Should Moms Get Extra Time To Pump During Tests?
September 27, 2007
You probably think I would say Sophie should absolutely get extra accommodation to take the medical exam boards and be able to pump milk for her 4-month old daughter.
I received an accommodation myself when I took the bar exam because I was pumping milk, so I can definitely relate to Sophie’s need.
I don’t recall getting extra time; I did get to take the test in my own little glass room with a partition I could go behind to express milk whenever I wanted.
And, let me tell you, half the battle on the bar exam is handling the stress caused by being in a massive room with hundreds of other stressed out people.
I had my own quiet glass cage.
Frankly, I’m still a bit up in the air about Sophie’s accommodation. She had already received accommodations for dyslexia and ADHA … is it possible she could have pumped and tested without the extra break? Maybe.
I’ll decide before Friday when I’m going to be on The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet. Find your local station and time here.
Nevertheless, here’s the lesson Sophie has for me.
Be clear about what you want and need, and don’t be ashamed to ask for it! If you need extra time on a test, ask for it. If you need a hug from your spouse, ask for it. If you need time for yourself, ask for it.
Now, get on over to my blog, and tell me what you think.
© 2007 Alexis Martin Neely
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Alexis, you know me. I’m a die-hard lactivist. Yet Sophie’s story made me pause. I wondered, “Is she asking too much? She’s already receiving accommodations for attention and learning difficulties. Is she hurting our efforts to gain public acceptance for breastfeeding and legislative protections for pumping in the workplace?”
Yet when I heard she won the case, I was relieved and pleased for her victory. To me, it comes down to this: remove the word “breastfeeding,” apply another medical condition (like glucose monitoring and insulin injections for diabetes) and it would be a no-brainer. The stigma attached to breastfeeding is what made this story national news. It goes to show that people still don’t know the basics about breastfeeding (that at four months, the mother is still developing the balance between her supply and baby’s nutritional needs). It also reveals that breastfeeding is still such a controversial issue that it polarizes people every time the issue comes up.
I don’t think it’s fair to place a “value meter” on each breastfeeding case, as people do with the issue of “discreet nursing.” Sophie’s need to pump her milk is a completely separate issue from her other accommodations. I hope you go on the show to say as much.
Good luck! I hope it goes better than the O’Reilly show did.
I just want to say, as a breastfeeding mother I understand the discomfort that can come from not being able to pump when needed. I was a working mother for my third child and had to pump on my 15 minute break. Sometimes it did get uncomfortable, but it is what I had to do. Even though I am a breast feeding mother I do not think that she should get any extra consideration for pumping. There are people there that are taking this test with physical disabilities that do not have a choice. They did not choose to have the physical problems that they have yet they have to follow the rules. She choose to to go through this process and have children during it. I am not at all saying that Women cannot follow a career and have children but if they choose to do so, then they should not ask for special consideration.