Baby in China suffocates on nanny’s first day of work, shocking social media

They agreed to a monthly salary of 12,000 yuan (US$1,700) and expected her to provide professional postnatal care to the mother and her newborn according to the traditional Chinese practice of “month sitting”.

In this tradition, which can last from one month to 100 days, the nanny provides the new mothers with comprehensive support that includes childcare and personal care to help them rest and recover after giving birth.

In big cities like Shenzhen, the average salary of postpartum nannies is 12,800 yuan (about 2,400 euros) a month, according to state media company CCTV. More experienced nannies even earn more than 20,000 yuan (about 2,400 euros).

In this case, the mother stated that because her child was born prematurely and was in the hospital for three months, she was specifically looking for a “platinum nanny” with experience in caring for premature babies.

But on April 10, the first day the nanny started work, the couple noticed the lack of professionalism. Their repeated attempts to find a replacement through the company failed.

When the father fed the baby in the evening, he noticed that the feeding, which usually took 10 minutes, was now taking over half an hour and the baby was no longer responding.

The desperate parents quickly took the baby to the hospital.

“The doctor told us that our baby had inhaled a significant amount of milk into his lungs and could not be saved,” the mother said.

An autopsy conducted by police confirmed that the baby had died of milk asphyxiation.

Although the parents immediately reported the incident to the police, no charges were filed because it was a civil matter.

Efforts to obtain an explanation and compensation from the company were also unsuccessful.

“The company said it was insured and would only bear 10 to 20 percent of the responsibility,” the mother said.

When Chen Xiaohua, founder and CEO of Tian’e Daojia, learned of the tragedy, he suspected that the baby’s pre-existing health problems due to premature birth may have contributed to the incident.

“The baby suffered from 15 serious illnesses at birth, including ‘neonatal respiratory distress syndrome’. Whether the nanny is guilty of negligent homicide should be clarified by the police investigation and the court verdict,” he said.

On July 15, the company’s customer service representative told Chongqing Daily that they were in contact with the parents and were continuing to work on a solution.

The incident sparked nationwide outrage on the Internet.

“For an eight month pregnant mother, this is truly heartbreaking to read. I can’t imagine how devastated the mother must feel,” one person said.

“Postnatal care should be recognized as a field of study. Only after passing a national examination should postgraduates be allowed to work. This profession is currently well paid and in high demand, so it is necessary to manage it,” said another.