During her first lecture of the semester, American U. professor Adrienne Pine treated students to a visual of her breastfeeding her baby, according to an article in CNN Sunday.

Pine, who was unable to find someone to watch her sick baby that day, decided to bring her to class.

When the baby became fussy, Pine decided to nurse the child in front of the lecture hall full of students.

Stepping outside to breastfeed her daughter would have been “an interruption” for her students, Pine said in an interview with CNN.

But isn’t breastfeeding your child mid-lecture a bigger interruption?

In 2011, several mothers uploaded Facebook photos of themselves breastfeeding, prompting a debate on when and where the act was appropriate. Those in favor of women breastfeeding in public argued that it was a natural act that should not be confined to bathroom stalls.

However, nursing one’s child is a very private act and should take place behind closed doors. On top of that, Pine is a professor and should project a certain air of professionalism.

Nursing your child on the job is unprofessional.

People do not want to see their doctors, attorneys, grocers or co-workers nursing their children. Students do not want to see their professors nursing their children.

Plenty of working mothers have been able to handle that business after their shifts or on breaks. Pine should have waited until class was dismissed to nurse her child.

It will be interesting to see what type of action AU will take against Pine, if any. Student-professor boundaries do exist, and when one party oversteps, the other party can wind up feeling uncomfortable. A breastfeeding professor tends to overstep those boundaries.

Moreover, many students see themselves working under their professors. It would be interesting to see if that relationship prevented many students in Pine’s class from speaking up.