When did you start wearing your baby on board badge?

[sophied1983]

Sx

For what it's worth - I used mine outside of London too - went to a match at Old Trafford when I was 26 weeks along and was able to get a seat on a wedged matchday tram as a result. Also used it in Dublin on the Luas over Christmas and was asked how to get one by another pregnant lady.

Red, that reminded me of a ridiculous incident I had a few weeks ago. I got on a packed train, person in the priority seat looked up and saw me but wasn't able to or didn't want to stand up. Then a man sitting a few seats down offered me his seat. Before I could make it over to the seat a boy probably aged about 10 or 11 sat down in it. I said nicely to the boy "I think the man was giving up his seat so I could sit down" and he looked up briefly then completely ignored me and kept staring at the game he was playing on his phone. I looked at the woman who was with the boy, expecting her to tell him to get up, and she literally just shrugged her shoulders at me and turned away.

I was so shocked - not so much that the boy acted like that as I guess he'd never been taught anything different so probably didn't have any understanding of why it wasn't okay, but more that his mum or whatever relation the woman was to him seemed to think it was totally acceptable behaviour.

Have to say, I also don't really understand some of the hostility on this thread. I understand people outside London probably won't have heard of the badges but what's wrong with just asking "what's a baby on board badge?" instead of being so hostile to the OP's question?

Knits - some Londoners are complete arseholes and really are only out for themselves. I remember when I was about 18 weeks and feeling shit seeing a heavily pregnant woman get on. No one offered her a seat so I offered her mine which she would accept but at least it shamed someone else into offering her a seat!

This hostility clearly comes from people who have never commuted the tube in rush hour! Even worse when it's summer and the tube is boiling!

Reading up on it Knits, it appears that some commuters have been asking women to prove that they're pregnant. How are they supposed to do that?

Surely the proof is given at the time of purchase.

PS - also meant to say Red, that I think a lot of people feel more comfortable asking for a seat on behalf of someone else than asking for themselves. I sometimes travel on the tube with my mum who is elderly and wouldn't be able to stand on a busy moving train. I'm quite happy to ask the person in the priority seat if they're able to stand so my mum can sit down, but I find it a lot more difficult to ask if they could move as I need to sit down. If I do have to ask I normally try something like "do you need to use the priority seat?" to try and make it easier for anyone who does have a need for the priority seat to say so.

No idea Faire! Personally I think it's very sad that anyone would feel the need to ask a pregnant woman that before just offering her a seat. Is a fit and healthy person standing on the tube for a few stops really such an awful prospect that they think it justifies interrogating a woman about her pregnancy before offering her a seat?

In any case, I can't imagine there's a huge problem with people wearing baby on board badges if they're not pregnant. Although even if that does happen occasionally, I'd rather always offer my seat to someone wearing one than try to spot the occasional fraudster and knowing that I might have left someone who's pregnant and in need of a seat without one.

I had left London by the time I fell pregnant, but had I still been doing the central line from Liv Street to Bond |Street each day, then I would have had my badge on as soon as I felt I needed it! I didn't have morning sickness, but I did feel a little giddy around the 12 week stage, and I would have worn it then (and whipped it off my coat before getting in to work, as I didn't tell all colleagues until later). you certainly don't have to wait until you're showing. The purpose is not just convenience for the pregnant person- it is for everybody's sake. If a 6 weeks pregnant woman faints/ projectile voms/ falls over an hurts herself and the cord is pulled, that is a hell of a lot more inconvenient on the whole than some guy in a suit having to give up his seat.

I frequent another forum (not for mums/ pregnant people) and a woman on there has been complaining a lot that people keep trying to give her their seat on public transport, as she's not pg but a bit overweight (and not even particularly overweight, so it's understandably quite upsetting for her). Obviously, not everyone will wear the badges, but the more prevalent their use becomes, the less room for doubt and the less scope for embarrassing confusion. I can't see why some posters seem to be suggesting the badges might not be a good thing- esp since that's not what the OP is asking!

Travelled in on the central line this morning - wearing my badge with no shame whatsoever :)

The pregnant lady opposite also had a badge and the one who was kindly offered a seat by another commuter :)

Happy Monday badge wearing people ;)

There was no suggestion that there was shame in wearing one waiting

Shaming people not wearing badges for sitting down was what was being discussed.

Never, as they look bloody ridiculous, but each to their own.
We just waited for bump to show didn't need to announce to strangers who had no reason to know.
Is this a new twee fad, what's the point? Is there one?

I had mine 9 years ago so they are not new. I put mine on my handbag (cross body ) between about three months and 5 months, just when people don't know if they should offer because I might be just a bit overweight!! I don't know of it helped but I regularly got offered seats, sometimes not. I love seeing it on other commuters now it reminds me of when I was pregnant!

It's neither twee nor a fad. RTFT.

New they are to help protect women and their babies on crowded public transport.

I love these stickers and think they should be freely available.

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.bmbagency.com/dynamic/project_images/thumbs/460x229/1342695324BMB_HappyToStand_Badges-01.png&imgrefurl=www.bmbagency.com/projects/happy-to-stand&h=229&w=460&tbnid=nX_ZEwPhY-olZM:&docid=HiR5eL7oC9zTaM&ei=9cnBVoDAG4WdUdmJj6AI&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwjAjpbf5_nKAhWFThQKHdnEA4QQMwhjKDgwOA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here

I can see how they would be helpful and avoid anyone having to feel awkward or explain why they need a seat.

Newlife4me, lovely post. Great contribution.

Everybody lives their pregnancy differently. I really struggled with low blood pressure (yes it's unusual) and felt faint, and passed out half a dozen times during pregnancy so yes I felt that I should announce to strangers that i should get a seat, just in doubt, and that I needed to be looked after if I'd pass out on the underground.

Sorry, I can't resist repeating Jimmy Carr's terrible, terrible joke:

I'd rather see a pregnant woman standing on the bus than a fat girl sitting down crying

I don't know why, but it's really making me angry reading some of these comments against the badges and people who wear them. I can only assume none of these posters have not had to commute on a rush hour tube whilst struggling with a difficult pregnancy.

During the first 18 weeks or so of both my pregnancies, I have felt like I am going to faint if I stand for longer than a few minutes, especially if on a hot crowded tube. In my first pregnancy I would commute into London over an hour earlier than I needed to, and go home an hour later just to avoid rush hour. This pregnancy, I don't have the luxury of that option as due to childcare I have to commute at rush hour.

I wear my badge so that others know I am pregnant. It rarely gets me offered a seat on a very packed rush hour tube or train, but I feel that if others know I am pregnant, I'd like to think they are less likely to shove me and I'd also like to think that if I reach the point I think I am going to faint, I won't have to explain that I'm pregnant, I can just say I need to sit down and people will help me to a seat. That may just be wishful thinking though.

Some days people are very kind when they see the badge, other days people clock the badge and pretend not to have seen me and grab that last seat that could have been either of ours. I'd rather not have to wear the badge, as I hate being judged, but I have to do what I can to keep my baby safe and to avoid fainting daily on my commute.

I can only assume none of these posters have not had to commute on a rush hour tube whilst struggling with a difficult pregnancy.

Your assumptions would be wrong.

I commuted across from one side of London to the other on the tube throughout my pregnancies. All of which were very difficult pregnancies.

I didn't wear a badge.

Your choice to wear one mine not to.

nottoday you haven't actually written anything 'against' the badges or those who wear them, only that you chose not to - it is those posters I have a problem with.

If your pregnancy was difficult in a way that standing for periods made you feel more unwell, then I can't comprehend why you would choose not to wear the badge (unless you bump was very obvious - in which case the tube probably wasn't as packed as the ones I get on where anything below the chest is not visible), other than to be a martyr.

For health reasons alone, it is much safer that pregnant women wear badges. If a pregnant person is injured, unwell or collapses, it is important that any professional caring for them knows that they are pregnant. I say that as someone who worked in A&E for many years.

I am certainly not a martyr so please don't make assumptions about me.

As I said. Your choice to wear one. Mine not to.

if it was that important they would also be used across the whole country which they aren't

I feel the same way missing. For me, wearing a badge is just something I do in the hope of making travelling by tube a little bit safer (and slightly less uncomfortable!) for me and my baby. (I don't mean people who don't wear one aren't concerned about safety, I'm just explaining the way I feel.) I think because of that it's quite upsetting to hear some of the judgemental comments. I don't see what's "twee" about wearing a badge to indicate to others that you're pregnant and you'd appreciate them not squashing you! In an ideal world everyone would be considerate and polite to others on public transport but as that's not the case I don't see what's so awful about wearing a badge that might help pregnant women and babies be a little bit safer on crowded trains and buses.

Also, those stickers are great Faire. Wish they gave them out at tube stations.

nottoday Your pithy little strikethrough, although it made me smile, is a non sequitur.

The city of London is unique in the UK for its transport system and for its, ahem, robust commuters. If you take the underground in glasgow, or the tram into manchester, you're not likely to struggle to get a seat to nearly the same extent, even at rush hour.

When I used to get the central line to work in London, getting on at liv st or bank I would find that it was already packed to the gunnels, and would jump onto the train and slot myself into whatever tiny gap I could find- unless you had an eye level badge on, nobody would be able to see you were pregnant.

This kind of commuting just doesn't happen in every single town and city across the country, hence the lack of need to roll out the badges elsewhere.

Not everybody has a pregnancy which, although difficult, means that standing for their commute is possible or desirable. you are rather lucky.

In terms of London commuting, I would rather that more employers introduced better flexible working so that pregnant employees can avoid rush hour travelling at all- I struggled as a non pregnant person with asthma and slight claustrophia, so the stress to pregnant women must be intolerable.

Agree with citymole. I had to commute central line during the summer of 2005, with lines / part of lines shut because of the bombing. The congestion and packed trains were unbearable at times I had to ask for flexitime in last 6 weeks of pregnancy it was very difficult. And extremely stressful.

bump

I've been thinking about getting a badge soon.

I'm only 8+2 but some days my lower back is getting spasms of pain, and i have been getting dizzy spells. My commute door to door is 1.20 taking Piccadilly Line (Heathrow branch so RAMMED) and then H&C line.

My main hesitation was forgetting to take it off at the other end (my boss knows but I don't want it public at work until after scan), but having read this thread and some others, there is a high level of dislike and judgement to the badges that I'm really surprised by!