I’m crying non-stop after the blunder on my daughter’s birth certificate

Becoming a mother for the first time should be magical, but a woman has been left in tears after a mistake was made on her child’s birth certificate.

Proud parents Grace Bingham, 20, and her partner Ewan Murray, 21, were thrilled when they welcomed little Lilah into the world last month.

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But when they came to register the birth five weeks later, they were shocked to discover that she was listed as male on her birth certificate due to a blunder.

Grace admitted that she had looked at the certificate at the time but overlooked the error and signed it, attributing her inattention to a lack of sleep as a new mother.

But they have so far failed to correct the error in Lilah’s five-week-old data, despite contacting national registration bosses.

Grace, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts., said: “It’s been a nightmare and I haven’t stopped crying since.

“As new parents, we were very excited and, admittedly, a little overwhelmed – mainly due to the lack of sleep.

“We focused on making sure all names were spelled correctly and did not expect such a professional error to happen.

“Right now, according to the government, our newborn daughter is a man. I don’t have a son, I have a daughter.

“This could cause significant problems for our daughter throughout her life as it would imply that she is transgender even though she is biologically female.

“If she chooses to identify differently later in life, that is her decision. But now that she is only five weeks old, she cannot make that choice yet.

‘It is unfair that her birth certificate says ‘male’ which could have a negative impact on various aspects of life such as school, work and relationships – due to a mistake that is not her fault.

“We feel wronged by the system in relation to this error, and the only way to properly address it seems to be to bring it to the attention of Parliament.

‘What happens if she applies for a passport or a job and gets married?

“We don’t feel we have been treated fairly. She has already been failed by the system and she is only a few weeks old. I am devastated.”

The mistake happened when the couple went to register Lilah’s birth at Sutton-in-Ashfield registration office Nottinghamshire last Wednesday (11/13).

Grace and Ewan were told they would have to pay £99 to correct the mistake.

Grace said she was concerned even after correcting the error, the birth certificate would still list Lilah as male, with a small note indicating the gender had been changed to female.

The couple have since tried unsuccessfully to contact the Nottinghamshire Register Offices and the General Register Office.

They have also contacted Ashfield MP Lee Anderson for help.

Mark Walker, service director for places and communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused by this error and we will pay the costs of correction.

“We are working with the family to rectify this and will continue to support them throughout this process.”