jen24's Blog

9 hour medical exam - you mean like a study exam?

I would say I couldn't sit that long for the exam myself. I must have ADHD - actually it wouldn't surprise me if I do.

I am curious, if they only get 1 45 minute break, what happens to the other people that had to go to the bathroom? Do they get to go to the bathroom? Well, if they don't - I say she shouldn't be able to express her milk - 'cause if they have to hold it then she should too - BUT if it is the other way around.. well, I think you got my point.

Hmmm....I would think that if they gave her the option she would just take it. The guy (don't recall name or position) made it sound like they wouldn't allow anything.

Hmmm.....

I hope for the sake of other nursing moms shes not being stubborn and giving us other nursing moms bad raps.

And yes they only get ONE 45 minute break. YOUCH! I wouldn't last two hours. I think I have a bladder issue. *whew*

Ok, so this is what i would have done.
I would have whipped out that avent hand pump right then and there and gave them the choice of whether or not I leave to do the job

Professional exams are very unforgiving. They do not give you a chance to deviate from their schedule regardless of your circumstances.

I can only sauggest that the mother should have known that this exam was coming up and should have timed her pregnancy at a more approprate time. That is what birth control is for, and, unfortunately, planning and forethought in creating a family is a necessity in today's world. And that is what the exam people will tell you. Not that it is right. But I have also had to deal with professional exams. Asking for special consideration of some sort is probably not going to get you any special consideration at all.

The guy was busy. He had a 3 o'clock tee time. At $1,000 an hour, I would'nt give a break either.
Maybe someone should have had the foresight to think of asking when the procedure was scheduled if there could be an exception made.

I am all for nursing babies, but I also think, rules are rules.

When I was nursing I had my life "on hold" because I had all of my attention on my baby and didn't include myself in anything that was taking myself away from my first priority.

Could be just me, but I would have never signed up for a nine hour test during that time.

Ok, rules are rules, but someone up above made a point. One 45 minute break? So that is when you eat and drink something. Eventually, that drink is going to need to come out. No bathroom breaks?

And as for ibuprofin, sorry, no help at all to that type of pain. Think of it this way. Someone pumps you up with water. You can choose the body part, just make sure it has a way to exit. Then when you feel like you are going to burst, think of what you will say when someone says, no, you may not get up.

I do think that it would be reasonable to have let her stop to pump. Maybe not have the baby there to feed, and if it were an issue of cheating, they could have arranged for someone to be with her for that 20 minutes.

But at the same time, would she have been able to finish the exam if she was taking breaks to pump or nurse?

And, she could have prepared for that by pumping or feeding the baby right before the exam, pumping or feeding the baby during that break, and then immediately after the exam.

That would have her pumping or nursing every three hours. How old is this child?

When i took the ACT, it was four hours. No breaks. We all went to the bathroom just before the exam, we did not drink anything, and believe me, we all headed for the bathroom four hours later when we were allowed to leave the exam room.

When I took another professional exam, it was two and a half hours in the exam room. No breaks. Then I voluntarily took the next exam, which was another two and a half hours. No breaks.

Professional exams are no joke, They test not only your mental capacity, but your body's ability to withstand denial for long periods of time.

These exams are NOT fun.

And I am considering taking yet another battery of professional exams in about six months. Another grueling four hours. No breaks.

So you plan for these exams and you plan WAAAAAAAAAAY ahead. The first mistake this lady made was getting pregnant and having a child while she was planning to have a professional life at the same time.

The proctors of these exams are employees of big and very well paid companies who are under legal mandates to ensure that their tests are absolutely fraud-proof. Allowing one person to take a break when it is not scheduled opens up questions by other test-takers and opens up potential liability claims against the testing companies. So to make everything simpler, you take the test in lock-step with your other test-takers. No exceptions.

My advice to this lady is to wait and take care of your baby now. Test later. It's just easier that way.

I think all "young" women should show their breasts if they want to. But if they do they shouldn't complain about men looking. You can't have it both ways.