Mammary Breaks

I had to laugh when I read a a href=”http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2007/09/13/mammary-breaks/” a post by LaShawn Barber /a about a woman who wanted extra time during a medical licensing exam so that she could breast feed her daughter (Hat Tip: a href=”http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/6253-A-few-Saturday-Morning-Links.html”Maggie’s Farm/a). She is now a href=”http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2181884,00.html”suing the board to get the extra time:/abr /br /blockquoteA new mother who wants extra breaks so she can pump milk during a nine-hour medical licensing exam has asked a US judge to settle her dispute with the board that administers the test. br /br /Sophie Currier, 33, requested additional break time during the test, saying that if she does not nurse her four-month-old daughter, Lea, or pump breast milk every two to three hours, she risks medical complications. br /br /The exam allows a total of just 45 minutes in breaks, and the National Board of Medical Examiners has refused to give Currier the extra time she says she needs. br /br /”If we are variable in the time that’s allotted to trainees, we alter the performance of the examination,” board spokesperson Dr Ruth Hoppe said./blockquotebr /I laughed as I read this because when my daughter was less then three weeks old, I had to take my Psychology licensing exam in Nashville, two and a half hours from Knoxville. I had to leave a three week old for a day-and-a half with breast milk in a bottle for relatives to give her while I took a breast pump with me to get rid of the excess milk while on the trip. br /br /I asked the board if I could take the next scheduled test six months later but they said, “no,” and I would not be able to practice with the temporary license they had issued me in the interim. I had to go. It was a mess. I leaked milk all over my shirt and down onto the floor during the exam, but I was determined to finish and figured if they wanted me there just after giving birth, dripping milk was the least of my (and their) problems. But I did it, got no special treatment and ended up doing very well, despite my discomfort. By the time I got out of the exam, I got to the car and pumped milk as I drove two and a half hours back to Knoxville. There is still a truck driver out there somewhere who got a real thrill (or fright) that day. But hey, that’s the breaks.br /br /I never once thought of suing the board, but then, I actually believe in personal responsibility, unlike the woman mentioned in the article above who wants to have children but also wants everyone else to accomodate her in the work world.