86 replies to this topic

[china cat]

Is it OK for a college professor to breast-feed during lecture?

By Lela Davidson
Adrienne Pine, a professor at American University, recently breast-fed her infant daughter during the first lecture of a “Sex, Gender and Culture” class. Afterwards, Pine was “shocked and annoyed” that her breast-feeding was considered newsworthy by the school newspaper. When student reporter Heather Mongilio initially requested Pine’s comments, Pine explained her situation, and then dismissed the matter in an email.
“…the baby got hungry, so I had to feed it during the lecture. End of story.”
Of course, it’s not the end of the story. The email transcripts,excerpted by Jim Romeneskothis week, come from Pine’s own defense onCounter Punch, where she explains how she reacted when Mongilio continued to question her after the next class session.
“I slapped my palm on my forehead in frustration. What I wanted to say was ‘Who cares? Do university students really need to be so mollycoddled that they should not see something I do on public transportation nearly every day?’”
With all due respect to Pine, I am shocked and annoyed that she failed to realize why breast-feeding on the job might have sparked the curiosity of the student body.
We do a lot of things on public transportation that we wouldn’t do on the job. I, for example, like to read my Kindle and write the occasional bad poem. Other people talk to themselves and clip their toenails. Maybe this should not be the standard.
Sick baby, big day at work—decisions, decisions
Breast-feeding a baby while giving a lecture is odd, but it’s not out of line under the circumstances. The baby was sick. Pine couldn’t get alternative childcare. We’ve all been there. I can almost feel the knot in my stomach just remembering those days.
Pine had to be stressed, stating that her other option (cancelling class) could have negatively affected her chances for tenure. She had to feel that familiar working mother conflict of serving neither her child nor her job well, while being compelled to do both at the same time. She described speeding through the lecture while her baby ambled around, once putting a paper clip in her mouth, and another time getting too close to an electrical outlet.
“The end of class came none too soon, and I was happy to be able to take the bus home and put my sad baby in bed where she belonged,” Pinewrote on Counter Punch.
Before Pine decided to feed her daughter, the teaching assistant held her. Why didn’t she just sit with the baby nearby and let the TA teach the class? (We have asked American University officials to comment on the matter and are awaiting their response.)
This is not about breast-feeding in public
Pine whipped it out in public, but she didn’t do it on a park bench or at the library.She breast-fed while she was performing a public function of her job. It was no more appropriate to breast-feed her child than it would have been to change the baby’sdiaper(or potty train her) in front of the class. What if the breast-feeding hadn’t soothed the child? Would she have delivered her lecture to the tune of "Rockabye Baby"? What if the baby were a sick, hungry 5-year-old? Would Pine have brought the contagious little cherub to work and had a pizza delivered?
This is not about breast-feeding. It’s a matter of professionalism. And, yes, sometimes we all have to make very difficult choices between our families and our jobs. The truth is Pine’s daughter could have waited until after class to eat. Had she not been ill, she would have been in childcare during class, presumably either being bottle-fed or not eating.
I want to be on Pine’s side, and it wouldn’t have taken much to win me over. A simple acknowledgment at the outset of class that yes, breast-feeding a baby while delivering a lecture is a bit out of the ordinary, but, hey, I’m a mother—deal with it, followed by gentler treatment of the student reporter.
At the very least, a “don’t tweet this” was in order. If it were me, I’d have begged the students to treat any glimpse of breast with a generous application of Photoshop.

[August West]

i dont think so! By the time you become a college prof you should have been weaned from your mothers breast.

[KittyRocks]

ok i am for the right to be able to breast feed in almost every situation.... but this one i do find a tad odd.... i means she was at work.... in her office would have been ok.

[TheDHJ]

Who fucking cares? If you're offended by breast feeding in college then you have no hope. The whole breast feeding debate is a farce.

[TakeAStepBack]

It's perfectly acceptable for me. As long as I can be extended the privilege to fart and scratch my balls during the class.

[MeOmYo]

This is not about breast-feeding. It’s a matter of professionalism.

I agree. My guess is that students weren't really paying attention to what she was saying during the feeding.

[jnjn]

perhaps the students paying for the class might care. whether or not she was breast feeding is not the issue at all...she was obviously distracted from doing her job properly. i can't imagine how a professor could give a lecture while trying to keep an eye on their small child the entire time. it's unprofessional & she should have called in a substitute...fuck her tenure.

[Ginger Snap]

I had Abby during spring break in college and brought her for the next 5 weeks to classes with me so I could nurse. Babies mostly sleep during that period, and since she was my second baby I was certainly a pro at nursing without anyone even knowing I was doing it. But I cleared it by my professors and all of my classmates because, well, I didn't want to get in trouble for causing a disturbance. I know, right? I basically I stopped bringing her when she started to become distracting and wanted to play instead of sleep. I can imagine it was pretty distracting to the class for the professor to be nursing. I don't know- it's not like this was a routine thing- that she brought the baby everyday to work- there were extenuating circumstances. Ultimately I think as a society we often give a lot of lip service to "family comes first" but often in practice don''t actually support it.

[Ginger Snap]

On the question of professionalism, I think the idea that we as parents, mothers or fathers, are supposed to pretend that our family lives don't sometimes conflict with our work life, or that we are not serious about our career if we allow the two to cross and somehow that makes us "less professional" doesn't really help us. This is true for men as well as women as modern men are taking much more active role in parenting.

[Julius]

only if she has nice tits

[TEO]

She must be a single parent.

[KittyRocks]

one of my instructors brought a foster baby to class. i found even that distracting. that said i get easily distracted.

i wouldnt see anything wrong w a student doing this, like ginger snap however. i wasnt paying ginger snap to teach me. as long as she quietly left the room should the baby cause a fuss, which i imagine she would.

[Ginger Snap]

She must be a single parent.

Maybe, but I was married when I brought my baby to class. I realize there's a difference and I wasn't teaching the class.

Also, I brought her specifically to feed her, not because she sick.

[melissaphish]

How long could the lecture have been? Could she not have waited to feed the kid? Or pre-pumped and had her TA give the baby a bottle?

[TEO]

Unable to pump?

[Tim the Beek]

I don't have a problem with the notion in general. She might, IMO, have asked the class if there were any objections though, I think.

[TEO]

Perhaps as a society we should be less uptight overall?

[KittyRocks]

Perhaps as a society we should be less uptight overall?

when it comes to breast feeding, 99.99% of the time i would agree with you... but idk this just seems different. its not about me not wanting to see her boob or caring about anyone breast feeding in public... its about me wanting my professors to do their job, which is teach me - i just think this would distract me. i am easily distracted but still....

[KittyRocks]

i was surprised the other night when a male friend of mine who happens to be a server complained about how on occasion he has had a customer breast feed at the table and while giving her order and such. he has a two year old and he is a HUGE proponent of his wife breast feeding and even has talked it up when he found out i was pregnant, so id think he would be more tolerant. so ya, i mostly do agree with you teo.

[TEO]

Pretty sure a person could lecture and breastfeed at the same time without negatively impacting the quality of the lecture.

[china cat]

I have no strong feelings either way - seems she could have planned a bit better (feed before or after class). Was she "wrong?" no. A tad inappropriate? me thinks yes.

I did notice a bunch of misspellings in the article though - are there no editors?

[KittyRocks]

Pretty sure a person could lecture and breastfeed at the same time without negatively impacting the quality of the lecture.

maybe you are right, i really dont know. im usually so for the right to breast feed so even i am questioning myself on this one.

[KittyRocks]

this is random but i once had a class where the guy directly in front of me would open his laptop as though he were taking notes then spend the entire time playing games. i know it sounds lame but i never heard a word the teacher said.... all i could do was follow his little game with my eyes. i mean the game was totally boring and i had no interest in it but for some reason i could not tune it out.

[Ravn]

Unable to pump?

I put out TONS of milk,,,when my babies nurse (Tegan's birth weight was 8#5oz and on her 4 month birthday she was 13#5oz),,when I pump, I'm lucky to get even an ounce out of each side. It's really just not the same.

[TheDHJ]

I'm a current student and though my work is online, I've been to brick and mortar schools and I could care less. As the dad of four kids I know there's not much mom can't do with a child in her arms. My redhead might just be wonder woman... Go ahead and breast feed its not like she's committing a sex act.

[TakeAStepBack]

I agree, Josh. Though i think a scratch and fart should also just go by the wayside too.

[August West]

Perhaps as a society we should be less uptight overall?

ya think? could be

[TheDHJ]

I agree, Josh. Though i think a scratch and fart should also just go by the wayside too.

What??

[jnjn]

am i the only one that caught this part of the article?

"She described speeding through the lecture while her baby ambled around, once putting a paper clip in her mouth, and another time getting too close to an electrical outlet."

we're not talking about a one month old that slept most of the time...sounds to me that the child was a distraction

[TEO]

am i the only one that caught this part of the article?

"She described speeding through the lecture while her baby ambled around, once putting a paper clip in her mouth, and another time getting too close to an electrical outlet."

we're not talking about a one month old that slept most of the time...sounds to me that the child was a distraction

I skipped over such. Changes view somewhat.

[jnjn]

I skipped over such. Changes view somewhat.

just a bit

[cdrhead]

I think it's weird that she can bring her baby to work. If that is ok, then baby things are ok.

[mug]

Weird no, just the opposite, quite natural in fact.
Unprofessonal- absolutely yes. Not so much for the breast feeding, but by bringing a sick kid into the classroom. Her response to the reporters left a lot to be desired- she brought the crititism to herself.

[PeaceFrog]

doesn't seem fair unless there was enough for the entire class.

[Java Time]

there are times when a bottle is the best option....even a formula. sick baby ain't gonna die cuz it missed a tit feeding...again a prime example of us not being responsible with our rights

lady you stuck your tit out during class...why would you think it not discussion worthy?

stupid whore

[TakeAStepBack]

I'm just going to work from now on without pants. Unprofessional? Yes. But dang gan it, I need a better breeze for the boys!

[TakeAStepBack]

And the twig. The twig n the berries!

[TEO]

[Ginger Snap]

there are times when a bottle is the best option....even a formula. sick baby ain't gonna die cuz it missed a tit feeding...again a prime example of us not being responsible with our rights

Neither of my children would even take a bottle. I tried, especially with the second one. They both weened straight to the cup.Just saying.

[TakeAStepBack]

Show us your tatas or nans.

[Java Time]

Neither of my children would even take a bottle. I tried, especially with the second one. They both weened straight to the cup.Just saying.

perhaps if you weren't so quick with the tit there wouldn't have been an issue...just saying



















just kidding

[Ginger Snap]

Show us your tatas or nans.

You don't want to see that, you could drive a truck through my stretchmarks.

[August West]

You don't want to see that, you could drive a truck through my stretchmarks.

you must have missed my psa in the cassady thread

[August West]

public service announcement

[Ginger Snap]

There's nothing that a topical cream will do when you go from 120 to 160 in 9 months and then go from 160 to 184 in the next 15 months.

[In A Silent Way]

Well, yes. Is she working or taking care of a sick kid? My bosses sure as fuck never let me do both.

[TakeAStepBack]

[Java Time]

Well, yes. Is she working or taking care of a sick kid? My bosses sure as fuck never let me do both.

oh yeah...another good point.

tenure over the welfare of a child and the health of everyone in her class...nice lady


we are talin' ' bout a chick right?

[In A Silent Way]

we are talin' ' bout a chick right?

Probably. It's not Berkeley.

[KittyRocks]

Go ahead and breast feed its not like she's committing a sex act.

idk i dont feel like its in anyway a sex act but i do think it might distract from her lecture. i have serious distraction issues and im sure im not the only one. sometimes something as little as someone sharpening a pencil or something you are supposed to do in class can take my mind away for minutes... so im not sure about this.