Professor slammed for BF during class

[MommyJogger]

If it sounds offensive, I'm sorry and I didn't mean to insinuate that it's not natural and normal. But I think that my description is accurate. The students can't very well leave without offending the person who controls their grade. They could sit there not looking at her, but then they just wasted 50 min feeling awkward and trying not to make it obvious they were averting their eyes and not learning as much as they should. Honestly how I see it is there are a ton of normal and natural things that humans do that are confined to certain times and places. I would not breastfeed while teaching my class, period, and most of the class I teach is hands on, so they wouldn't even need me in the room (I teach for ~25 min and then they do experiments related to what I taught for ~2hours). It's unprofessional, incredibly rude to the students taking the class (many of which might never have been exposed to bf, so it might not be so normal to them), and reflects poorly on the conduct of mothers in academia. Going shopping? NIP. Dining out? NIP. Work a desk job? NIP. Giving a presentation to a small group of people you've worked with for years who share your bf values or are understanding to your situation? NIP. Giving a presentation people paid for that they need to pay attention to and you've never met most of them before? Do not NIP.
I bf in public, too, and no one would know. I've had people glance into my sling to see a baby because they had no clue Joseph was having a snack. Obviously, this woman has not mastered this yet, as the class was fully aware she was bf.

 

[griffinh]

I'd have been annoyed if I was in class and my professor started breastfeeding... her baby shouldnt be there really and im there to learn. having someone at the front of the class bfing when im trying to learn would be distracting, all id be thinking is oh my god im supposed to be learning here!

btw, i have nothing against bfing ladies

 

[Andypanda6570]

I wanted to add also, I don't think the teacher should be "Slammed" or anything like that.

 

[Saphira]

While I'll admit, when I saw the title of this I could see it being awkward in a classroom setting, but given the professor's situation I think she must be quite a dedicated one to bring her newborn to class instead of cancel it. Also given the class is Sex, Gender & Culture I find it especially odd some students reacted appalled. I feel like it's not inappropriate if she had her baby in a sling or at least covered as I can see people becoming uncomfortable if everything was shown while she was teaching. Some students probably didn't know where to look. I'm not the prude type either, I'm honestly not, but I'm trying to see it from both sides. My response is kind of all over the place, sorry! It's hard for me to come to a conclusion with this. I almost feel like regardless if a baby's bottle or breastfed, in that situation it may be best to cancel class.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I'm kinda shocked that people are saying she shouldn't have brought her newborn baby to class. In the US, women are lucky to get six weeks off for maternity leave. That's hardly condusive to building a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby. Women are constantly denied the right to pump at work or denied adequate facilities to pump.

If people say it's distracting, I think they need to look at themselves and ask why something natural is distracting. If she were bottle feeding, would there have been such an uproar?

 

[Andypanda6570]

Babies DO NOT belong at a place of employment, period. I understand like I said she may not have had a choice that day and had to bring her baby, that is understandable and i don't think it is right that women should not be able to pump when they are at work, i am not disagreeing with most of what you said, but for the safety of the child also a baby does NOT belong in the work -place.
6 weeks isn't long at all, but that is the rule here and mothers understand this, I don't have to work and I am very appreciative of that, but women most do have to work and I give them all the credit in the world, but that doesn't mean they should be able to bring their babies to work, I don't understand that. Like I said if a day comes they have no choice then that is a different scenario. What if god/forbid something happened in the classroom and that baby got injured then what, a baby does not belong there so would the school have gotten sued for the baby getting hurt? Especially since there are no safety nets, why aren't there, cause a baby does not belong there. Should a police officer bring her baby to work in a car/seat in the back of her patrol car? I mean we could debate this all day, bottom line I am not offended that she did that, but she would not of had to do that if she did not have the baby with her, she could have easily went after class and fed the baby. We are not talking about women's rights or there right to breast-feed where they like, it is a matter of where a baby should be and not be, I am sorry they should not be in the workforce, I think it is also dangerous for them. JMO

 

[griffinh]

ozzie- if she was bottle feeding a baby, it would STILL be distracting! its not the fact she is breastfeeding but that she brought a baby into the class in the first place.

im sorry, but why do you think its ok for a professor to bring her baby to class??? arent these kids paying thousands for their educations? dont they deserve the undivided attention of the person educating them? yes it is sad that us ladies only get about 6 weeks off, but this professor did CHOOSE to have a child so she would have known about this. yeah i know she couldnt help bring the baby in that day, but i dont need to look at myself in this case. she shouldnt have brought the baby to class.

 

[robinator]

I'm kinda shocked that people are saying she shouldn't have brought her newborn baby to class. In the US, women are lucky to get six weeks off for maternity leave. That's hardly condusive to building a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby. Women are constantly denied the right to pump at work or denied adequate facilities to pump.

If people say it's distracting, I think they need to look at themselves and ask why something natural is distracting. If she were bottle feeding, would there have been such an uproar?

BF vs FF isn't the issue, imo. The fact that she was tending to her baby while teaching a classroom full of students is.

It's also not an issue of NORMAL and NATURAL, as you are insisting - it's a matter of being responsible and using situational judgement.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I refer you again to the congresswoman who brought her baby to work. Seems there would be more of an uproar over that. She is contributing to running the USA after all....

 

[Andypanda6570]

I refer you again to the congresswoman who brought her baby to work. Seems there would be more of an uproar over that. She is contributing to running the USA after all....

I don't think you can control what causes an uproar and what doesn't. I don't care if she was the Queen Mother , it should not have been done. Just cause the teacher is causing more of a uproar than the congresswomen its no difference it is still wrong. What does an uproar of one's job or another one's job have to do with anything?

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I guess I just don't see anything wrong with it. Her newborn needed her. She needed to make a living as a single mother.

 

[Andypanda6570]

I guess I just don't see anything wrong with it. Her newborn needed her. She needed to make a living as a single mother.

I guess we see different stories cause to me one thing has nothing to do with the other, of course she has to make a living what does that have to do with her not leaving the classroom to breast-feed her baby? I just don't see the connection? It's ok we disagree , that is what this forum is about anyway

 

[vintage67]

It's a distraction. Babies shouldn't be in classrooms; breast, bottle or even sleeping the entire hour.

I smell a publicity stunt.

I am not unsympathetic to the plight of a working mother. If you're going to be upset about anyting in this situation, perhaps her university should have some onsight childcare available. It could be ran by students studying child related or nursing fields. That's the real issue. Lack of childcare. You don't have the "right" to do anything, anytime if a baby is involved. I can't stop my car in traffic and climb in back of the van to feed my baby and be upset with the angry mob of motorists behind me that get upset. If my baby needs a diaper change and the restroom is full, I can't just plop on the floor and change a dirty diaper in the middle of a store or restaurant. I can't breast or bottle feed anytime, anyplace at the complete expense of others around me.
I love babies, but come on?

 

[MommyJogger]

I don't get the whole, "she had to make a living" argument. Professors don't get fired for cancelling a class or two- usually no one even notices; I've had many classes cancelled during my time in college. Nor does she get paid per class- she's on salary. So unless cancelling class for her child is something that she makes a frequent habit of doing, it really has no impact on her career to take the day off. (Not even take the day off, just cancel the class and do work in her office where no one would even notice she had her child at work... or just do her work at home. College professors specifically have many great options available to them that most other professions don't, so she really has no excuse whatsoever.

 

[Sarahcake]

To me, its an issue of professionalism rather than the age old, why is breastfeeding looked at as being wrong debate.

I personally dont see it as very professional to have your newborn in your place of work, home life and work life are two entirely separate entities and that's how it should stay IMO. The people she is teaching, have paid a great deal of money for her professional services and they deserve all or nothing from her. I do totally get that sometimes shitty situations arise, but I think she should have cancelled class instead of bought the baby into work with her.

As for the nursing part, there may have been a few there that had never been exposed to seeing that happen before, college students can be immature gits and its all well and good us sitting here as mothers / mothers to be and saying well, its perfectly natural - it is don't get me wrong, but that student will just see 'oh god, does our teacher have that baby on her boob? Where do I look? What do I do in this situation?' And they cant just get up and leave as chances are, the teacher would have taken that personally and who knows how that would have effected that students grades?

The thing is, where do we draw the line? If its ok for this teacher to bring her baby to work then theoretically, a surgeon could have their baby sat in the corner of the operating theater - would you want that distraction whilst they were meant to be focusing on you 100% or people sat at the tills in the local ASDA could be sat there nursing whilst serving you?

This is all said with nothing against breastfeeding at all, I do believe it is completely natural and I do believe a woman should be able to nurse where she wants - but on her own time, doing her own thing. Its unprofessional in my eyes to be doing that at work.

 

[joshiesmum]

Its totally unprofessional of her. she said she had to bring the baby in with her as it was ill..wonder who normally cares for the baby while she works? She must express usually so why couldnt she express that day? I bf so im not against it but theres a time and a place. if i was in the class id hit the roof!! i cant take my baby work if shes pooly...she should of rung in sick!!

 

[Ozzieshunni]

But the students even said, it's not that she had the baby there, it was that she was breastfeeding.

 

[kimini26]

If breastfeeding in the classroom is distracting her students then it is hindering her ability to do her job. It was very unprofessional of her.

 

[MommyJogger]

But the students even said, it's not that she had the baby there, it was that she was breastfeeding.

Women have every right to nurse their child in public- I do it and I support it. But like I said before, there's a time and place. On stage (because you are giving a performance when you're teaching) in front of people you don't know and have never met is not appropriate. Like I said, they were trapped in that room with her-- she very well forced them to sit in the room and either observe her bf or waste their time avoiding looking at her and miss the day's subject matter.
Frankly, I have no problem with a professor having their sick kid at work when daycare won't take them (in the classroom is a different matter). The job is quite conducive to that type of behavior. I would have no problem with another woman breastfeeding during our lab meetings, because we all know each other and feel free to speak up if it bothers us without fear of backlash or recourse (though teasing would be certain). But she was not on equal footing with those students. Not even close. She was their superior and thus they had no safe way of preventing their exposure to something they may not have liked. It's not a crime to dislike watching someone breastfeed, and no one should be coerced into watching it if they don't want to.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

But the students even said, it's not that she had the baby there, it was that she was breastfeeding.

Women have every right to nurse their child in public- I do it and I support it. But like I said before, there's a time and place. On stage (because you are giving a performance when you're teaching) in front of people you don't know and have never met is not appropriate. Like I said, they were trapped in that room with her-- she very well forced them to sit in the room and either observe her bf or waste their time avoiding looking at her and miss the day's subject matter.
Frankly, I have no problem with a professor having their sick kid at work when daycare won't take them (in the classroom is a different matter). The job is quite conducive to that type of behavior. I would have no problem with another woman breastfeeding during our lab meetings, because we all know each other and feel free to speak up if it bothers us without fear of backlash or recourse (though teasing would be certain). But she was not on equal footing with those students. Not even close. She was their superior and thus they had no safe way of preventing their exposure to something they may not have liked. It's not a crime to dislike watching someone breastfeed, and no one should be coerced into watching it if they don't want to.

I'm reminded of something I read. If you say, "I support breastfeeding, but..." are you really supporting it? I'm not quite sure I like your words. Saying the professor coerced them and forced them to watch. It's a little extreme.