Juan Carlos and Joseline Bernal in El Salvador baby swap speak out

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Juan Carlos and Joseline Bernal's son was swapped with child of Briton David Cushworth and his wife, Mercy Casanellas, in El Salvador hospital
DNA tests revealed the boy they had raised was not their biological son
They have spoken for first time of agony of having to hand over the baby
And admitted it has been 'very difficult' to bond with their real child

Published: 16:36 EST, 7 October 2015 | Updated: 12:44 EST, 8 October 2015

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The couple whose child was swapped with the son of a British father hours after his birth in an El Salvador hospital have spoken of their agony at being given just hours to hand over the baby they had raised as their own.

Juan Carlos and Joseline Bernal revealed the terrible rush to say goodbye to the boy they believed was their son before he was returned to his real parents, Briton David Cushworth and his wife, Mercy Casanellas.

And the couple, from El Salvador, said they 'still love' the child they had to give back, and admitted that finding the same affection for their real son has been 'very difficult'.

Agony: Juan Carlos and Joseline Bernal, pictured together, today revealed how they were given hours hours to say goodbye to the boy they believed was their son before he was returned to his real parents

The Bernals said they had followed the Cushworths' public appeals to find their son, after DNA tests showed the infant they had taken back to their home in the US (pictured with the couple) wasn't their biological child

The Bernals said they had followed the Cushworths' public appeals to find their son, after DNA tests showed the infant they had taken back to their home in the US wasn't their biological child.

Mr Cushworth, who had worked as a missionary in El Salvador, accused staff at the hospital of deliberately swapping their baby to sell to traffickers, leading to the arrest of the doctor who had delivered the baby in May this year.

But even though their baby had been born in the same hospital on the same day, the Bernals never once imagined that their own three-month-old son might have been the missing baby boy, they claimed.

And the devoted parents, who had struggled for three years to have a baby, revealed their horror at having to give their baby back less than 12 hours after finding out he wasn't actually theirs.

Joseline, 27, told the 19 Megavision TV channel that she had woken up as normal with her baby on the Monday morning, only to go to bed the same day with another child, her biological son.

Sobbing, she said: 'It was very difficult for us to do the switch, for us he was our son. We were with him for the first three months of his life.

Joseline (left) told of how she had woken up as normal with her baby on the Monday morning, only to go to bed the same day with another child, her biological son (pictured right with Richard's father, David Cushworth)

Celebration: Richard Cushworth and Mercedes Casanella before they were reunited with their biological child

'He was my first son and we cherished every moment. My first experience of breastfeeding was with him. He was everything, our reason to go home at the end of the day, to spend time with him.

'You do everything for your baby, changing nappies, everything, every day, only to find out that he's not yours, he belongs to someone else. It's devastating.'

Husband Juan Carlos, 30, added: 'Our lives will never be the same again. That baby was our first love, everything we did was for him and because of him. We gave him all our love.

'Of course this isn't the babies' fault, they aren't the guilty ones. But this event changed our lives forever. In the morning we were getting ready to spend the day with our baby, and in the afternoon we have another baby.

Mrs Cushworth holding her son for the first time. The child was raised by the Bernals for three months

'My last words to the baby as we gave him back was, "God is everything. God bless you".'

And the couple revealed they were besotted with the 'wrong' baby that they are still finding it difficult to become attached to the real son they had to swap him for.

Juan Carlos said: 'It's been very tough. We still love the child we raised for three months. It doesn't mean we don't love our true son, he's our flesh and blood. But it has been difficult.

'I keep telling my wife that this is the baby we used to talk to when he was in her belly. It's not the baby's fault. We are still enjoying being parents, we love being parents, but it has been very difficult.

'Now we have this baby, the baby who grew in his mother's womb.'

The Bernals also revealed how their son was a 'miracle from heaven' after the couple had to terminate Joseline's first pregnancy when doctors discovered a tumour in her uterus in 2013.

The couple then struggled for three years to have another baby, with Joseline undergoing three intrusive surgeries in an attempt to get pregnant again.

Mr Bernal said: 'We were happy and planning to get married, but before the wedding they discovered the tumor, which had to be removed, and the wedding was called off.

'Doctors advised her to have a third operation, but Joseline didn't want to do it anymore. She said she was exhausted and afraid. But I said, let's have some faith in God, let's try one more time.

'A month later, she got the news that she was pregnant. I was full of joy, because we had fulfilled our love by having a child. It was something that we wanted and needed.

'I was so happy to know that we were going to have a child.'

The Bernals booked into the private Centro Ginecologico hospital in capital San Salvador, considered the country's best birth clinic, because the pregnancy was high risk, and it was the only hospital where fathers were allowed to be present at the birth.

Remembering the moment her son was born at 6.35am on May 21, Joseline said: 'They presented the baby to me and the first thing I said was "God bless you".

Emotional: In a TV interview, the Bernals from El Salvador, pictured centre, said they 'still love' the child they had to give back, and admitted that finding the same affection for their real son has been 'very difficult'

Honest: The Bernals, pictured, who had struggled for three years to have a baby, revealed their horror at having to give their baby back less than 12 hours after finding out he wasn't actually theirs

'My husband took photos of the baby, then they took him away. It was only on the morning of the next day when they brough the baby back to me.'

Unlike the Cushworths, whose baby was born 15 hours later at 9.28pm, the Bernals insisted they never noticed any differences between the two babies or suspected that the baby they took home didn't look like them.

And despite a media frenzy after the couple returned from their home in Texas, claiming doctors had swapped their baby to sell to people traffickers, the Bernals had no inkling they would get caught up in the scandal.

They were contacted by authorities investigating the case on September 4, along with other parents of babies who had been born on the same day, to have DNA tests.

Swapped at birth: Mrs Cushworth, pictured with her biological son after the birth, says that she noticed that the child given to her by hospital staff in San Salvador was darker and looked nothing like her or her husband

Two days later, on the morning of Monday September 7, authorities broke the unthinkable news - that they had been caring for someone else's baby. That evening, at a meeting at the Attorney General's office, both sets of parents wept as they switched their babies back.

The Bernals also responded to social media rumours that the two families were friends and orchestrated the mix-up in an elaborate compensation scam.

Their lawyer, Amilcar Cardona, insisted that the couple had never met or spoken to the Cushworths.

Revealing that the paperwork to correct the babies' identities has still not been completed, he confirmed that, like the Cushworths, the couple are contemplating taking legal action against the hospital for their ordeal.

He said: 'We haven't heard a word from the hospital. They have never been in touch or tried to reach out.'