to think something is wrong with the story about mum being made to stand and breastfeed on the train?

[PAlm5]

Longest title ever? Sorry!

Breastfeeding mum forced to stand on rush hour train www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-45421266

Anyone think this is a little... fishy? I'm 8 months pregnant and am ALWAYS offered a seat. I've also never not been offered a seat when I've had a tiny baby in a sling with me (though that hasn't been for a little while now).

I really, REALLY don't think that on a full carriage that nobody bothered to offer a breast feeding mum a seat?

Maybe I'm naive or people in the Midlands, on extremely jam packed trains are just nicer than elsewhere, but I just can't get my head round this.

Has anyone ever experienced this before?

If you don't ask for a seat you clearly don't need it that badly even if you are 37 weeks pregnant.

I think she has made this story out ok be FAR worse than it is when actually she should've just asked for a blinkin' seat.

But you’ve also said she made the whole story up!

I don’t think it’s dangerous to breastfeed standing up on a train. She should’ve asked for a seat anyway, mind, but the idea that she’s endangered her baby for attention or something (and also invented the whole thing?) is stretching it past the point of reasonable.

I’m based on a commuter line in London. During both of my pregnancies I had people falling over themselves to offer me a seat on the train and tube, ditto when I’ve taken DC in to London. I did notice that she was able to juggle the baby, breastfeeding and a phone for taking a selfie though

On her Instagram post she said it was difficult breast feeding her wriggling and writing 20lb baby whilst standing up on a moving train. If that's not dangerous then I don't know what is.

I think the story is fabricated. Not entirely made up. Just made out to have occurred totally differently.

Anyway. She should've asked for a seat and needs to get over herself a little bit IMHO.

It’s not dangerous to feed a wriggly baby. It’s tricky but she’s honestly not threatened her baby’s life by doing that.

We can agree to disagree but I've been stood in a train a couple times where they've had to stop suddenly, or it's jolted, and I know that if I had a baby in one hand and a mobile phone in another (or if I was even holding on with the other) there would have been a real possibility of injuring myself or falling over.

Then again, my train is old and battered and not one of these lovely new smooth trains!

Surprised we haven’t had anyone popping up on this thread to claim they stood up all the way from Aberdeen to Penzance while eight months pregnant with triplets because they wouldn’t DREAM of being so entitled as to ask for a seat yet. These threads usually get like that

It's so dangerous that she was able to lift off one hand and pose for a selfie.

Haha! I've asked for a seat a couple of times but I'm quite confident. I DO understand that it's not always that easy. But if you aren't going to ask for whatever reason, you can't really complain when not offered.

Had someone offered her a seat that would have ruined her day, no self-promotion opportunities. She needs to time her journeys more carefully. Women have been having babies and breast-feeding since time immemorial, it's only recently that it's become a weapon. You're nothing special!

A weapon?

I live in London and have always been offered a seat when pregnant or assistance with the buggy. Can’t believe all the people saying they haven’t

I commuted in London throughout both pregnancies and never had an issue getting a seat. The only time I did have an issue was when travelling outside of London on local commuter trains. I don't know it's because the baby on board badge doesn't have such recognition outside London, but that's they only time people didn't just spring up and offer me a seat

I'm amazed that this non-story was published. It's self promoting nonsense.

Mummy blogger 🤮🤮🤮🙄

I don’t believe this particular story. But I do sometimes feel irritated, despite being a mum well used to commuting, that people should do what they can to make their journey easier, such as travel earlier when trains are quieter. I sometimes board tubes at the end of the line and will wait on a later tube rather than cram into a tube just as it is leaving in order to get a seat. When a tonne of folks board the train in the last minute I often think that if one was pregnant it would be cheeky to expect a seat, they chose to take the train with no seats left...

I’ve sat on the floor of a GWR train with a Baby on Board badge on and stood on a Piccadilly line train with a crutch and had no offers of a seat - just stares!

Most of the time someone will offer though.

I became sceptical of most of these breastfeeding stories when I was pregnant and reading a post on another forum and a woman said that she actively tries to set up situations such as in stores that she can take to the media and try and 'educate' people about the rights of breastfeeding.

I'm 8 months pregnant and am ALWAYS offered a seat. Good for you. You do understand that is YOUR experience, right? That not everyone has the EXACT experience that you have?

Didn't ask- assumes everyone is watching her breastfeeding (newsflash- most people aren't as fixated on your boobs as you are ) child isn't too wiggly to be able to take a selfie- which shows she's facing no one. I'm sure there are people out there that get comments- I never did. No one I know ever did. No one that knows someone I know ever has. Most of us, with or without kids juts get on with our own bloody life- if you expect others to interact with you- newsflash- interact with them. I am a head down, book up person- because I don't want to interact. An excuse me can I sit here though, I'd aknowledge. You're not important to me. However I can use manners when you identify a need.

I can’t stand people who complain about things like this but admit they did nothing to try and sort it out themselves.

Yes it would be nice if someone noticed and offered a seat, but sometimes you’re going to have the bad luck of hopping on a train at a moment when no one’s paying attention. It happens. IME most people do try and pay attention and move if needed, but occasionally everyone’s just in their own little world for a few minutes. When that happens you need to be a grown-up and ask. It might be a little awkward for some, but if you can plaster it all over social media you can manage asking.

I commuted in from leafy Hampshire while pregnant. One morning when I was about 7 months, I had a seat when a lady got on who was more pregnant than me, and had luggage and a toddler in tow. One of the guys standing by the door called out “ any gentlemen prepared to offer his seat to a pregnant lady”. All the men hid behind their newspapers and in the end I got up and offered her my seat. At which point one of the Times-reading suits finally got up. So much for SW trains.
On the other hand, I was offered a seat every morning on the tube, without fail,
So depending on where she was, yes, I would believe her.

Hmm. When I was pregnant (and very obviously so, I was the size of a house and it basically looked like I was smuggling a beachball, rather than possibly just a bit fat) I used public transport an awful lot and often I was not offered seats despit buses and trains being full. Infact twice, I was asked (actually more demanded..) to move by elderly ladies as apparently the seats at the front are for elderly people only, despite the sign specifically saying pregnant women too! So tat bit I don't think is odd at all.

Of course she should have asked for a seat, I would have if I needed one. Still would actually, I have a physical disability, which again has caused issues with elderly people saying I am clearly just lazy, am young so should not be there, etc hmm]

I have to ask for a seat on my train, as it is a very old train with narrow seats which people get squashed up in, apart from a limited amount of single seats. So I always ask for one of those, explaining that I don’t want to be squashed.
My problem is that I also have chronic pain, so when I am not pregnant I will also want those seats, but I would move if necessary and I wouldn’t ask for one unless I was ready struggling that day.

I was on an overcrowded Train from London home (it was Christmas Eve a few years ago)

A few trains had been cancelled so our train was now so packed no one could move. I had a seat booked and was sat in it. I could see a V heavily pregnant woman but wasn’t close enough to get her attention. Nobody offered her a seat. She was obviously very uncomfortable.

Luckily 10 minutes of so after setting off she came closer to me and to try and sit down in the middle of the isle so I obviously insisted she took my seat (I was 21 and just sad happy watching my YouTube sat on the floor)

But nobody else in 2 carriages worth of people offered her a seat and she was bloody huge (days away from birth I would guess).

Oh and the next station stop was over an hour after setting off. This train was to Scotland 🙈

I don't know abou the validity of the story but DH once used to tell me that when he took the overground train, every day the same pregnant woman would board and he was always the only person who would offer her a seat. Nobody else bothered.