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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Kindess of Strangers

52 replies

tyaca · 15/11/2007 19:02

ok - i've been sounding off for ages on the commuting thread about peoples' rudeness to pregnant ol' me on trains and tubes.... so i have decided to Redress the Karmic Balance by starting a thread about those little moments when people you dont know are really really nice to you and restore your faith in mankind

brought about by the assistant at Sainsburys just now who offered to pack my bags and couldnt stop smiling at me!

and - in all fairness - everytime anyone ever gives you a seat, they're putting their comfort after yours. even once should be appreciated!

hmmm.... that's it for the moment. except to say how funny it was when the 14 & 15 year old asbo's on my estate clocked i was prg last week and shouted their congrats. does stopping throwing fireworks so i can get to my front door count as kindness

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Rubyshoos · 18/11/2007 17:47

These are all lovely stories, I have a really nice one of my own. Before I started my maternity leave I was one of the poor commuters on the (desperately bad) district line. I was standing at Earls Court trying to get on the Wimbledon train and it was packed - no chance of me even trying to sqeeze myself on. I was at the very end of the platform looking very pregnant and desperate to get home - the utterly lovely tube driver himself took pity on me and let me sit in the drivers cab with him! He was so charming and totally restored my faith in a)london underground and b)human kindness!

CaptainCaveman · 18/11/2007 17:57

When I was 38+5 I nipped into House of Fraser to buy some beauty-stuff for myself. I didnt' look almost 9 months pg, more like 7 due to small bump, but when the lady found out I was due to have ds by planned section 3 days later she was lovely and shoved LOADS of freebies into a goodie bag for me. And yes she made me cry!

cass66 · 19/11/2007 20:45

my moment was in Morrisons with my 6 week old daughter. I'd just done a big shop and was at the till behind someone. DD started crying, hungry, and wasn't to be placated. I couldn't do anything except look stressed and upset. once I'd paid and packed I sat down at the nearest table at the cafe and started to feed her. Then one of the waitresses brought me over a pot of tea and a sticky bun, saying someone had bought me it, but wanted to remain anonymous. Yes, I cried!

And I have vowed to do the same to someone else one day. spread a little happiness etc..

mumofk · 24/11/2007 19:59

Bump

fryalot · 24/11/2007 20:06

When I was about 36 weeks pg with dd1, on getting on a very crowded bus on the way to work, nobody stood up for me. I had about resigned myself to standing for the entire journey when a little old lady (must have been about 80) stood up and very loudly said "if none of you buggers are going to stand up for her, she can have my seat"

I won't tell you what happened next because this is a nice thread

What a lovely little old lady

leesmum · 24/11/2007 20:38

What a lovely thread

Am now 31 weeks pregnant and for the last couple of months a young lad that does'nt even work in our department comes over to see me on a saturday with a bar of chocolate for "the little one". Ahhh what a lovely hubby/dad he is going to make in a few years

DaisyNightingale · 24/11/2007 20:49

A local supermarket has steep stairs from the car park into the stor and no lift. I had some very heavy shopping bags and was 8 months pregnant. A kind young man offered to carry my bags up for me, and packed them in the boot of the car as well. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy, and it was all I could do to hold back the tears...

....bless those raging hormones

IsawBUMPERkissingsantaclaus · 24/11/2007 20:59

When DD was a week old DH and I took our first trip out (to the co-op!). He waited outside with the pushchair and an old lady came over and cooed at DD. She went away and 5 mins later DH got a tap on the shoulder, the lady had come back and slipped DH a ten pound note "not to spend on beer mind, for the baby" and said it was lovely to see a man with a pram!

sabinar · 24/11/2007 21:06

i had a funny one the other day... I was at Victoria Station and just about to go through the barrier to get my train when one of the guys who works there headed toward me saying 'wait, wait! special service for you!' and opened the gate for me (that they usually use for people with luggage) and let me through that way.

I'm going to assume that he was doing that to be nice to me and not because he thought I was too enormous to fit through the barrier!

Original poster

tyaca · 25/11/2007 20:28

hi sabinar - i got let thru the luggage bit at victoria this week and it was great!!

OP posts:

hatwoman · 25/11/2007 20:36

I'm not sure this really counts as kindness but it has lived with me for 6 years now. I flew to Sydney when 6 months pg with dd2 -dd1 was about 18 months. Needless to say it was not a fun flight. I was exhausted and, tbh, was having a bit of an identity crisis. - first pregnancy and one beautiful baby I felt on top of the world. exhausted, fat, with a horrendous new haircut, and an 18 month old I barely recognised - or could even find - myself, just looking in the mirror made me want to cry. Anyway on the flight I waddled to the loo and there was a bit of turbulence so I stumbled a bit. and a man put his hand out to steady me. all he did was touch my arm, look at me and ask if I was ok - but (and this is going to sound over the top) it was one of the most intense moments I have ever experienced. I could have burst into tears on the spot. just a stranger asking if I was ok...

hatwoman · 25/11/2007 20:37

thta would make me sense if it said

...with an 18 month old comma, I barely recognised....

Prunie · 25/11/2007 20:45

When I was pg I used tot ake the bus into central Oxford, and every morning for a good while I met a man who became my bus pal. He was a lawyer with grown-up children and we talked about how exciting it was having a new baby, what it was like being a parent. He always got me a seat, too. Such a lovely man.

DrSpeckschwarteSurprise · 25/11/2007 21:20

What a lovely warm and fuzzy thread.

I don't even have raging hormones to blame for the lump in my throat.

at the penguin lady and commuters being bullied to give up their seats.

And the story about the anonymous donation of tea and sticky bun ...

daisynova · 26/11/2007 10:03

This is really restoring my faith in people.

I have one story - last week when flying home to Scotland with EasyJet, I felt really ill on the plane. I ran to the back of the plane to be sick and managed to pass out on the floor. The cabin crew rushed to help me and stayed with me for ages, giving me water (which they didn't take money for) and checking me over. They then walked me back to me seat, made sure the aircon was on me and kept checking on me throughout the flight. As I got off the plane they again made sure I was ok and that my husband was with me - he had been sitting elsewhere on the plane so had missed the whole fainting incident.

I sent a letter of thanks to the airline as they get so much bad press that I thought it was time they knew they had some great staff.

mumofk · 01/01/2008 18:59

bump

lisad123 · 01/01/2008 19:15

Being unable to drive a few weeks after dd was born, I had to get the bus. 2 things happened

A young teenage girl helped me down the steps with the buggy and all my shopping

As I got to get off bus, the busdriver wouldnt lower the bus, so was strugging to get off, with him telling me to go backwards. Another teenage girl, get off the bus to help me down

Hurrah for young ladies that day

Scampynoodle · 01/01/2008 22:18

What a lovely thread! I recently went to the theatre where, pushing my way through the bar at half time, a man spotted that I was struggling with my bump and demanded that everyone let me through. It was like watching the seas part. I was chuffed. And on the same night I had several offers to go first in the queue for the loos.

It gives you a bit of faith in the world doesn't it?

Ayomi · 01/01/2008 22:46

Had to smile about supermarket checkout staff
I do that for a living, and am receiving kindness from the customers! Have quite a bump now, and keep getting told to take my time; no, we can pack, you sit down etc.
Helped a heavily pregnant woman pack her huge shop of xmas eve and it was such a lovely bonding experience I could have cried save for embarrasment
Most people coming through my till smile and have lovely things to say!
Just wish everyone was nice to everyone all the time...

dizzydixies · 01/01/2008 23:15

what a great thread and lordy help my hormones!

whilst overdue and heavily pregnant with dd2 we decided to get the house reroofed - as you do! every morning this crew of blokes turned up and the house and looked pale with worry when they saw I was still kicking about - I felt awful as I didn't even have the energy to make them cups of tea!
once I got home from horrible birth of huge baby the boss man, tiny wee bunnet wearing old soul came in with a present for the baby they had all chipped in for only to run off horrified as someone had told him it was a boy! he returned a few hours later with a lovely wee coat for dd and a card signed by them all!

kerala · 01/01/2008 23:23

So many people have helped (and insisted in most cases) lug my buggy up and down steps on the tube/overland in north London. Smart businesswomen, old men, heavy metal types, asbo teens. Dont believe what you read about Londoners being rude and unfriendly.

MargoWishesYouAHappyNooNooYear · 02/01/2008 00:03

I've remembered one.

We went to see a tribute match (For GF Zola) at Stamford Bridge. I was 8 months pg. We walked from Battersea Bridge, so I was quite worn out by that time. DH was meeting my sister and her partner to give them tickets so I went to find my seat on my own. A steward asked me if he could show me to my seat. He looked at my ticket and said that it was at the highest point in the ground and their lifts were out of order.

So he accompanied me up what seemed to be a half dozen flights of stairs to my seat which really was the highest and last row of seats in the ground. He then got one of his colleagues to keep an eye on me until my sis and DH joined me.

Original poster

tyaca · 02/01/2008 00:22

dizzy, lol at the workmen and their baby pressies.

OP posts:

squimlet · 02/01/2008 07:15

this is a wonderful thread. I am trying to remember some to add to it

beforesunrise · 02/01/2008 07:47

i must be very lucky but i almost always get a seat on the tube, so am always surprised at people ranting about not getting a seat. it helps that i open my coat and stick my tummy out v obviously!!

i love it when random strangers smile at me after seeinmg my bump, esp middle aged bankers in canary wharf.

mind you, it would be nice to have some random acts of kindness from my employers once in a while...

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