I'm not sure if the custom around here is "law" or just "custom," but I
generally have no problem getting 6 weeks off for my teen patients after
delivery. In IL, if you must miss 2 or more weeks of school you are
entitled to home bound education, in which a teacher comes to the house.
Often, they do nothing more than bring your homework back and forth, but
they do provide a connection with the school and allow most young women to
keep up with their class if they choose. As a physician, I have to sign a
statement that the young lady in question may not attend school due to
medical reasons, which I personally have no trouble doing. I have met
physicians who wouldn't state that a mom needed more time off, though.
On a personal note, I returned to high school 5 1/2 weeks after delivering
my oldest son, in 1988. Getting "permission" to continue breastfeeding was
quite a struggle. I went to a school with closed campus, so was not allowed
to leave for lunch. My daycare provider was not allowed to bring him to me.
At first, the principal decreed that I could only leave at lunch to nurse
him if my parents picked me up (they worked an hour away, however.)
Finally, the school nurse, who had nursed her childen, convinced him that I
would be in physical pain and unable to concentrate if I wasn't allowed time
to breastfeed. (I certainly didn't bother to explain to him about
regulation of milk supply, and let him think this would be a permanent
problem if I didn't go at lunch to nurse my son!) Although I was given
permission to leave at lunch, I wasn't given any extra time other than the
22 minute lunch period. After I came late to physics multiple times, the
teacher pulled me aside and asked what the problem was. When I explained,
he told me his wife nursed their children until they were 2, and told me to
just come to class 10 minutes late every day. I will always be grateful for
those extra 10 minutes a day.
In between classes in the morning, I usually pumped in the girls bathroom
with one of those old cylinder style pumps, and put whatever milk I got in
my backpack to give to the daycare provider at lunch. I also pumped one
side in the morning as my son mostly took one side in the morning, and set
my alarm to pump in the middle of the night to keep up with his needs. I
always had a hard time keeping up with that old pump, and was lucky the baby
rarely drank more than 6 ounces of expressed milk in a day. My daycare
provider luckily treated my milk like liquid gold and was very protective of
my nursing relationship.
Anyway, I have always felt that breastfeeding when I was a teenager strongly
contributed to the kind of mother I am. I try hard to support any teen moms
I am able to come in contact with, but schools are not always very helpful
and certainly don't view breastfeeding as a priority!
Jennifer Tieman
Family Physician
Mom to 3, and new baby #4 expected 5/31/03
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