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?

It's not appropriate OP and completely unfair on other students so I don't believe you have a case to argue.

Argue your case with the university about better facilities for expressing or your rights to transcripts/ audio recording of lectures and you might get somewhere.

Put your determination and energy into campaigning for affordable student childcare.

In the meantime organise childcare for that one day. Childcare facilities take babies from six weeks old or try to pull in favours if it's one day per week term time only and money is tight.
I'm always open mouthed at the people who work from home but visibly have children in the background of teams calls. Another totally inappropriate move.
I appreciate childcare can be expensive but we all had to do it and cut our cloth accordingly.
If you don't get anywhere just accept that you need to take some time out. Like everyone else.

just read this - would a hands free pump work in lectures? I bought one second hand so only £30 (pippeta compact) on eBay and sterilised it. I can pump at our lunchtime meetings - so you may be able to do it in lectures? Hardly anyone even notices Im doing it. Gives a little bit of whirring noise but nothing compared to all the laptops and not as noisy as a baby

Not what you asked but aren't lectures available online and you can catch-up later? If not, ask if they can be recorded.

Even a bit of whimpering or the start of a cry and students hearing a ‘shhhh’ and seeing you jiggle the baby about, is hugely disruptive and disrespectful. It is a learning facility not a crèche or a cafe. I think the poster that said this is ludicrous is on the mark.

Of course that's true - some environments aren't suitable. Construction sites and active war zones for example. But sitting down in a room and taking notes? I see no reason there can't be a quiet, sleeping child there except for some pearl-clutching and internalised misogyny.

I think what is more disruptive is students typing their notes on laptops with all their social media apps open or using ChatGPT instead of trying to think for themselves. Or having an app to do a live transcript of the lecturer speaking rather than listening and doing notes themselves

How is having an app doing a live transcript disruptive?

OP is not entertaining pumping because she does want to do it, not for any other reason.

YABVVU and frankly ridiculous. I would be furious if a lecturer or another student brought in a baby to a lecture it is a huge distraction whether or not the baby makes a noise or not. How utterly selfish!

It's usually around evacuation procedures, insurance, and liability should accidents happen like slips and falls.

All places you've mentioned are open access to all public but university campuses are access to faculty and students which is their intended purpose so that's all their insurance will cover.

Also during routine risk assessments, attendance of minors is not considered so it isn't accounted for.

Adults go before they enter the lecture hall. Unless they have continence issues, you wouldn’t expect an adult to leave to use the toilet. In most lecture halls doing so would be very disruptive as you would have to disturb a row of people to get out and in. Also not all rooms have a door at the back, often you have to leave at the front of the room.

Quite.

Some posters are staggeringly ignorant of the legal and moral obligations universities have. The risks of children on campus is not limited to physical injury from falling or similar. Most HE staff are not DBS checked, it is only a requirement where they are in contact with U18 students which are few and far between. We don’t vet students either, they are meant to declare serious convictions but we know many don’t and those that have them are still
often allowed to study anyway following risk assessments. I have students that carry drugs, bladed articles etc on campus, I get at least ine report a month where a student is arrested for serious offences. We have known sex offenders etc.

Teaching also frequently includes content that is not suitable for children, whether that is language, media etc. We can’t just choose to plough on regardless if there are children present. The safeguarding responsibilities of having U18 present are vast. So we don’t allow them.

The tuition fee doesn’t go far enough as it is. It’s completely ridiculous to expect us to cater for irresponsible parents of either sex who expect to cart their children in to adult settings when there is absolutely no need.

WTF!
There is no way you can take a baby in to lectures, that is insane.

And when the baby isn't quiet?
I expect my students to be actively engaged in my lectures. They need to be able to focus on the topic and contribute to discussions.

It is a potential disruption to other students but also to the OP who is not going to be able to fully focus on the lecture and may need to leave multiple times to attend to a crying baby.

It's not internalised misogyny - there's plenty of that around so there's no need to look for it where it doesn't exist.

I have some direct experience of this - policy at my uni is that you can take babies into teaching to feed as long as you leave if they start to fuss or make any noise. I believe this is only for letting them feed (as this is a legal issue) rather than for the full time. The exceptions are obviously labs, etc. I know someone who took their baby in for a full day but the teacher was fine with it as were the rest of the class.
I'm not sure who has been in a lecture recently but what is frankly more distracting is the endless tap tap tapping of "note taking" (online shopping, social media, checking emails, booking holidays, etc etc), low level chatting, phones going off.

I’m a lecturer and did hear a tale of this happening once with a young student who fell pregnant in final year, didn’t want to defer and the baby was due towards the back end of the year so they did let her bring it to lectures but there weren’t many before the year was over so it was ok.

Lectures are recorded so I would just watch them online in truth. Seminars are only an hour at a time so if you have a relative able to watch the baby for an hour, should be ok without a feed for that time if fed shortly before it?

Indeed. Students popping out to the loo during a one hour lecture slot is an exception. Certainly not the norm.

Reasonable Adjustments ONLY apply to disability.

No - I've said before that I had no desire to do anything like this when my children were newborns that was my choice - OP wants something different, not everyone is the same. But with my first I could have done this from a practical point of view, she was a very placid, very chill, very sleepy baby, - with my second I couldn't, he's very different. I've said that.

Why do you want to know about mat leave?

And when the baby isn't quiet?

Then she leaves. Just like people might leave if they feel unwell.

I think OP can figure out that if the baby is fussing and she's not going to be able to focus or it's causing a distraction she needs to excuse herself. Why do you think she's not capable of that?

It does matter if the lecturer is fine with it, the institution is responsible. That is a bit like saying ‘well the shop assistant was fine with me not paying’.

As for the other students being fine, were they all asked confidentially with it being made clear there would be no repercussions, including social repercussions, if they said ‘no’?

disruptive to learning as many aren’t listening, tap their card for attendance and just do other stuff online. If a reasonable adjustment no problem.

Because she thinks it is ok to bring a baby into ten hours of lectures.

So students with contingency issues shouldn't attend lectures either?

People leave lectures all the time to go to the loo.

Also - why on earth do you think OP would sit herself and her newborn right in the middle of a row of people? Why would she not sit at the end near the door so she can quietly excuse herself. You're trying so hard to make this ridiculous - but really it's not that dramatic.

Do you usually struggle with reading comprehension?

O good, we're both on the same page then re her choosing what she wants. Sorry if you had stated that before as you have written 'again' - didn't see it and as you can appreciate - it's a long thread.

I also agree that with you that some rules/ laws are outdated and need to be challenged. I think the best and most successful way to do this is by appropriate lobbying of involved partners - We all know that things (unless they go viral on social media - a potential option for OP i suppose ) usually take time to change. All the things you've mentioned above - women having paid employment, drive etc have taken time. We're still trying to get pay parity in 2025! This is why so many of us (and OP is now in agreement) have suggested the easiest thing would be for them to agree to recorded/ remote attendance to lectures.

I'm trying to be really fair to OP as i do not know her circumstances and there has been a bit of a pile on here but ultimately she's nearly been pregnant for 9 months and I'm surprised that these conversations are only happening now, weeks from her expected delivery date. Given we are so late in the day, I think it is reasonable to expect some flexibity from OP - for eg hands free pumping that has been suggested whilst baby takes bottles (either expressed or formula) whilst she's away for the day. Another poster has suggested someone be with the baby all day and then either OP can pop out, or what would be more useful is if baby could pop into the lecture theatre for feeding. There is more than one way to skin a cat. This is a complex, nuanced situation which i presume the university has not had to deal with before. It would be great if they could allow some exceptions for this exceptional circumstance, but it would also be great if OP could accept that in this exceptional circumstance, if she really isn't able to have remote lecture and cannot accept deferring, then there are some compromises she may have to make too. I don't think its as simple as black and white - misogyny or feminist.