Mom-to-Be Seeks Breaks to Pump Breast Milk During Illinois Bar Exam

A 27-year-old mother-to-be will be sitting for the Illinois state bar exam in February, a month after her due date. Already licensed to practice law in California, Kristin Pagano knows how stressful and important the bar exam is. And she knows how stressful and important motherhood is, too, particularly for a new mom who’ll be breastfeeding her newborn.

That’s why she asked the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar to stop the test clock so she could take 20-to-30-minute breaks during the two three-hour exam sessions to pump breast milk for her baby, reports Annie Sweeney for the Chicago Tribune.

The board of admissions said “no.”

“It’s discouraging,” Pagano told the Tribune. “Because it forces women in my situation to either put off your career or sit and take this exam and sacrifice your health and comfort.”

A neonatal doctor at Rush University Medical Center said any delay in a new mom’s breast-pumping schedule would be painful.

“If she is not pumping, the mother’s breasts would become engorged with milk, which is very painful and would impact her ability to concentrate,” said Dr. Aloka Patel. “We have to find ways to support these women — it’s important to change the mindset that this is unusual.”

Pagano penned a four-page appeal to the board, calling the decision “impractical, unfair and discriminatory” and a violation of the rights of new mothers.

Regina Kwan Peterson, director of administration for the admissions board, told the Tribune many new mothers have taken the test without stopping the clock to pump breast milk. Usually, breaks that stop the test clock are granted to people with disabilities who have a doctor’s order.

Still, the board will reconsider. Ultimately, if the board again denies Pagano’s request, the north suburban woman says she’ll probably still take the test. She needs to get her Illinois license and get to work.

» more via the Chicago Tribune, including information about the legal issues involved