Netflix's latest docu-drama 'A Child of My Own' unravels the elaborate lie of a Mexican woman named Alejandra, who faked a pregnancy after suffering several miscarriages and ultimately abducted a newborn. The film, based on real events that shook Mexico in 2009, features both dramatisations and real home footage.
Desperate for Approval
Alejandra had always wanted to be a mother. However, after multiple miscarriages and noticing disdain from her family, she decided to fake a pregnancy. In the trailer, she says: 'I felt so special. From the moment that the people close to you start treating you lovingly, expectantly, with that joy. The way they come up and touch your belly... Many times I wanted to say "This isn't happening, I'm not pregnant."'
Explaining her reasoning, Alejandra shared: 'When I got married, I felt pressured to please his family.' At only 25, she felt burdened by family and societal expectations and struggled to conceive despite her efforts.
The Abduction
Alejandra recalled meeting a young woman named Mayra, who was pregnant but did not want the baby. Fixated on this, Alejandra began orchestrating a plan to abduct the child. She said: 'When I started gaining weight, everything started to change. I wanted someone to burst that balloon of lies.'
In June 2009, she went to the Hospital General de México, where she was employed, and left with a newborn girl, tucking the baby into a bag. Contributors in the film say: 'This was very hard to believe. Yet, it happened.'
Reflection and Consequences
Reflecting on her actions, Alejandra said: 'What did I do wrong? Breaking the law. Deceiving. Hurting. I think my desire to be a mum was to please others.' Her story was told in a book by Randall Fuquay called 'A Child to Call My Own: A True Story of Desperate Love, a Stolen Child, and the Nine Months that Changed Everything.' The Netflix adaptation is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi.
'A Child of My Own' comes to Netflix on August 13.
