To child

Should I nursing mom need extra time on her medical exam for pumping breaks.
What do you think?

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Yes, I think they should make accommodations for her. The fact that they have no established way of dealing with this is a holdover from medicine as a male-dominated field. I mean, imagine if women had traditionally made the rules... it would have been recognized long ago that building a little flexibility into the system would allow women to combine work and parenthood.
And the idea that they can't accomodate her because nursing is not a disability is ridiculous. Of course it's not a disability - it's a natural function that is integral to parenthood. The problem is that they are viewing it as "optional" on her part, and that is reflective of societal attitudes that need to change.
I find it very odd, actually, that they are giving her extra time (double, in fact) for dyslexia and ADHD but not for nursing. Personally, I would rather have a nursing mother as a doctor than someone who takes twice as long to read and process information. Why make it easier for someone with a problem that potentially affects job performance but not for someone with an unrelated issue, like having a child?

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Basically she is taking a four hour exam for two days in a row and she has a total of 45 minutes break time.
I'm curious about the experience of other moms who have nursed. To me that sounds plenty adequate. She could nurse the baby, take the first two hours, take a break to pump for 20 minutes, take the last two hours and then nurse her baby. It isn't like this is a full time schedule it is for two days once in her life. I taught a long class two nights a week and was on a schedule very similar to this with a newborn and it worked just fine.

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The problem is that they are viewing it as "optional" on her part, and that is reflective of societal attitudes that need to change.

I find it very odd, actually, that they are giving her extra time (double, in fact) for dyslexia and ADHD but not for nursing. Personally, I would rather have a nursing mother as a doctor than someone who takes twice as long to read and process information. Why make it easier for someone with a problem that potentially affects job performance but not for someone with an unrelated issue, like having a child? ITA with this. Could not have put it any better. (Bolding is mine)

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Basically she is taking a four hour exam for two days in a row and she has a total of 45 minutes break time. Hmm, this quote makes it sound like a full-day exam, not just 4 hours:
Basically she is taking a four hour exam for two days in a row and she has a total of 45 minutes break time.
I'm curious about the experience of other moms who have nursed. To me that sounds plenty adequate. She could nurse the baby, take the first two hours, take a break to pump for 20 minutes, take the last two hours and then nurse her baby. It isn't like this is a full time schedule it is for two days once in her life. I taught a long class two nights a week and was on a schedule very similar to this with a newborn and it worked just fine. That was my understanding of the timeline, too (9 hours, plus breaks, split over 2 days - so 4.5 hours per day with a break of 45 minutes).
For me, that would have been adequate. That's pretty much what I did when I went back to work - nursed at drop-off, worked for 2-2.5 hours, nursed on my lunch break, worked for 2-3 hours, pumped for 30 minutes, worked a couple hours and then nursed at pick-up. (sometimes switching the pumping and lunch break sessions to fit my schedule at work).
If they were asking her to go 9 straight hours, while leaking and being engorged, I'd classify that as "unreasonable" (borderline inhumane). What was described in the article seemed reasonable to me - maybe changing the 45 minute break to an hour, but I don't see the need for a whole extra hour.

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I find it very odd, actually, that they are giving her extra time (double, in fact) for dyslexia and ADHD but not for nursing. Personally, I would rather have a nursing mother as a doctor than someone who takes twice as long to read and process information. Why make it easier for someone with a problem that potentially affects job performance but not for someone with an unrelated issue, like having a child? I agree wholeheartedly. She is already getting special treatment, and just pressing for more.
If it was 9 straight hours, no break, then I could see the problem. But nurse before the exam, then at the break, and after the exam seems plenty to me. All bf moms are different, but surely she can not be engourged after only one or two hours. Her babe is 4 months, not a newborn, so bf should be established by now.

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Eek! This again...there was a thread on this in TAO or News & Current Events a month or two ago that went on and on and on and on, and got very heated.
It's an interesting and important issue, and I'm glad it's still getting talked about. Interesting as well that she's taking it to the next (court) level, and I'll want to see what happens. Still don't think I have the strength to participate in another round, though. :o

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Give me a break.
Women like her do BFing a huge disservice. She's making it appear that BFing (and pumping) is such a colossal project that no nursing mother could possibly perform at the same level as her non-BFing peers.
Thanks a lot, lady.

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Give me a break. Apparently that's all she's asking.

Has it occurred to those of you who are criticizing her, that maybe this mama wants to pave the way for other nursing mothers who might be taking this or another exam? If that is the goal I'd suggest might be better left to someone who hasn't already failed the exam and isn't already getting accommodation of taking the exam over two days. She doesn't seem like the best spokesperson for the cause.
I can't help thinking some of this animosity is related to our knowledge that she's had concessions made for her dyslexia and ADHD.
I say that other information is irrelevant to the case. I have no problem with her getting accommodation for her learning disabilities. I hope that she will be able to find a way to set up a practice that allows her to have extra time to compensate as well (that may be a challenge). I don't think it is irrelevant that she's getting accommodations because that is allowing her to take the exam over two days. If she was supposed to take the exam over one single day eight hour day with a 45 minute break I would agree that may not be possible for a nursing parent of a four month old and she may need a two day schedule but she's already getting that.
I know, that sounds unrelated to this thread. But my point is that we shouldn't assume that just because certain requirements would be easy for US to meet, it's equally easy for all other moms and babies. Is there any amount of break that would be too much? Is there any limit for you or is anything a nursing mom asks for reasonable because she is a nursing mom? Should an employer for example need to allow for breaks every hour for half an hour if that's what she wants?

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well, ok. I admit that it would be totally easy for me to take care of my BFing needs if I sat that exam today, with current rules in place (I have a 3mo).
I dunno, it's just two days... I can't see it as that much of a hardship to comply -- nurse right before the exam, during the breaks as possible, and right after. I make TONS of milk and I don't think I'd explode.

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Basically she is taking a four hour exam for two days in a row and she has a total of 45 minutes break time.
. That sounds good to me, I think that is plenty of time.


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