Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Maite Alberdi, Netflix’s ‘A Child of My Own’ (or ‘Un Hijo Propio’) is an extraordinarily poignant documentary chronicling the real-life tale of Eleonor Alejandra “Ale” Marín Mendoza. The Mexican native once led a good, happy life alongside her forever love, but things changed as familial and societal pressures drove her to the extreme length of faking a full-term pregnancy. She believed that “bearing” a child would make things okay, yet it ultimately only culminated in her kidnapping a newborn from a local hospital and getting trapped in her own web of deception.
Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza Endured Three Miscarriages
Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza (or simply Ale) was merely 17 years old when she tied the knot with the man she believed to be the love of her life, Arturo Calderón Gamiño, on July 29, 2000. She was admittedly pregnant at the time, which was partly why the couple decided to marry so young, yet they were also excited since they adored children and dreamed of becoming parents. “Since I got pregnant and we got married, (having a family) was always our plan,” she once said, as per the documentary. However, for her, there were added pressures that were quite gendered.
“I think the biggest pressure I felt was to make his family happy,” Ale candidly admitted in the original film. “…Not feeling accepted by his mother made me feel like I had to earn my place.” This feeling only became more prominent after she endured a miscarriage while the couple was living with Arturo’s parents, especially as she allegedly didn’t receive any positive moral support. Instead, according to the documentary, she was either asked why she was crying because everyone experiences loss or felt blamed with remarks such as “it’s because you weren’t careful.”
Nevertheless, Ale and Arturo continued to try for a baby over the ensuing 8 years, during which they also moved into a big home, with plans to fill the extra bedrooms with their young ones. She experienced a miscarriage for a second and a third time in this period, with the latter happening at 4 months in 2009 while she was at work, serving in an administrative role at the General Hospital of Mexico. That’s when she was told it would be difficult for her to ever carry a baby to full term — there was a medical reason behind her pregnancy losses, but it turned her entire world upside down.
Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza Kidnapped a Newborn in a Gift Bag
According to Ale’s account, she was sitting in the hospital waiting room after her third miscarriage and asking God, “Why me?” when she came across Mayra Aurora Navarro Vega. According to Ale’s unproven claims, Mayra was pregnant with her second child from a different partner and was contemplating an abortion as she could not provide for the baby. She claimed they got to talking in that vulnerable space, so when Mayra allegedly told her, “I’d rather give it away than get rid of it,” they made an “agreement” specifying the baby would be hers after birth.
Thus, Ale didn’t tell anyone that she had lost her third pregnancy; instead, she asserted that she decided to continue pretending she was expecting until she could take Mayra’s newborn baby as her own. In the ensuing months, to keep up the deception, she not only gained 25 kilos by changing her eating habits but also fabricated her medical records and managed to obtain a full maternity leave. On the flip side, Arturo and their families had no idea of the truth, so they listened to all her odd requests under the assumption she was genuinely pregnant and even threw her a baby shower.
When Mayra gave birth at the General Hospital of Mexico in June 2009, Ale claimed she knew because of their deal and previous conversations, so she visited by pretending to be a caring neighbor. She alleged she then confirmed their agreement was still in place, following which she said Mayra left the hospital in a hurry and left her to take the baby as well as care for her as she saw fit. Ale claimed Mayra voluntarily handed the baby over. Nevertheless, security footage proved that Ale grabbed the newborn girl, placed her in a gift bag, and walked out of the hospital.
Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza Was Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison For Her Crimes
Ale has always maintained that she and Mayra had a verbal agreement regarding the fate of the latter’s newborn daughter, Katia Valentina, but Mayra has vehemently denied ever making such a deal. In fact, Mayra asserts the first time she ever came across Ale was after she had already given birth, with Ale approaching her while posing as a social worker conducting a detailed family survey. As per the mother’s account, she was soon taken away for some medical tests for her developing high fever and infection, only for her daughter not to be in the room or nearby when she came back. Mayra initially assumed the nurses had taken Katia for a bath or some tests, but it quickly came to light that the newborn had been kidnapped by Ale and taken out of the hospital in a gift bag.
They immediately informed the authorities, who found Ale, Arturo, and Katia at a local hotel. By this point, Ale has confessed to her husband that she had faked her pregnancy, but falsely claimed that Mayra had voluntarily given her the baby, leaving Arturo completely unaware that a kidnapping had occurred. Mayra’s account was supported by concrete evidence, including survey paperwork in Ale’s possession, Mayra’s previous neonatal appointments all being at a local center, and her still being in the hospital when Katia was reported missing. In the end, Arturo was acquitted of any wrongdoing following his trial after over 2 years in jail, whereas his wife was convicted on charges related to kidnapping a minor.
However, because of Ale having been diagnosed with dissociation and a psychologist testifying she believed her own story due to the trauma of losing 3 pregnancies as well as the external pressures, the judge sentenced her to the minimum of 13 1⁄3 years in prison. Ale was incarcerated at the Santa Martha Acatitla women’s prison in Mexico City, Mexico, where she completed her sentence before being released into society as a free woman in 2023. According to her own accounts, she spent her time behind bars coming to terms with never becoming a mother and envisioning what life would be like if she were to live it for just herself. She even realized her dream of having children had more to do with pleasing her husband/others than with something she really wanted for herself, so she also learned to focus on being content in life.
After Her Release From Prison, Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza is Now Leading a Quiet Life
Since her release, Ale’s relationship with her husband has changed a lot. They initially tried to make their marriage work as is, but when Arturo admitted he still wanted to have a biological child and be a father, they separated for a little while. As per the documentary, he subsequently entered into a relationship with another woman and eventually had a son with her, but the liaison didn’t pan out in the way he expected. That’s when he contacted his estranged wife in the hopes of rekindling their marriage, and she agreed because there was still genuine care and love between them. Therefore, today, at the age of 43, she prefers to lead a private, quiet life in Mexico City, Mexico, as a wife, a stepmother, and an independent woman who has learned to live for herself.
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