To think it wasn’t wrong of me to use a parent & child parking space?

[AngeloMysterioso]

At a supermarket today- I didn’t have my DC with me, however I am 6 1/2 months pregnant with DC3 and suffering with what I have come to refer to as “arse daggers” - very painful shooting pains in my glutes that leave me hobbling in a most inelegant manner by the end of the day.
The parking spaces in the car park are very narrow, to the point where I struggle to fit myself and my bump out of the door and it was all getting a bit ridiculous, so today I decided to park in one of the P&C spaces (of which there are many, and I didn’t take the last empty one) so that I wouldn’t have to squeeze out of the door and would have less distance to painfully shuffle into the shop.
Afterwards I was putting my shopping in my car when I was accosted by some absolute cowbag who berated me for taking a P&C space even though I didn’t have a child with me. I pointed out the obvious, bump, mobility problems, plenty of spaces to go round, and she said I still had no right to park there and potentially deprive someone with a child of a space. At this point I decided not to bother engaging and just got in my car and left.

Was I BU?

Our supermarket has 3 pregnancy parking spots right by the door (disabled spots are the other side of the entrance).

Op you're fine, you had your baby with you. You're not waving a pee stick about declaring you can't possibly fit through the door.

I was massive with DS, hydrowhatever they call it. Then I had twins. Totally understand how you'd need the door full wide to haul yourself out.

And at one point your forbearers pounded the washing outside to get it clean using a bar of soap at best. Do you use a washing machine or is your house lit by candles as you warm yourself by your coal fire? It's called PROGRESS.

And it was rather irresponsible of your mother to have you standing in the road.

Slowly . Less chance of a car appearing suddenly

I used P&C spaces between 6-8m pg due to SPD and a huge great bump that rubbed on the steering wheel that required the door fully open to get in and out.

I didn't drive in the last month of pregnancy 1 because I could neither fit behind the steering wheel nor walk around a supermarket any more.

I needed both width and proximity. There was zero chance of getting my bump and pelvis into the car from any other door.

Width and proximity were also helpful in the toddler-wrangling days. Width has been helpful for dyspraxic DS through childhood.

But P&C spaces were of greatest benefit at maintaining some kind of functional existance during pregnancy.

It was very kind of ASDA man to offer me a mobility scooter at 38 weeks of pregnancy 2, but by that point, I was hoping that the intense workout of doing a few supermarket aisles on crutches might hopefully stress my body into initiating labour. Alas there was another week of burning agony without effective pain relief to go, but it was a valid feat of endurance. Running marathons hurt far, far less.

Shit comparison. Fat people can’t hurt their unborn fat by squeezing out of tight spaces.

I think it is fine

She is as definitely being a cowbag, those spaces are a luxury and why anyone would begrudge a pregnant woman using one is beyond me, I thought they were also for you anyway 😂

😂I don't think squeezing out of a car is going to hurt your newborn. Many pregnant women have toddlers running at them at high speed for hugs, lift heavy items, work manual jobs like care etc. Your baby is well protected from your uterus and fluid- we aren't talking car accident trauma.

Even if OP dramatically declares she has to squeeze through the boot / window or even sunroof - I'm sure her and bump will be OK if though she's suffering abit of sciatica

No non-arsehole is going to begrudge someone in your position using a P&C space. Crack on.

Of course squeezing out of a tight space could result in hurting your bump or yourself, especially if you have mobility issues.

Why would you want a pregnant woman to risk causing injury to herself, or her unborn child, when there is an abundance of available parking spaces that enable her to completely avoid that risk?

Of course you can use p & c spaces. They are a marketing tool and a "nice to have". I've had my car bashed so many times in car parks I use p & c spaces when I need to. I usually park as far away as possible from the supermarket so that I can get a space to myself. When not possible - P & c spaces.

The spaces aren't enforceable; they're just a marketing gimmick. Use at will.

Exactly.

And marketed at just one group who may need a wider space for convenience.

That's why it drives me nuts to no end that so many car parks near me put them closer than the disabled bays. Which are a necessity.

That's why I think all cat parks should have wider spaces at the other end as convenience spaces for anyone to use if they need to. They then won't be abused by people using them for convenience when they don't need them. Disabled people can be near when they need to be and everyone can go happily about their lives!

Perfectly reasonable. That woman sounds like she’s got nothing better to do with herself. I’m 39 weeks pregnant and have pelvic pain, needing physio etc and struggle to get out of the car on my own. Been using parent and child bays for months now and it’s been a life saver. I’ve never struggled with mobility in my life and it’s been a humbling experience. If some idiot wanted to give their opinion I would have had plenty to say back to them.

First come first served with P&C. Unenforceable so don’t worry about it.

P&C spaces are not enforceable as far as I'm aware.

This is making me laugh, because theoretically you could have a parent who was 100 & a child in their 80s
There is no age stated on the parent & child spaces

Use the space !

Its a private carpark, you can park wherever you like, parent & child, disabled wherever.

If the landowner isnt happy they can ask* (tell) you to move or give you a parking charge if its clearly advertised as such on the carpark.

Arse daggers are never fun for the recipient, sometimes amusing for witnesses perhaps, park where your concience and needs dictate, its for you and the supermarket or car park company to discuss not some random heifer moaning at you.

Some of the ones local to me state patent and toddler, under 5s and some are under 12's.

I find it amazing that a child who is secondary school age would need to be in a p and c space and yet there's no such courtesy space for someone injured, pregnant or elderly.

Erm excuse me. 😂I'm a blue badge holder and I defo don't think she was wrong to park there. The sign does not say parent and living child/children. She's pregnant, she is carrying her child, furthermore I don't see the need for her to respond to any whingebag moaning about her parking there even though there were spaces. Too many people love poke their nose in things that are not of their concern.

I went to the supermarket today. Waitrose, if you wish to know which. They only have four P&C spaces. I’m nine months pregnant and because there’s only four and because I’m really well, I parked as far as humanly possible away from the shop so I could have space either side of my two-seater, two door car. The area of the car park was totally empty. I came back and my car had not just been flanked (some fucking hopeless drivers seem to only be able to park if they have other cars to use as guides) but they were parked so close I couldn’t actually get in. Total fuckers.

I sat by my car in the sun ripping bits off my French stick to eat, and drinking a coffee until they came back, at which point I casually enquired as to why they’d parked quite so close, as I couldn’t get in and had had to wait for them…. It was a 40-something bloke and a woman. She was so apologetic (because she wasn’t the useless fucking driver) and he wouldn’t look at me. Not at all. 😂 he also knocked my car with his door as he got in. I took a pic of his car as he shot off.

Anyway, point of that stream of consciousness was all the P&C spaces were empty when I arrived and empty when I left, and I wish I’d fucking used one!

Ugh. That sounds miserable for you Hibiscrubbed. Perhaps there sould be notices available to buy like the 'please leave space for my wheelchair' ones that wheelchair-adapted cars have -- "Please leave space for my nine-month bump."

She's expecting DC3, so guessing she knows what to expect.