BOSTON -- A breast-feeding mother will get to take longer breaks during an upcoming medical exam in order to pump milk, Massachusetts appeals court ruled Wednesday.

NewsCenter 5's Sean Kelly reported that Harvard student Sophie Currier, 33, sued after the National Board of Medical Examiners turned down her request for more time. She fought to get an additional 60-minute break during the nine-hour exam.

"We were thrilled that a male judge understood and recognized from the papers what it means to be a nursing mother," attorney Lauren Steiller Rikleen said.

Currier's law firm, which took the case pro bono, argued that Currier risked loss of milk supply, infection and pain if she received the typical 45-minute break. The board said that it wouldn't be fair to others taking the test.

"The only people who could say, 'She is looking for an advantage here,' is someone who has no understanding of what is involved in expressing milk," Rikleen said.

An appeals court ruled, "in order to put Currier on equal footing as the male and non-lactating female examinees, she must be provided with sufficient time to pump breast milk and to address the same physiological and other functions to which those examinees are able to attend."

Currier is already getting an extra day to take the test because of disabilities including ADD and dyslexia.

"The case is not about Sophie. The case is about the rights of nursing women to be able to have a level playing field in the workforce," Rikleen said.