Professor Breastfeeds Baby During Lecture

We’ve written here many times about a mother’s right to feed her baby wherever and whenever, whether it’s in a Target or church. But should there be some common-sense limits? One university professor recently caused a campus controversy when she breastfed her baby while giving a lecture to college students. 

American University professor Adrienne Pine had the misfortune of having a feverish baby and the first class of the semester on the same day. The single mom could not send her baby to daycare and had no one to take care of her, but thought it would be disruptive to students (and put her tenure at risk) if she cancelled class. So she bought her daughter to the classroom, where a teaching assistant looked after her. When the baby cried, Pine briefly nursed her to sleep.

Plus: 15 Products That Make Breastfeeding Easier

You can read Pine’s take on it, and her back and forth with the school newspaper, which she says is blowing it out of proportion and creating a hostile work environment for her, here.

Do you think it’s appropriate to nurse while performing a function of your job – or to bring a sick baby to work with you? How would you have handled the situation? Leave a comment.