Bringing a newborn to university lectures

[Nimnuan]

I'm on a part-time university course (apprenticeship) and expecting a baby in the next few weeks. I'm not intending to take a break as any break would mean a year's delay. All classes this year my baby will be under 26 weeks old and breastfeeding.
I want to bring her to lectures with me because arranging childcare and expressing breastmilk will be much more difficult at such a young age and given the university's atrocious arrangements for expressing. Obviously if she cries or is disruptive I'll have to step out into the hallway.
I've just been told that I'm not allowed to bring my newborn to lectures because it would be a "contravention of rules and regulations". I've asked to be told which rules and regulations but haven't heard back yet.
Can you give me any advice about how to argue my case?

She then said this in response to a later comment: 3 months realistically. I said 26 weeks because I found a policy for another university (Wrexham) that allows babies in lectures until that age. Thought it might be significant

Accessing the lectures online would be a reasonable adjustment that could be made in the situation perhaps?

There is not requirement here to make “reasonable adjustment” as OP is talking about a baby not a disability.

That’s what I thought, the rules are the rules for an understandable reason, the OP seem to think she is being discriminated against

Definitely depends on the baby. Both of mine would have been fine, they didn't cry if held and a boob in the mouth. I took them to all sorts of places and they never made a peep.

I did 12 weeks of therapy and took dc2 to each session and she woke up on the last session and the therapist said "oh, I was beginning to think she was one of those reborn dolls".

That’s bizarre. I’d have complained about the dog for sure.

Did you have ten hour long therapy sessions?

TBF if this works out I'm probably going to have to leave early and stop halfway so it'll be more like 2x 45 minute drives each way with a half hour break in between.

Thanks. @Nimnuan what's the plan once the baby is three months?

That’s a nightmare op. It’s madness to be thinking of doing this. Honestly.

want year are you? Can’t you defer for a year?

There is no case that you can argue. Health and Safety, individual policies of the university and the department, insurance liabilities plus the chance of being sued by other students for the disruption to their education means you have no case in law.

Why not enquire whether your university has a crèche? Otherwise, you will need to pause your course for a term and/or find childcare.

Just incase you haven’t factored it in, that is a very long time to keep a newborn in a car seat. Ideally, I’d stop after 45mins to check their position, breathing and give them an opportunity to move around. Sorry that doesn’t help your main problem.

Some students and lecturers are allowed dogs as a reasonable adjustment for a disability.

@Nimnuan I have sent you a private message.

You think it's backward not allowing newborns to stuffed under desks! It's no longer seen as fair to others in the office to bring kids in! You also need risk assessments in this day and age! It hinders emergency evacuations if mothers are waddling along managing a baby in a car seat and all the gubbins you have to bring in! It's not backwards, it's sensible!

From my personal experience, I would take the year break. Sleep deprivation is hard and you can just about function to do the basics, let alone studying for lectures. Also if you're breastfeeding I would be mindful of cluster feeding. For a few days it felt like all my newborn did was feed and was constantly latched on. Also sometimes newborns just want to be held and rocked.
I think it will be very difficult for you to do both. All babies are different of course. You need to be kind to yourself in those first few months and keeping on top of uni work should be the last on your priority list.

There is no argument for your case. Your demands are narcissistic and entitled and wholly disrespectful to everyone else's learning experience.

Yes.

Second.

Something needs to give. Your options, assuming you are not allowed to take your newborn into lectures, are postpone for a period of time, persuade them to allow you to view lectures online (I’d be amazed if they couldn’t accommodate this), mixed feed so baby can have formula on the day you’re at Uni or bottle feed from the off.

That's pretty shitty, that's definitely a reasonable adjustment. They deprived you of your education. Get advice and support on that from the SU and other bodies mentioned on this thread for this time.

Not sure a baby all day at uni is fair for you or your course mates, sorry.

You can pump in lectures. You'll need a proper cool bag system and schedule for dropping off milk to the fridge in the pumping room when you can. You can make the pumping work for you.

But I'm not sure you can carry on this year and may want to consider deferring. I'm not convinced using your KIT days is strictly within guidelines, but I only skim read that bit. Policy is an awful thing to mess your degree up over, so please be sure.

Whatever you want to do, get people who can advocate for you in place now while you have time/the energy. And investigate and use the university's policy on maternity and equality to any advantage.

In arms, sling/baby carrier, and pram/carrycot. Car seat while driving.

No, for the many reasons previous posters have said this is wholly impractical, and will not be allowed for the university. They almost certainly can enforce it as well unfortunately. I would reconsider your argument, perhaps to request that lectures are videotaped and made available to you, along with other course materials, as maternity is a protected characteristic. Realistically a year off is quite sensible given the circumstances. Welcome to motherhood, it is full of sacrifices and missed opportunities in the name of raising happy little children.

There is no valid argument because it’s not a reasonable adjustment. A reasonable adjustment would be to provide you with a suitable place to express and that is what you should argue for.

I took a year out from uni when I had my baby & went back when he was 6 months.

just a thought.

Can the babies dad not take the maternity and you express? Some places are ok for babies/kids and university is one of them. People aren’t paying £9000 a year to be disturbed by a baby in a lecture.