Woman sues after nursing stranger's baby

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EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 13 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman who says she was given the wrong baby to breastfeed while recovering from childbirth in hospital has filed a lawsuit, court records indicate.

A day after Jennifer Spiegel, 33, gave birth to her son in January 2008, a hospital worker told her "Your baby wants you," and handed her a newborn to nurse, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday.

But it wasn't her son, she says in a negligence lawsuit filed against Evanston Hospital.

A nurse who discovered the mix-up said, 'The baby you're feeding isn't yours,'" Spiegel recalled. "It was just an awful, internal feeling."

Although no one was injured or sickened, Spiegel says the hospital bears responsibility for the mix-up. The suit seeks at least $30,000 in damages, the Sun-Times said.

"And we hope this doesn't happen to anyone else," said Spiegel, a teacher.

A spokeswoman for the hospital had no comment, the newspaper reported.