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?

Reasonable adjustments are for disability.

The university does have to make accomodations for pregnant and breastfeeding students and staff but they do already provide a room to express.

The OP could argue that it is too far away and request somewhere closer as the distance puts her at a disadvantage compared to her peers, and she could argue for online sessions, the university can also suggest she defer without it having any negative impact on her engagement.

You could get a breast pump. It’s unreasonable for you to be breastfeeding when you should be concentrating on lectures.

Reasonable adjustments only apply to disabilities I thought?

Is this for real? I'd be pissed if I paid money for college and had to sit in a lecture with someones new born??? When you decide to have a child one thing that is your responsibility is child care. Be considerate of others.

I don't agree you should be allowed a newborn in lectures. It's disruptive to the other students. If you bring your baby in it leaves others to bring their toddlers, dogs and it would be a free for all.

Yep, that's what BC was invented for!

It's not a workplace or surgery it's a university. She's willing to feed her baby in the passage. A reasonable solution is to give her a chair just outside the door where she can still hear the Teaching

@Bongani but she is technically at work as is going in on her KIT day. The course is a requirement of her work. And it isn’t the feeding that is the problem, it is taking her baby into a lecture for the whole day

How will she hear through a door? Or is door propped open,next to her chair.
her exit and reentry are distracting disturbance

You obviously had a really easy time with your first baby.
But you don't know yet what this one will be like - every baby is different.
I'm not even answering the original question (sorry). If your baby is going to be awake much of the time or there are "colic" issues, (God forbid!) - you will be in for a shock. I don't wish that on anyone. You will be too exhausted to go, never mind the crying baby.
Wish you well

Op asked for suggestions to help her resolve her problem. Why not offer something positive instead of criticising mine?

What positive suggestions would you offer?

Positive suggestion? Don't disturb or distract the lecture or other students
Find a realistic solution that doesn’t involve sneaking a baby into a lecture theatre
Don’t presume you can sit on a chair adjacent to lecture hall, settle a baby and hear lecture and maintain adequate learning

Quote "Can you give me any advice about how to argue my case?" unquote

Previous job was in a university, and my current job is in clinical training.

There should be a breastfeeding policy @Nimnuan so I'd advise asking for it. Yes, there is a duty to accommodate breastfeeding mothers via reasonable adjustments. Usually, that means the ability to express and/or feed in private, take breaks to feed, and store milk. Students can bring their babies to campus to make feeding more convenient. However, if baby is not in university childcare, this means baby stays with the other parent, a family caregiver or paid childminder while the student goes into classes, but is nearby so they can feed during breaks, or step out of class if the other caregiver lets the student know baby needs feeding.

It doesn't extend to bringing a baby into scheduled teaching sessions, because that would not meet the definition of "reasonable" due to the potential impact on other students' learning. It is not discrimination against a breastfeeding mother as long as the provisions described above to accommodate feeding and storage are in place.

If you feel you can't be away from your baby while you attend university teaching sessions, then the only option open to you is deferring your studies until your child is a bit older and either weaned or no longer breastfeeding on demand, so they can stay with another caregiver for longer periods of time between feeds to allow you to attend your course.

I will say, in my previous university job, we had a student who thought they could get away with bringing a baby in. They didn't. They were sent home straight away and advised that a repeat would be a disciplinary issue. It's not fair on a baby either to be sat in a lecture theatre most of the day.

That would potentially be disallowed due to fire doors.

But if she cries she’s caused a distraction but then OP will cause even more of a distraction getting up and getting all her stuff to leave. And then wanting to come back in.

Lectures are going to be a full day so baby will definitely cry at some point.

Also is it acceptable for a baby to be scrunched up in a sling and car seat for a full day?

it’s also disrespectful to the lecturer - OP can’t give undivided attention throughout the lecture - she would either ignore the lecturer or ignore her baby at different points

Fire doors will mean she can’t hear a lecture! If she can hear through the door then the students would be able to hear her and her baby which would be unacceptable.

Plus if she’s dealing with her baby she can’t be concentrating on the lecture or interacting during the lecture - lectures these days require student interaction.

University is an alternative to working so it’s a valid point that you wouldn’t take your baby to work so why would you take it to lectures? Her work is paying for her course so she should treat it as work - they’re also paying her to be there

If someone asked for advice on how to cheat would you give it ?
Or would you point out it is a bad idea as people are doing in this situation.

If she can still hear the teaching, the other students can still hear the screaming. I have autism and ADHD and this would completely ruin my chances of concentrating. Incidentally, those are disabilities, for which the term "reasonable adjustments", which so many are banding about here, was actually coined.

do you honestly think a new born baby should be ferried around for the length of time the OP has stated? She would have to leave the house at around 6.30am to get to uni for 9am as she’d need stops on the way to give baby a break and to feed. Then the baby would be stuck in a pram or strapped to OP for 3 x 3hour lectures. Finally they’d repeat the morning journey and return home around 9pm. The Op would be driving very lengthy distances after what’s likely to be a sleepless night with a new born that’s EBF. In what world is that a great way to look after a tiny baby??? We’re not talking here about one 60 minute lecture a day…

What the OP is planning to do is a massive safeguarding issue. A reasonable adjustment would be to ensure there were suitable facilities for pumping, or breastfeeding if the baby is looked after off site and brought to the OP between lectures. Yes, babies tend to need to feed in demand, but they don’t need to be breastfed. Mixed or bottle fed are options that are perfectly acceptable. Another reasonable adjustment would be to allow the OP to access the course online or leave and return to the course next year. Reasonable adjustments cannot take precedence over the needs of everyone else attending the lectures if they cause a significant detriment to those people. They too will be having to attend 3 x 3hour lectures in a day which is pretty intensive. Any or all of those lectures could be disrupted by a crying baby. Just because a baby is small and can be carried it doesn’t mean it’s not going to create a disturbance. Otherwise women would be taking their babies into work left right and centre.
The Op isn’t paying for her course, it’s an apprenticeship.

Defer

She won’t hear much sat outside the door. Nor will she be able to see the slides or black/whiteboard.

I have extensive experience of lurking outside lecture rooms.

She needs to suspend her studies. That’s what the policy is for.