WASHINGTON (CNN/CBS ATLANTA) -
A professor who breast fed her baby in class has sparked a debate at American University in Washington D.C.
The incident happened in a class called "Sex, Gender and Culture."
The professor, Adrienne Pine, said her child was sick and needed to be fed. Pine, a single mom, said she brought her child in to work because it was the first day of class and she didn't want to cancel it.
Students at the university were split on the issue.
"She let us know that she was about to, so I wasn't too surprised," said one of Pine's students, Nia McCarthy. "I think she handled it in the most professional way that she could."
Other students, like Jeff Williams, thought it as inappropriate for Pine to feed her child in front of her students.
"I feel like it was really unprofessional of her, I feel like she should have at least stepped out of the room," Williams said.
While the university doesn't have a policy on breastfeeding, it gives new mothers breaks and a private place to pump breast milk.
Copyright 2012 WGCL-TV. All rights reserved. CNN contributed to this report.
