Baby On Board

[aaaarti]

Anyone from London using the badges? I have recently started wearing mine due to feeling nauseous and get so many looks (as I don't have a bump yet)
How are you all finding your tube journeys?

I lived in London in the late part of my pregnancy (from the July, due date was the end of August). I hate the badges and would never ever of used one at all. In fact I even stood on the overground when it was passed my due date, because it didn't bother me doing so and i was more than able to do so.
I don't see the need to announce a pregnancy to everyone and think the badges are tacky.
Sorry but I'm allowed my opinion and there it is.

How funny, I literally just posted about this in another thread! I'm 6 weeks tomorrow (though I think more like 5+2 with my dates) and had a horrific journey this morning that made me wonder if it was time to bring out the badge!

I wore mine from this stage onwards in first pregnancy and honestly, it was a life saver. People do look at you when you aren't showing yet but I just figure it's better than potentially throwing up on them...

I had a pretty awful nat rail journey into London recently - over an hour standing before someone offered me a seat (28w pg, hip and back pain, wobbly on my feet). I did have a little cry when a woman who was also standing ushered me into a seat near her when one became free. She said she was disgusted that no one had moved for me. I agreed! I wasn’t feeling assertive enough to make a fuss that day.
Anyway, ill be wearing a badge from now on and will speak up.

Many (most?) of us aren’t as lucky as happymummy to feel that fit and able throughout pregnancy. though I imagine she doesn’t see it as luck...

I have one. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years looking at women’s tummies and wondering if I should jump up for them, and I figured now it’s my turn I’ll make it 100% clear so no one does that to me

@happymummy12345 good for you but a lot of pregnant women can’t physically stand or feel light headed and may pass out if stood for too long.

OP I think they’re a great idea if you need one. Great for early (sickness, headaches, lightheaded etc) and late pregnancy (physical difficulty, SPD, lightheaded again etc) especially. I think they’re responsible and make people more mindful when around you, because let’s face it - the London Underground can be brutal and people are far more likely to ensure you’re not being squashed and hurt you or baby if they know you’re pregnant.

Thankfully never needed one because my SPD wasnt as bad this pregnancy but if it was like last time I’d have absolutely used one. I did get really dizzy in second trimester and had that lasted I’d have had to of had one

I'm with happymummy. I know I was lucky to feel fine through both pregnancies right to the end but they do always look so smug. The couple of times I really wanted a seat when I was feeling faint I just asked, same as I did non-pregnant but had a nasty stomach bug.

I once saw one of the badges pinned onto the outside of a sling carrying a tiny baby. Yeah, bit unnecessary that.

My local train service don't do badges. Instead you have to submit your Mat B1 form and in return you get a little laminated card to hand to people sat in the priority seats to tell them to move.

I got one from the NCT instead, which arrived right about the point my hip joints had a falling out and stopped talking to each other - perfect timing! It's working out well -if the train is crowded people offer seats as soon as they clock it. They may well think it's tacky - I don't really care so long as I get a seat.

Asking for a seat is not “making a fuss”. I never wore a badge but often asked for a seat and was never refused.

I had horrific motion sickness in the first trimester and found the badge most useful then. I was basically just trying not to puke the whole time and being able to sit was a huge help. Layer on I found people would offer anyway! Although I did sometimes ask, throughout two pregnancies I was never in the position where I needed a seat and didn't get one.

Good for you happymummy but the whole point of the badges is to wear them if you need them - it's hardly to announce to the carriage for fun! If you didn't, great, chuffed to bits for you, but not everyone is as lucky. And in cities, especially during busy commuting times (I say this from years of experience in London), common sense sometimes goes out of the window - if this makes it easier for someone to not have to explain every single time if and why they need a seat and also acts as an easy ice breaker/gives more able people a nudge if they need it, I think it's a good thing to have. Personally, I'd say even more so when you aren't showing and it may not be so obvious why you're looking so green or like you're about to pass out.

I really believe it's personal preference and if you feel you might need it, do it. If you're feeling fine that day, it literally takes 5 seconds to take it off your jacket and stuff it in your pocket if you feel so inclined.

Pregnancy is such a different beast for each person and commuting in London can be crappy at the best of times. I hated being on the tube in early pregnancy when I felt my roughest (at that point I was working in London a couple of days a week) - had to very nearly faint on the Circle line on a super hot day in September before I realised the badge was probably a good idea!

IMO it’s martyrish and passive to really want/need a seat but stand and just hope people will offer and judge them for not doing so. That said, I do offer heavily pregnant women a seat - wouldn’t proactively offer unless pretty sure though, which i guess is where badges make it easy!

I just don't get what's so hard about saying, "Please can I sit down, I'm pregnant". Or not even giving a reason. If anyone asked me for my seat I'd just assume they needed it enough to ask and not need to know the reason.

I once asked for a seat just because I was massively hungover and thought I was going to vomit. I just asked the carriage in general if I could sit down as I felt unwell. No need to elaborate and I had two offers right away.

Maybe it depends on the tube line... I once asked 'would you mind if I sat down, I'm pregnant' and was asked 'where's your badge then?' 🤭 so I think there is an element of the badge being harder to ignore!

Nothing to do with the line, you just encountered someone who was behaving rudely and selfishly.

@Dozer very true! I now live on a different line and am just hoping people will be nicer on this commute, with or without badge!

I commute and am 8 months, have a big bump and just pin my badge on when it’s very busy, more so people just give me a little extra room ( people are blind at peak times!) In 8 months of commuting whilst pregnant I have probably been offered a seat 3 times, in my experience people don’t care

I’ve been wearing my badge since around 12 weeks. I disagree that it’s tacky - it’s a sensible way of indicating that you might need a seat. I’m a pretty confident and forthright person but I feel uncomfortable actually asking someone to give up their seat - I have no way of knowing whether they are in need of it themselves. The badge gives people an option to give up a seat it they feel able.

I've been wearing mine from about 24 weeks. The tube can be hot, busy and people push and shove. After a long day at work, with horrible back ache I sometimes need a seat on my 1 hour 30 minutes commute. It's not that I want to announce it, as I'm a very private person. I just want to make it easier for others to know I might need to sit down. If I don't need the seat, I thank people politely and say I am fine standing at the moment - or I just don't wear the badge.

Not in London but our local transport (Metro) does the badges and they've been great. I always have mine on my coat. I hate asking for a seat, because I don't know if other people have needs that aren't immediately obvious. But with the badge I get offered a seat and I also didn't feel guilty taking a priority seat when I wasn't as obviously pregnant. I think people are more likely to feel comfortable offering you a seat when you're in that inbetweeny stage where you might possibly just be fat.
34 weeks and I'm bloody huge now, no mistaking it!

I wear a badge, my blood pressure is ridiculously low and I feel faint if I stand in the same position for more than a few minutes.
I never ask for a seat as I don't know the reasons why other people are sat in it and they may need it more than me but I will always accept it if offered.
I assume that commuters would prefer this than the risk of massive inconvenience if I was to faint on the train/tube and potentially delay their journey
I don't really care if people look at me funny to be honest and I generally find people who think the badges are ridiculous to be a bit pretentious

I wear mine as I also have very low blood pressure @bluebirdsky and agree you can feel faint very quickly!
Im 19 weeks and you can't always tell Im pregnant. I wear it on the train as the few considerate people out there commuting will try not to bump into me or let me off the train first if I look like Im going to be sick. You dont always feel up to saying " excuse me Im pregnant" when you feel very faint so I think its a good way to flag it to others.
I couldn't care less if it looks tacky if it means I dont faint standing up and I certainly dont wear it to announce it to everyone... when I wasn't pregnant I was happy to see women with the pin, it meant I could offer to help them with bags, or give them my seat or let them on the train first. A little kindness goes a long way and the badge helps us look out for each other.

I think the badges are an excellent idea. I actually keep mine in my pocket and quickly put it on if it looks like it will be a mega busy train that I'll struggle to get a seat on but often the first trimester is when you might feel really horrific so if you feel you need a seat, definitely wear the badge!
I would hate to have to ask someone for their seat too as you don't know what their needs are. Plus I once did ask someone for a seat pre pregnancy (feeling dizzy) and they refused and it was not a pleasant experience so I think the badges are a brilliant way of making sure the need is obvious. Clearly if a woman feels fine standing they don't need to wear the badge; nobody forces them to! Some odd comments on this thread...

I felt awful in my first pregnancy and used it lots. Second pregnancy I felt ok and didn't use it very much. It's luck if you feel ok or not!

Also as a non pregnant commuter I find them useful as it's often hard to spot who needs a seat on a crowded train.

I’m heading on a long train journey this weekend and have reserved seats for 2/3 of the trains. DH has suggested wearing very bump hugging tops to make it quite clear I need a seat as I don’t have a badge and really do not like asking. He pointed out at 31 weeks I shouldn’t feel embarrassed to ask... but still!