When did you start wearing your baby on board badge?

[sophied1983]

Sx

I don't. The only time I've felt bad for not wearing one (fairly regular commuter into Liverpool Street and central line and 4 pregnancies) was a few weeks ago when I was in a fatty seat and another preggo appeared. I had my bag on my lap so she couldn't see I was duffed and I noticed her giving me evils for not offering a seat.

Generally I find the badges irritating for a whole host of reasons. And i get the whole us she/isn't she issue but it doesn't overcome my dislike of them sufficiently to wear one

Take your own advice, faire.

I get the Tube everyday and was actually physically shoved out of the way but some impatient idiot the other morning, so am hoping it might help avoid unpleasant situations like that. I get the Northern Line and Victoria Line which are both quite hellish. Every little helps and all that.

What I didn't ask for was all the judging comments, so errr... thanks for those you cheerful lot!

Suzie I was thinking the same. Unless everyone wears them, how would anyone know whether or not others are pregnant. Or indeed whether any of the men had medical reasons for needing a seat

I really don't see the issue. TFL started providing them, free of charge, so that pregnant commuters could wear them if they so wish. This was after a woman sadly lost her baby after being shoved and fell over on a moving tube.

If you want to wear it (which I do) wear it, if you don't, don't! It's really that simple. They wouldn't provide them if they didn't see a valid use for them.

Wear the badge when you feel comfortable to do so OP :)

Have a lovely Sunday folks!

I think you misread my post title. It doesn't say 'what do you think of baby on board badges?'.

Some people have confidence issues speaking up, especially on the Underground where 80% of the people act like assholes (a bit like MN, then).

If you want to start lobbying TfL to create a "Disabled" badge, go for it. Personally I welcome an initiative that may help some women who struggle to speak up, or shame people who feel they need "proof" of pregnancy in order to give up a seat. Since you can feel ill and faint and tired from very early on in pregnancy, the size of your stomach is not enough (plus there's the whole "fat or pregnant?" issue). As I said, they exist to help pregnant women get a seat because they feel ill due to pregnancy, not because TfL think all pregnant women need to exist in a safety bubble.

You have my sympathy, OP. I get the Northern Line most days too and it can be truly horrible in rush hour. Some people seem to lose all concept of basic manners when on the tube and don't even think twice before shoving people out of their way. I saw one idiot nearly knock someone down the stairs at Bank the other day for no other reason than they were rushing to get on a train and obviously couldn't wait two minutes for the next one!

I do notice the badge helps a bit - eg most people will step back to allow you a bit more space to get off a train - so I'd start wearing one now if you're not already.

And ignore the judgey comments! Travelling on the tube while pregnant can be horrible so if the badge helps even a tiny bit then I'm all in favour of it.

So if a pregnant woman is sitting down but not wearing a bade and another pregnant woman stands next to her with three badges hanging off her, how is that going to make the woman sitting down feel, especially if she stuggles to speak up?

Surely she will feel shamed.

Wear it if it makes you feel safer though OP.

Faire, TfL offer the badges for good reasons as others have said. I don't think you can really hold those who choose to wear a badge responsible for how pregnant women who choose not to wear them feel. It's up to each individual to weigh up the pros and cons of wearing one for themselves and make the decision that works for them.

I only go into London occasionally but when I do I wear the badge. I do it in the hope I get bashed about less. I think they're great and it would give me the confidence to help ask for a seat if I felt I needed it. Great for London buses too. I'm a secondary teacher and when I'm walking along narrow busy corridors full of excitable teenagers I sort of put my arms up a bit ready to deflect off my stomach. I'm rhesus negative so just a bit more aware I guess. It's just sensible to do whatever helps you.

You can wear one from whenever you like op but if you don't want colleagues to know it's tricky.

I think some of the people on this thread haven't commuted on the tube before!

I commuted a long length of the central line in my first pregnancy and used my badge from about 7 weeks when I started feeling rough. Sometimes towards the end I didn't wear it because it was more comfy to stand up as he engaged.

I never had a problem getting a seat, I would walk through the seats and hold on to the middle pole and people were pretty quick to notice when I started to show.

I do think the central line is pretty friendly though!

People seem to get a bit irate about these badges, I'd just ignore it from my tube seat and wear it when you like.

When I was about 18 weeks with dc2 I had a terrible bleed and had to travel into London by train a few days later and could have kicked myself for not having it with me. The train was boiling hot and absolutely rammed and a seat would have been great.

So the woman sitting down, who struggles to speak up and would therefore be better off wearing a badge, isn't, so therefore feels shamed? Seems like she should wear the badge then. What a great idea, these badges!

Stop talking nonsense.

14 weeks - after fainting on the Northern line on the way to work and then being laughed at by the morbidly obese cow who was clogging up the priority seat. Blood pressure has been low since the start of my 2nd trimester and standing for long periods of time makes me really dizzy.

I wore one from 7ish weeks - keeping it in my pocket most of the time but putting it on in rush hour.

I found it made bob-all difference to getting offered a seat but made people much more sympathetic whenever I had to get off and vom. Otherwise people would just tut a lot.

I've generally found that everyone gives up their seat when asked but when the tube is rammed it sometimes takes a few stops before you can even squeeze in near a seat.

But not everyone wants to wear a badge darth or they might have fogotten it.

I was just responding to your statement above: Personally I welcome an initiative that may help some women who struggle to speak up, or shame people who feel they need "proof" of pregnancy in order to give up a seat.

Many people have very valid reasons for not giving up a seat and I personally don't feel they should have to wear a badge in order to avoid being shamed into sitting down when a labelled pregnant woman is standing.

Knits I do agree that they might help with pushing, barging, etc. but do people really notice the badges under those circumstances or are they too busy pushing their way through?

Wow I'm glad I have no need to ever go to London I am so shocked that people need a badge to get a seat when they are pregnant/feeling unwell. Where I live there are priority seat and if you where to ask someone to move they would if not there would be an uproar. I am so shocked this even exists.

Many people have very valid reasons for not giving up a seat and I personally don't feel they should have to wear a badge in order to avoid being shamed into sitting down when a labelled pregnant woman is standing.

Have no idea what you're waffling about. I'm talking about a pregnant woman asking a man for a seat, and he thinks "fuck that, I have a penis, I'm superior to you", so he ignores her or starts berating her about how she doesn't look pregnant so why should he gives up his seat? In some cases, the badge can give the woman the proof / verification / psychological back up she needs to ask / insist he move. (I use this scenario as it's happened to pregnant friends of mine in London on several occasions.)

If it bothers you so much, don't wear one. End of story. What do you think you're contributing to this thread? Trying to shame women into not wearing the badge because you don't agree with the idea of it? Very helpful.

Faire, I agree with you that generally the people barging into others don't even notice the badge. However some do notice which to me makes it worth wearing the badge.

Also, my experience has been that if I'm getting really squashed on the tube often someone other than the person squashing me will notice my badge and try to allow me to move away from the rude barging person. I've even had other people who are standing ask if I'd like a seat and then ask people to move so I can get through to the area with seats and ask someone for a seat.

So the badge definitely doesn't make travelling by tube ideal, and you do still encounter horrible people who don't care about pushing a pregnant woman out of their way. However, in my experience it can make it a little bit easier and safer so I think it's worth having.

What I'm 'waffling' about darth is that a man might have a hidden disability that he does not want to declare to the world with a badge.

But it would also mean that he had a valid reason for not giving up his seat rather than "fuck that, I have a penis, I'm superior to you".

Likewise other women might also be pregnant or have a hidden disability which would be a valid reason to not give up a seat.

Is that clear enough for you?

I wore it from around 19 weeks, as that was when I started to feel like I might need to sit. If I'd had morning sickness or hip pain or whatever earlier I'd have worn it then.

I don't travel at rush hour very much so I don't wear it very often. I started wearing it at about 28 weeks but I carry very small and bearly had a bump till then anyway. I found they do work (you get offered a seat) but always felt a bit of a twat when wearing it.

I live in the countryside and never heard of the badge, but last week I was travelling in London at rush hour are found it terrifying. I felt like I might get stampeded at Kings Cross and on the escalators. I felt so vulnerable with the bump. I felt a bit silly as it never would have bothered me before.

I think the badges are an excellent idea. I took a taxi in the evening rush hour, it cost £20 and took ages but at least I felt safe. I could only afford to do this because I am only in London at rush hour about once a year. It made me happy to come home and complain when the traffic cones go up and my commute takes and extra 15 minutes.

Did you see that Virgin Trains will guarantee you a seat if you are pregnant? I need to send away for a pass. www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/all-pregnant-women-to-be-guaranteed-a-seat-on-virgin-trains-a3167061.html