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?

Worked out fine with the first. Grades suffered a bit but won't affect the final classification.

I’m a lecturer, and our campus doesn’t allow children due to insurance. A few years ago I had a first year student who unexpectedly fell pregnant - she attended classes until the baby was born, and returned (with childcare in place) very quickly after. She was an absolute legend tbh. There were a few occasions when nursery wouldn’t have the baby in because of illness, and we pretty much smuggled her into classes so the student could complete group work and I would essentially mind her then - but I would have been in serious trouble if I had been caught! The student got a first - again, she was a total star.

I took my first baby to university lectures, and into the library. He never cried - I stuck him on my breast as soon as I thought he was getting unsettled.

The only issue was one occasion when he very audibly filled his nappy. The students around me all laughed and the lecturer heard the laughter but didn't know what had happened.

But generally I had no issues - he was a gorgeous, chilled, smiley baby.

I thought I had the whole parenting while studying thing nailed, but DC2 was a living nightmare. There was no way I could ever take her into a lecture.

Have your employers agreed that you can take your baby on your KIT days? Is 10 KIT days going to be enough taking into consideration assessment submission days (which apprentices usually get 7.5 hours for) and all university theory days? Please consider that any breaks of over 4 weeks will automatically trigger a break in learning.
If you have your employer's support, arrange a tripartite meeting with them and your PT to unpick the issues. Although, I have supported apprentices for many years and have never seen this happen (not saying it isn't possible but seems unlikely given all of the apprenticeship funding rules and rules on campus regarding minors).

Yes, I have, both as a student at one university and to work at another.

At the one i attended, there was a strict no phones/ no laptop rule unless they were required for labs/ tutorials. People used pen and paper or dictaphones to take or record notes.

And there was, fairly obviously, a strict no animals or babies rule as well.

Most lectures are posted online now. So no need to take the baby in.

You are being incredibly entitled.Other people may not like your baby there and they are as important as you.I know people get pregnant accidentally but it really is unfair of some women to think that they can just impose their will on others.As a mother do you think you deserve more? My ex colleague who does have a son joined the Tate Members club only to find the whole place like a creche.Yes childcare should be better and the uni should have a creche. Fight for that.

I was interested enough to spend a few minutes googling and the policies I could find for the universities in my city (in Scotland) all specifically say babies cannot be in lectures. My building has a room set up for pumping but you aren’t meant to have children in the building (there are lectures happening all day). I don’t think it’s a thing here.

Not attending in person would be ideal. It was refused last time so I assume it will be refused again, but I will be asking.
She's two and a half, so no, not that long ago. Of course this one may be difficult and then I will need to rely on childcare and pumping but that will be very difficult. If she's similar to my last, bringing her to lectures will be much easier for me and probably less disruptive than all the chatting/YouTube videos/leaving early that already happens.
I will sit near the door, she'll be in a sling/carrier/carry cot and when she cries I'll step outside.

You will have consented to be recorded at some stage.

Yes it is enough. Yes it is agreed. I'm not on maternity leave for very long and I can miss a couple of classes.

One of my friends took her rabbit to a lecture once and it sat on her lap. She wasn't allowed a pet in the student halls and needed to avoid the cleaner finding out that she had it.

I have no idea how that relates to this, but I remember being deeply perplexed by it at the time. I had enough to deal with just taking lecture notes.

Yabu. The other students are paying alot to go to uni. If you lucky you might get a good baby but if not it be hell and it's not far on fellow students and lecturers. Can you talk to your lecturers re doing your course online.

Just read your update that recordings or attending online would be ideal @Nimnuan - you actually have a really strong case for that as the university don't have a 'health and safety' or 'insurance' get out. If equipment is an issue you can ask what they would do for a disabled student who couldn't attend lectures - they might have something else like a note taker. I would definitely have a tripartite meeting as @LumpySpaceCow says to register your concerns as your employer would want to know. This document about students' rights under equality law may be useful - and as PP have said the student union should be able to help as well. Best of luck with your studies and your little one!

You genuinely won't learn anything if you take a newborn to a lecture. You won't be able to concentrate, if you're breastfeeding it can be extremely tricky, baby might fuss or cry, need nappy changing - and they feed constantly at that age. You'll be sleep deprived. You can't take notes while trying to latch a baby on. All your focus will be on your baby, so not only will you disturb other students but you'll be wasting your own time and you won't be absorbing the lectures. You put your own studies in jeapardy here.
It's completely inappropriate. YABU.
Just delay the course, or find childcare.

Thank you, that looks really useful. I will have a read through!

KIT days are paid days - for work. While you are inactive a Uni setting, this is a proxy for your job and so assumption is you have childcare as you would for work.

I’ve read your responses. What you are doing is not in the best interests of your child, especially if 2/3 weeks old.

Yep, sitting still wasn't an option with mine. I either had to be continously walking, bouncing or at the very minimum - standing. She also didn't like sleep and still doesn't. No way could I have attended a lecture with her, I tried to sit through a church service with her for an hour once when she was newborn and it was a disaster! I spent the whole time in and out of the room until I gave up to avoid annoying everyone else. I imagine a lecture will have the same results and won't be fair on anyone

I just don’t think it’s an equality issue to be honest.

If it were, is the flip side then that everyone bring babies with them? That’s not feasible in any course.

There may be some reasonable adjustments but you’re not disabled in any way. The equality act will cover nursing mothers but not the detriment of an institutional policy. If you’d can’t bring your baby you can’t bring your baby and it is not discrimination or anything like it to say that. There are options for leave/childcare etc and I know you don’t want to take them but that’s all you will be faced with I feel in raising this issue.

You’re not the first person to have a baby through uni but you’re the only person I’ve ever heard of consider this. In normal hours it would even be totally unreasonable but the hours you’re planning on? Where is the stimulation for a baby in that day?

What will you do if they have an upset stomach & dirty their nappy 5 times, leave everytime? Then they’re fussing & you have to leave too?

It’s doable in some sort of dream land but this is bonkers.

From gov.uk:
Employees can work up to 10 days during their maternity or adoption leave. These days are called ‘keeping in touch days’. Keeping in touch days are optional - both the employee and employer need to agree to them.

The type of work and pay employees get should be agreed before they come into work.

We have agreed. I'll be working 10 KIT days, and I'll be getting maternity pay.

What a horrible thing to say. There is no need to be so unkind and rude.

Of course youo can't take a newborn to lectures. You dont make the rules.

Okay so there’s your angle then.

Reply to their email turning down your request for your baby being in your lectures and accept their position and ask for online access given they have turned down your in-person request.

Ultimately attending online is beneficial for a number of reasons - it supports the university’s insistence that your baby can’t be in lectures so presumably their insurance limitations or whatever concerns they had; it saves you the high cost of childcare; it also saves you the hefty drive. Spending a few hours each day driving there and back, is obviously time you can use to study especially as you’re juggling a newborn. You’ll have much more energy and will find it easier to engage.

Mine was the same! He never seemed to want to sleep and he was very colicky.

It does depend on the baby. If she's difficult, then it's plan B and it's just going to be a really miserable few months for me.