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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Sitting in a maternity waiting room stinking of smoke

94 replies

Climbingahoneytree · 18/03/2019 16:01

AIBU to think that you shouldn't sit in a maternity waiting room full of pregnant people stinking of smoke? The person I'm thinking about was a man there with his partner.

I know it isn't the same as smoking next to everybody but would you not bring a change of jumper etc if you knew you had to sit next to a load of pregnant people?

I was there today for a test and was asked to wait in the waiting room for 2 hours and do limited movement - other than toilet trips or to get water. Fortunately he wasn't there for as long otherwise it would have driven me mad!

Am I just being petty?
Personally I don't think I'd go in to any area of the hospital stinking of smoke, but that's just me.

OP posts:
winsinbin · 18/03/2019 16:55

The smell is vile and makes me retch but even I think you are being unreasonable. Someone being smelly is mum-peasant but not dangerous. I would have moved away or clutched a tissue to my nose like a Victorian lady having a fainting fit.

snowball28 · 18/03/2019 16:57

@former

That’s not what I said though is it? So hardly a stretch, when I didn’t even say that . .

I was highlighting the risks of passive smoking based on the knowledge I have and that’s the best example I had as I’ve literally had it explained to me by my midwife a week ago.

Never mentioned OP in utero baby.

theycallmebabydriver · 18/03/2019 17:00

You may be being precious but you get a free pass to hate everyone when having you're doing a GTT. I was ready to poke people's eyes out just for existing near me when I did mine!

SherlockSays · 18/03/2019 17:01

@snowball28 but he wasn't around a newborn baby was he?

unfortunateevents · 18/03/2019 17:02

It's not a nice smell but there would be absolutely no point him bringing a different jumper. Unless he bought the jumper new and it had never been anywhere near him previously it would also have smelled of smoke. Both DHs parents smoked for years and EVERYTHING in their house and car stank of it. When they died we had to get rid of everything because it was all destroyed.

Original poster
Climbingahoneytree · 18/03/2019 17:03

You may be being precious but you get a free pass to hate everyone when having you're doing a GTT. I was ready to poke people's eyes out just for existing near me when I did mine!

Haha I must admit there were a few moments whilst waiting where I found myself getting particularly wound up (somebody leaning back like they fancied a nap and resting their head against mine....although I think that would be annoying under any circumstance)

OP posts:
snowball28 · 18/03/2019 17:03

@sherlock

Read the thread.

Spiderbaby13 · 18/03/2019 17:05

YABU for saying Pregnant People....

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 18/03/2019 17:05

I'm with you on the smell OP, it makes me ill, but honestly, pregnant people?

Alsbals · 18/03/2019 17:05

I hate this as well tbh. I had a midwife appointment this morning and it was the expectant mum who was sitting next to me stinking of smoke

Original poster
Climbingahoneytree · 18/03/2019 17:06

YABU for saying Pregnant People....

What?

OP posts:
Original poster
Climbingahoneytree · 18/03/2019 17:08

Am I missing something? What is wrong with saying pregnant people? Unless you would like to be nit picky and rather me say pregnant women?
In this day and age there are pregnant individuals who do not identify as female, so let's not open a can of worms, shall we?

OP posts:
AndItStillSaidFourOfTwo · 18/03/2019 17:08

Smoke - unlike garlic, perfume etc. - isn't just a smell. This is what a lot of people seem to miss. Yes, the risk from sitting next to someone with smoke particles on their clothes is probably very low, but that several times a day, several days a week, for weeks, perhaps becomes no longer negilgible. We still minimise smoking far too much. Things are likely to look very different in our children's generation (I hope).

PippilottaLongstocking · 18/03/2019 17:14

YABU for saying Pregnant People

Are women not people now?

Poloshot · 18/03/2019 17:16

Not being unreasonable but smokers generally are rude cunts so I'm not surprised.

Drogosnextwife · 18/03/2019 17:24

Are women not people now?

"People" implies that anyone can give birth to a child.

OP do you expect people to carry around a change of clothes for everytime they have a cigarette? There is no risk to you and your baby.

Kescilly · 18/03/2019 17:25

I think a lot of people simply don't realize the effect they might have on others. Sitting next to a smoker now sets off my asthma. They'd probably thinking I was coughing to be rude, but it's not something I can control.

I recently had my second GTT and this would have made me miserable. The test was delayed nearly an hour, so I was sitting there for about three hours. On top of this I've had multiple respiratory infections and couldn't have a single cough drop or cough medicine because of the GTT. I don't think anyone else would know about my circumstances though, or perhaps even realize how much they smell.

I do make sure not to wear perfume when I go in. I haven't had nausea myself but I know how badly it can affect others.

Excited101 · 18/03/2019 17:27

It’s disgusting, I’d feel the same as you op. Not really with regards to the foetal health but in terms of it being nasty to breathe in for long periods of time, I can’t stand it!

PippilottaLongstocking · 18/03/2019 17:40

"People" implies that anyone can give birth to a child.

I think you’re reading a little too much into it

lboogy · 18/03/2019 17:46

Yanbu, I hate smoking and the smell of cigarettes on people's clothes. He's going to hold his child and let the child breath in smoke which climbs to his clothes. He's a selfish dickhead

SnuggyBuggy · 18/03/2019 17:49

I agree that the term is pregnant women by definition surely

gamerchick · 18/03/2019 17:54

The smell is vile and makes me retch but even I think you are being unreasonable. Someone being smelly is mum-peasant

I need to know where you've used mum-peasant in a sentence now Grin

Am I missing something? What is wrong with saying pregnant people? Unless you would like to be nit picky and rather me say pregnant women?
In this day and age there are pregnant individuals who do not identify as female, so let's not open a can of worms, shall we

Now this should be an extra tasty smoking thread Grin

Only woman get pregnant.

Jerri907 · 18/03/2019 17:55

Smokers are a selfish breed! As long as they've had their fags bugger anyone else!

Original poster
Climbingahoneytree · 18/03/2019 17:56

*Now this should be an extra tasty smoking thread

Only woman get pregnant.*

I agree completely but amazed anyone would pull me up on saying people in the original post.

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 18/03/2019 18:00

If it wasn't for all the gender fluid crap these days people probably wouldn't have noticed the term pregnant people

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