Airport chairs and angry pregnant women

[Champagneponies]

I'm at a major European airport for a changeover. I'm 8 weeks pregnant and have been having constant nausea and some lightheadedness.

Came off my plane a few hours ago and was feeling really really awful and thought I'd faint. Some airport staff showed me through the airport into the gates, were really lovely and put me on some airport chairs and told me to lie across them with my feet up. The staff were so helpful, remained with me for ages and eventually when I kept insisting I was fine, told me to stay there for as long as needed and to make sure I eat etc.

That was about three hours ago. I've had a good nap and I've just woken up to a woman with two children, and she was pulling my legs off the chairs and talking to me in another language. I looked around and there were free chairs across the room and (still kind of in a blur) asked what she was doing. She said she needed the three seats next to me for her and her children. I said I'm really sorry but I'm pregnant and have been feeling unwell, and that I actually haven't been upright for a few hours. I was starting to slowly gather myself and sitting up, honestly the nausea was HORRENDOUS and I constantly feel on the edge of vomiting. And the woman comes out with 'Im pregnant too and need a seat, god not everyone has to be so dramatic about it!'

I wasn't refusing to move btw, I was just awoken in a fog and stirring myself upright while feeling awful.

She looked livid and started huffing, tutting and ranting in another language at me.

Then someone nearby actually intervened and pointed out there were other seats (for three people) just a short distance away, so she walked away still ranting in another language.

So I laid back down and spent the next 10 minutes with her children running back and forth between us and jumping on my seats and shouting. She seemed full of rage that I dare be laid in the seats and didn't immediately jump up when she was literally lifting me out of her way.

I've removed myself, had a cry as I feel awful and full of hormones and am now trying to eat something. But the more I think about it, the more I'm so so angry at her.

I was literally put there and told to lay down by airport staff, and it's quite normal to see people sleeping at the airport. The space wasn't crowded and there were plenty of available seats in the area. I was polite and said sorry and was literally trying to move.

Not sure if I'm flooded with hormones but it feel she's totally unreasonable.

YABU - she's being reasonable and I should have moved quickly

YANBU - she shouldn't have moved my legs and could have given me some grace

She wasn't to know you were Ill so she probably thought you were being inconsiderate by talking all the seats
I think your hormones are getting to you on top of feeling shit. Don't give it any more headspace and enjoy your holiday :)

She’s horrible. Don’t mind her

Airports are full of people on the living edge. And we all know what's happening to us but not what's happening to the other person. Travelling pregnant and alone with 3 kids sounds atrocious (and is obvious) whereas you looked from the outside like a completely normal person, totally well, who was hogging seats. Once someone is angry, it's really hard to deescalate very quickly.

I am really sorry that happened. It's awful. But it is a stressful situation and everyone is having a horrible day.

She's not a mind reader and it did look rude. Cut her some slack it's stressful travelling pregnant and with two lively children.

Airport and pregnant, travelling with 3 kids sounds absolutely horrendous.

Poor woman, probably just wanted the first seats she saw. Looking for others whilst watching 3 kids in a busy space wouldn't have been a priority.

Tell yourself you won’t be bothered about this rude arsehole of a woman by tomorrow. A decent night’s sleep will remove it from your head. Focus on the nice person who intervened meanwhile.

Tomorrow this will all be gone from your head.

You don’t lay your hands on people. You use the other available seats.

You were both having a shit day.

You slept for three hours laid across airport chairs? Really?!

If a stranger had touched my legs whilst I was asleep they’d be looking for a dentist, I’d have kicked out instinctively.

I'd have told her to fuck off and die and turned over for a bit more of a snooze

I mean she doesn’t know does she and you probably just looked like an inconsiderate person spread across seats that others could use. If you had been sleeping for 3 hours you have no idea how busy or not the seating was during that time

I mean, if I was being really judgmental and cynically trying to see the worst in people, I’d say that you probably need to woman up a bit. (“Spoonful of cement” as my old boss used to say - ie harden the fuck up!) 3 hours is a bloody long time to be napping at a gate, and if there was a genuine medical need, then the caring staff should have found you somewhere more suitable.

Equally, she sounds either unhinged or exceptionally unpleasant. And at 8 weeks pregnant, I would have been tempted to vomit on her. Airports really are the seventh circle of hell for everyone, though.

If any consolation I got screeched at by a Danish man at the airport last week. I saw a queue of men and sailed past them with DC, looking for the ladies loo. Well the loos were unisex, and that was the queue, and he loudly berated me despite my genuine apology!

(I was quite pleased in a way because I’ve never met a Danish arsehole before - they’re usually ridiculously lovely, even at airports!)

At 8/40 nobody would know you were pregnant... so you probably just looked like an entitled person taking up chairs.

There were other seats available.

Why is it always the cunts in this world who replicate themselves an anti social number of times.

I suppose the answer is in the q.

It's an awful pity you didn't vomit on her feet.

People seem to be getting ruder and ruder. But maybe every generation has said that.

Danish people are the rudest people in Europe, I would say, and probably top five in the world.

Really? I find them nauseatingly pleasant and adorable (until toilet guy!) Parisians, on the other hand…. 🙄

What?! I've found the polar opposite. I'm just back from Denmark within the past few days and every single person was a delight. They are super polite.

As for the OP, the woman is not a mind-reader. She could have looked about for other seats but maybe she was also feeling absolutely awful. I'll be honest if I saw someone stretched out asleep across 3 seats I would assume they were a bit of an a-hole.

Just try to forget about it. Hopefully you and she both have a better day today.

Hah I was going to mention French and Belgians (the most impolite, impatient and surly people I've ever experienced) but thought that was a bit rude 😂

I don't know why people are saying she was struggling with travelling with children whilst pregnant as if that excuses her behaviour. It doesn't. She should not have touched you, nor raised her voice at you. She was rude and entitled and I don't blame you for feeling angry and upset. Hope you start feeling better soon.

Lying across multiply seat anywhere in
public is selfish behaviour. One seat per person.

Yes, if spaces are limited. No, if multiple other seats remain available. And whichever is the case, putting your hands on anyone is unacceptable.

I think it was completely inappropriate for airport staff to lay you across seats in the waiting area. The lady was rude, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that other passengers might want to sit down and would be likely to disturb you to ask you to move.

Either you were ill enough to be put somewhere more private and comfortable, or you were well enough to sit up. Telling someone to spread across (uncomfortable!) seats is unfair and asking for trouble.

I think it’s selfish all the time. No one needs to take up more than one seat.