The traumatic incident took place at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital, reports Glasgow Live.
Mum Lindsay Richardson, 40, went into premature labour at nearly 21 weeks in December 2019, when her baby boy, Charlie, was delivered stillborn.
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Shortly after, Lindsay, then 34, had to go into emergency surgery after haemorrhaging as her placenta had to be removed surgically.
While she was undergoing the operation, Charlie’s dad, John, asked to spend time with his son and was put in a separate room.
A midwife brought a baby for him to hold, but he soon voiced concerns over whether it was actually his son.
John said he held the baby for nearly an hour before midwifery staff “rushed in” and took the deceased infant from him, and confirmed to him that it wasn’t his child.
John told the publication that midwives “reassured” him and said that “no other baby died on the ward” on the same day.
But Lindsay claimed the baby given to John looked much less developed, while she said Charlie had “eyebrows, fingernails and toes”.
The couple, who had already been through the traumatic birth, said that the “mix-up” will “haunt” them both.
Lindsay added: “When John raised concerns, they just dismissed him. He trusted them and then grieved this little baby for some length of time.
“It’s just fortunate the mix-up was discovered before both babies were taken to the mortuary. It destroyed my faith in the NHS.”
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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde carried out a probe following Lindsay and John’s ordeal.
The investigation concluded that the mix-up could have been avoided, and new staff guidance was introduced after recommendations were made.
An NHSGGC spokesperson said: “We recognise that baby loss is a deeply painful and distressing experience, and our heartfelt condolences remain with John and Lindsay.
“We are profoundly sorry that this difficult incident in 2019 occurred and apologise again to the family for the upset this caused.
“Following the incident, a Significant Clinical Incident (SCI) Review was carried out.
“This in‑depth review led to strengthened processes across all NHSGGC maternity sites, with new staff guidance introduced to help ensure that nothing like this can happen again.”
