To park in mother and baby space when 39 weeks pregnant?

[Zipitydoda]

I had to get into my car via the boot and climbing over 2 rows of seats today as I parked in a normal space and then cars parked too close to me on both sides for me to get my bump in the doors. I couldn't wait for them to come back; could have been all day and I had to collect DC2 from nursery.
Will I be hated if I use mother & baby space if there are no end of row spaces available? Climbing over the seats nearly killed me with braxton hicks but unfortunately didn't bring on labour!

YANBU

sounds entirely reasonable to me :)

yanbu it sounds fine

Well, technically you are a mother with a baby.

YANBU.

Totally reasonable. I have used them for the same reason and I probably will again.

I did this, overdue, in labour on the way to the hospital but went via tesco to pick up lucozade! I got a "passing" comment about not having my baby yet so shouldn't park there...

YANBU btw

Yes, you will unfortunately be hated. There are militant idiots around who don't exercise common sense with these things. If I were you, I would check for end spaces (etc) first, then park in mother and baby. It's not as if you're just doing it because you can't be bothered to walk, you need the extra room.

No not at all - go for it!
What gets us is when someone comes and parks up with a 15 year old kid or no kid at all !!

YANBU but I do remember a newspaper article a few years back about Sainsburys or Tesco giving a woman who did this a ticket! Luckily you don't have to pay on private land :).

Madamolive... Really? That's ridiculous. I don't have a problem with it and wouldn't take issue either if it were a larger person that needed the extra space. I think it's not good to sweat the small stuff... I park as far away as I can anyway... my reversing leaves much to be desired.

Thanks! I should know better as it's the 3rd time I've had to do this! It was a carpark shared by several shops and high street so a message in store was unlikely to help.

Definitely not being unreasonable - in fact I've started to wonder the same thing at 27 weeks due to SPD meaning I have to open the car door wide to manoeuvre (spelling?) myself in & out .

You have your baby with you and, in my humble opinion, need the extra space more than someone with a 6 or 7 year old might .

YABU I mean how many times is a situation like that ever going to happen again? I can honestly say in all my 42yrs it's never happened to me

YANBU - I used to park in the mother and toddler spaces when I was heavily pregnant. Even if you park in the remotest, emptiest part of the car park, some fool will always park so close to your car that you've got no hope of squeezing in.

YANBU - wouldn't bother me in the least

YANBU - wouldn't bother me in the least

LWITW- Yes, was mortified (more likely from being bloody terrified that i was going to give birth so soon!) DH was driving, we both didn't say anything was more focused on getting in and out of tesco without giving birth down the drinks aisile!

Thinking back to it now i wish i did say something or "moaned in agony" and said im in f* labour god dammit.... hey there is always next time

A friend of mine had the same issue, and had to ask a passing stranger to back her car out of the parking place for her. I would be using the space, with a flag on the bump if needed to point out that you have a baby with you at all times!!! Just coz the baby isn't on the outside yet doesn't mean you aren't a parent and child!

Yanbu, but I remember someone did get fined for this, she was way overdue too!

YANBU - I once had to ask a passing stranger to move my car. I didn't offer to climb in via the boot as an option.

"Maybe next time get the shop to announce that the other car owners have to return to their cars so they can move and let you in. You can give them the icy stare of death too, which is always fun"

But not very fair, is it? If those cars were parked within the lines, they weren't to know she was pregnant were they? Its not their fault they make the spaces so narrow. Icy stare of death for parking in a supermarket within the lines? Really?

Different story if they were on the wrong side of the line, however.

YANBU! I used parent and child spaces from about 35 weeks pregnant if there weren't other spaces available. I certainly found it harder to get myself in and out of a car in a tight space while pregnant than I do now with a 6 month old! Anyone who makes comments about it clearly can't have ever been heavily pregnant!

I should have asked a passing stranger; didn't even think of it! But I don't like to be 'needy' or use pregnancy as an excuse for being a bit pathetic even though I am at the moment!

I did once ask a woman in Waitrose with a 12(ish) year old why her son was not sitting in the trolley seat? She looked at me like I was mad and I pointed out that she had just parked in the mother and baby spaces. I had my toddler with me and had not parked in one as he could walk perfectly well and I only had 1 child with me. She apologised and then avoided me round the store..... mad lady alert!