to park in parent and child spaces at 7 months pregnant

[wombleprincess]

cos i cant get in and out of my car easily now. got told off the other day..

Nappyaddict- if they are the size of a 7 month pregnant woman, maybe they need to think about diet and exercise?!

(Dons flame retardant gear and steps back!)

people with joint problems can't easily exercise.

people with diabetes/thyroid problems often have weight problems.

women who have hysterectomies often put on weight.

if you've got 1, 2 or even all 3 of these problems chances are you are going to be big.

it's not always down to crap diet and laziness.

wombleprincess I did the same thing last week when I was 36 weeks. I felt nauseous but we needed some stuff so I wanted to get in and out quickly. It seemed an ethical act but I did feel a little self conscious. But a woman who looks like she might vomit at any moment usually doesn't get messed with!

As I found though being a lard arse and pregnant, my lardy stomach can be squished between the car door and the frame but my pregnant belly couldn't be. So no YANBU. I definitely needed the extra space to get out of the car.

eyeballs - do you find when not pregnant you can get the baby seat in and out of the car ok in a non m&t space?

"these spaces are for women with children, not selfish cows who cant be bothered to walk" were her exact words .... and yes, it was a 4x4... need i say more?

I have to say that yes I think 7 months is a bit pushing it to be parking in a P&C space (I could understand last couple of weeks) .. if you can walk round the supermarket you can walk from the back of the car park where they put the bigger spaces (in some) and there's generally more space

but I really can't get too bothered about it for in the scheme of things .. it's not really that important

On other threads people keep suggesting parking further away where there are lots of spaces so you have room to get out of the car - when the carpark is pretty full that doesn't work. On Saturday I tried doing that but came back to my car to find someone had parked about 8 inches from the drivers side door. Luckily there was enough space on the other side to get in and squirm my pregnant body into the driver's seat. But it made me think that as I get bigger I will probably be using the parent and child spaces.

Being pregnant you need them more than someone with e.g. one three year old. I often take a toddler (my DN) shopping and until now have never even considered using the parent and child spaces. He doesn't need the door opened that wide to get in and out.

Why does having a 4x4 have anything to do with it or are you just applying sweeping stereotypes??

Squiffy - as far as yuppie 4x4s go, the stereotypes are generally accurate. The kind of person who is not too bothered about the extra risk they pose to pedestrians and other road users is usually not the most considerate when it comes to driving or parking.

I admit that am feeling sore about them because a nob in one with tinted windows illegally cut in front of me yesterday forcing me to do an emergency stop But it is a real shame that so many parents buy these things and so they are more likely to be used when little ones are about.

But some of us live in inaccessible areas which couldn't be reached in winter without a 4x4. (And, actually, I really don't want a people carrier)

With no other group can you get away with 'stereotypes are generally accurate'. Maybe if you live in town things are different but I know lots of 4x4 drivers and none fit the description 'The kind of person who is not too bothered about the extra risk they pose to pedestrians and other road users is usually not the most considerate when it comes to driving or parking.'

Squiffy - that is why I specifically said "yuppie 4x4s", which you clearly don't drive. I mean the sparkling clean ones with tinted windows that are only driven in cities and don't seem to have indicators fitted.

You could probably also make fairly accurate generalisations about the sort of person who chooses to drive, say, a toyota prius or a modified car like this. When you choose to spend a lot of money on a motor you are usually making a statement of some sort.

I don't want to argue with you Upwind. All I'm saying is that I hate being judged like that - I do have tinted windows and (on the rare occasion) when I drive into London, I do worry that everyone is thinking like you, especially as I don't live there so remembering the way to go is hard enough.
I'm planning on getting an Audi Q7 next year - I'll just have to make sure I never wash it

YANBU. When I was 8 months pregnant someone parked so close to me I couldn't get in the drivers side and couldn't clamber over the passenger seat because my bump was so huge. I had to go and get the security guard to put out an annoucement by which time I was very, very teary.

Squiffy - who cares what random people in London think?

Go for it, I wouldn't hold it against you but I do when someone blocks the space with their 19 yr olds in the car!