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

It doesn’t need to be published. It’s common courtesy to use one seat per person.

There were other seats available for her to use. The fact that someone intervened would indicate that she was unreasonable.

But why when there are enough chairs for three seats per person?! Why insist on being less comfortable?

Oh yeah, cut her some slack for continuing to rant and rave at op who already told her she’s not well.

I understand her initial frustration, but she does not need any slack cut for her ongoing behaviour.

I’m pregnant with my 3rd and I’ve just come out of the horrendous nausea phase while having to drag my two others around- doesn’t mean I’ve been abusive to others. As bad as her situation is, it doesn’t absolve us from poor behaviour.

I’m angry for the op and I’m angry at these stupid comments (while somehow not becoming abusive wow).

If you were that unwell you should have been taken to some sort of medical area, agree that nobody would have known you were pregnant or why you were there so just looked like somebody taking up the seats.

You were asleep for 3 hours? What sort of a layover do you have?!

Just to clarity she had 2 kids, not 3.

Not making a point with that just lots of posters are mentioning her '3 young children.'

She had two and they both looked around 9 - 11.

Its 11 hour layover.

And maybe the other woman was lightheaded and nauseated and about to throw up and needed to sit right away?

You really don’t know there were enough for three seats per person if every person tried to take this approach. This seems extremely unlikely based on every European airport I’ve ever been to. Yes she could have used other seats but maybe she was also feeling sick, trying to manage her children and didn’t see them. Taking more than one seat is entitled. Fine to go ahead and do it if not busy but then you need to be prepared to be called out and move quickly if asked.

There used to be unwritten expectations and rules of behaviour on how to conduct yourself in society.

Anyone man-handling me would be told where to go. She could have woken you and asked. You don’t just put your hands on someone’s else’s body like that. Regardless of whether it’s right to take multiple seats or not.

Oh, give over. OP wasn't well and staff told her to lay there. Society hasn't broken down because a pregnant woman rested on a bank of seats at an airport. There were other seats available for travellers.

Well moving a sleeping persons feet isn’t going to get the result you need in that scenario!

So if I’m getting it right from the comments in this thread:

It’s excusable to shout at people and demand their seats if you’re pregnant because you might be tired or overwhelmed, but it’s not ok to lie down on said seats when you’re feeling horrifically nauseous.

Brilliant logic.

Manners are often sorely lacking nowadays. Putting your feet on public seats and taking more than one seat is a sign of a broken society.

Both women were in the wrong.

I’d also like to know if all of the woman’s children had plane seats. As if they didn’t they should be forced to stand or sit in laps in the airport as well as on the plane.

I cannot get over how many people are wilfully ignoring that the OP WAS TOLD TO LIE THERE BY THE PEOPLE PAID TO MANAGE THE CHAIRS. They have more rights to say who used the chairs than anyone else.

Could the woman also have stormed into a closed toilet and demanded to use it because she had more authority than airport staff and she just needed that specific toilet?

How was the woman doing what she was told by the employees of the building doing something wrong?

And one of those unwritten rules is to be accommodating to the needy and those less fortunate or well than us. But compassion seemingly has no place in your society.

I’m going to start using disabled toilets as it should be one toilet per person and how do I know the disabled person needs the toilet more than I do, I don’t want to queue when I’m bursting so why should I.

No they weren't. Only one woman was and she could've sat in the other available seats with her children.

She was taking up more than one seat and putting her feet on a seat. The employees should have taken the OP to first aid.

OP was unwell and needed a place to lie down.

Since when does accommodating the needy mean you become entitled to use more than one seat in public?

Given the style of that person’s posts in general, this would not surprise me..

She should have been taken somewhere else then.