We hadn’t thought to question what the midwife had told us when our baby was born, as it didn’t even cross our minds that it could be possible to make such a big mistake.”

Ms Wilson, of Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, said of the DNA test: “We were on tenterhooks for a long time. But we were so relieved and happy when Keira was confirmed as ours.”

The Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHS Trust said: “A mistake was clearly made for which we are sorry.”

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