Should I stick to my guns?

[threelittlebabies]

Am due back in work in September. Job requires me to complete a professional qualification over 2 years- did one year and will have been off for a year, intending to restart in Sept.
Prob is the course is running Mon 6-9pm. Not only will I have been at work all day and not seen the children, but dd is still breastfeeding and will be needing her bedtime feed any time between 6.30-8pm. I have mentioned this to the course tutor, who said in a class of adults we all have committments but have to decide what is more important! Well obviously to me it is feeding dd, and I feel she implied that my priority should be the course.
I have suggested completing it by tutorial on a one to one basis, as I have known [childless] colleagues do this in the past for lesser reasons- simply that the course would be too much for them on top of workload. However, they are not being forthcoming with this option for me. Does anyone know what the law is wrt breastfeeding mothers? Don't know if I am the one expecting too much and should just give in.
btw I am unable to express, or would do so
TIA for opinions

The HSE recommends that best practice wrt breast feeding mothers is that they are given somewhere to feed/ express milk (feeding is obviously not always an option!) and somewhere to safely store it e.g. you should not be expected to express in the toilets if you were expressing - my understanding this was not a legal requiremnet but best practice and generally it would be frowned oupon if it wasn't followed.

Someone who is breastfeeding should advise their employers and they in turn are expected to carry out a risk assessment and make adjustments where necessary and possible (these would normally be wrt exposure to chemicals/ dangerous materials etc). It does seem reasonable if other employees have been able to take a different method of study that this be available to you, I wouldn't wait for the offer to be forthcoming but raise the question directly and explain that this would allow you to continue to breastfeed. It sounds like a conversation with your supervisor/ HR rather than the course tutor in this case - although just to add I was in a similar situation when I was pregnant and my tutors were great, extra time in exams, different study methods rather than whole weekends and late night sessions, so it can work - honest

ooh have been out all day and had forgotten about this! That's great advice misseagull, thanks very much!

You're right- I should start naming names and suggesting I can do the same. Tutor wasn't all that helpful, but when I spoke to HR and mentioned the words "Equal Opportunities" they got their Equality and Diversity man right onto it! Don't really like playing that card, but it's very important to me not to have to give up breastfeeding.

Good luck and keep going with the breastfeeding. It really annoys me when other people try and get you to stop feedign which sound like what the tutor wanted to get you to do.