Mum Sues Nanny for Feeding Formula to Her New Baby

A mother is suing her nanny after she fed her baby formula instead of waking her to breastfeed the newborn infant.

Lynn Wojton preferred nursing her infant daughter, believing that was the best thing for her new baby.

Nanny, Marcia Chase-Marshall allegedly fed the baby formula while Ms Wojton slept because she was tired and didn’t want to assist the first-time mum with the longer process of breastfeeding, court papers allege.

The new mum breastfed her daughter on the first two nights after returning home with the child from Mount Sinai Hospital in September, according to Ms Wojton’s suit in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Ms Chase-Marshall slept in the same room as Baby Wilder and would wake up Ms Wojton, a registered nurse, whenever the baby needed milk, the suit says.

But after the caretaker didn’t wake up Ms Wojton on the third night, Ms Chase-Marshall allegedly ’fessed up to feeding the baby formula, papers claim.

“I was very upset,” Ms Wojton, 37, told The NY Post. “This is not what I wanted — this is not what I want — for my baby.

“I cried for an hour, honestly.”

Ms Chase-Marshall initially said she’d defied Ms Wojton’s instructions because she thought formula was best for the baby, the mother claims.

But she then admitted she gave the girl formula instead because it was less work and she wanted extra sleep, according to the suit.

“I have nothing to say,” Ms Chase-Marshall told The NY Post in a phone call before hanging up.

Ms Wojton, who paid the doula $4,200, says Ms Chase-Marshall bolted after the confrontation.

“Your instincts do kick in,” the new mum said. “It was the last straw, the way she was behaving and the way she was speaking to me.”

She said she had faced off with Ms Chase-Marshall on everything from changing baby Wilder’s diapers to bathing the baby.

“If I didn’t change the diaper the way she thought was best, she would criticize me the whole time,” Ms Wojton said. “It makes you second-guess yourself. You’re a new mother and this is all very new.”

“Lynn obviously didn’t want to cross a stranger who had direct access to her baby, to her home and belongings at such an important and potentially volatile time,” said her lawyer Brett Gallaway.

“I’m in a good place now, but I still get upset,” Ms Wojton said.

She’s seeking at least $10,000 in damages.

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39 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 28 Feb 2023
    11:40 am
i would love to know how this leagal case went. it sounds like a money grab for me. I cant see how she has damages of $10,000

- - mom68673 said
  - 08 Apr 2019
    6:00 am
Some things just don’t add up. Formula in house despite not wanting to do bottle, if she slept with the baby why did she need to be woke up by someone else.
And a nanny is there to help, so yes she is going to do it her way, change the nappy etc. If the mother wanted it a particular way then why didn’t she do it herself?
Suing for 10,000? That poor baby.

- - mom183717 said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    2:32 pm
This is a bit ridiculous. Food is food

- - mom140193 said
  - 22 Mar 2019
    9:34 pm
This sounds extreme reaction to Sue the nanny. I agree if she fed the baby formula as it was less work & quicker then yes absolutely I’d be pissed & the nanny would be sacked. But only mums side of story here & it doesn’t all add up. Best for both to be on their seperate ways anyway!

- - MrsA said
  - 15 Mar 2019
    8:33 pm
As if people are excusing this by saying she should have expressed. People hire night nannies to help them in the early days, the woman was hired to do a job and she is an idiot for taking the job if she wasn’t up for it. I would be so pissed.

- - tessie said
  - 15 Mar 2019
    11:54 am
Why didn’t she just express her milk then there wouldn’t have been any issue. Why did she need a Nanny sleeping in her room with the baby? She gives me the feeling she just wants to get some easy money.

- - mom350461 said
  - 14 Mar 2019
    8:55 pm
Seriously I think there is more to the story here. Seems we have only heard the mums side rather than each side. If she was so adamant about breastfeeding then maybe she should of expressed before she slept.
As long as your baby is fed diesel it matter?

- - ella12 said
  - 14 Mar 2019
    4:01 pm
I think the mother has taken things a bit too far. Fair enough, she was upset about it, but this all abit far fetched.

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 14 Mar 2019
    10:40 am
I can understand the mother being upset, especially being a first time mum. But honestly it is a bit lazy having a nanny in the first place. Everyone else has to just manage.

- - rovermum said
  - 14 Mar 2019
    8:56 am
Wow, this is not okay. Regardless of there being formula in the house, etc. (we all do what we can and need to get by, and maybe the Doula suggested it), it was not okay for her to manage things that way. Very upsetting, clearly.

- - rachel1970 said
  - 14 Mar 2019
    6:33 am
Why didn’t she get up to breastfeed her baby when it cried?? Why was there formula in the house??

- - mom101628 said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    10:08 pm
Something doesn’t sound right with this. Why was the baby formula in the house? If you sleep in the same room as your baby, why didn’t you wake when it cried?
- musicmum replied
  
  13 Mar 2019 , 10:22 pm
  I thought the same thing, bit odd this one. Most likely more to this story.
- - nealsq said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    8:52 pm
what was the point of having formula in the house then??

- - mom19782016 said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    8:34 pm
Why did they have formula in the first place if she didn’t want to use it?
- Ellen replied
  
  14 Mar 2019 , 7:44 am
  Yes that sure is strange
- - BellaB said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    7:22 pm
This was very poor behaviour from the nanny, whatever her reasons.,

- - mom206279 said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    2:57 pm
The nanny was way out of line but the mum needed to give her the sack before it ever got to this. She had issues with her before this happened so she needs to take some responsibility. I hope it gets thrown out of court.

- - Ellen said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    7:47 am
I think this nanny was way out of line

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    7:18 am
She should have just done it herself if it was causing her so much stress.

- - mom93821 said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    6:42 am
It seems there were multiple differences and multiples reasons for this being a mismatch.

- - youngoldlady said
  - 13 Mar 2019
    2:26 am
The nanny was paid to do a job and she did not do it right. Making the mother second guessing herself was also wrong. Suing the nanny think this is mainly an American thing. That is going a bit far for something like this, may be withholding the part of the payment.