Does anyone get offered a seat on public transport?!

[shoesies]

I'm approaching four months and although I'm not huge, there's a definate baby bump there! I have a daily tube journey and was wondering if anyone else gets totally ignored on public transport!!! Maybe it's just London where making eye contact is just not done....

Also, it's only ever women that have asked me if I want to sit down - do you think women are just more on the ball?!

Or am I making a fuss about nothing? I actually don't really mind in the mornings but after a days work and my backs aching it's nice to be offered a seat!

Maybe we should start a designated carriage on the Victoria line for bumps....

foxinsocks - I'm sure you're right, most people just think that I look a bit tubby and that standing up will probably do me some good!!

I'm definately going to try the rubbing the tumnmy looking dreamy and see if that makes it more obvious. The badge idea is absolute genius - I'm getting me one of those

Nice to know that it's not just me. But I do wonder how many pregnant women I might have ignored while sat down reading my paper on the tube apologies if it was any of you guys!!

I think people in london are sometimes so in their own world they don't notice the world around them. sometimes all you ahve to do is ask.

I now travel with a 16 month and 3 year old on the tube and often need help and only have to ask if the help isn't forthcoming and its often the business men which stop and help.
I love seeing my daughter holding the hand of a smartly dressed man up an escalator charming his ears off! while I push the buggy up

I travel on the Metropolitan line and so far my small bump at 17 weeks is invisible to everyone else (but doesn't stop people at work exclaiming how huge I have suddenly become). First 2 pregnancies took until about 28 weeks before people volunteered seats, but I was asking for them much earlier. To be honest it was much worse when I had to commute with 2 crutches for a week then 1 crutch for a month - hardly ever got offered a seat then. Now find that when I'm travelling with a pushchair, young men / teenage boys are the most likely to help - always to my complete surprise showing how I am still stereotyping them despite past experience!

Would echo what others said about men ESP young ones or older women (usually who have kids who helped) - my worst moment was on a crowded train when I gave up seat at six months pregnant to lady who was at about stage but clearly about to faint - that day no one gave up seats despite fact it was farking obvious( some real princes amongst men and women on that tube).

I remember standing on the tube, 6 months pregnant with 3 yo DS aswell and not one bastard person gave up their seat for me. Not that I am bitter!

I am 8 months pregnant and have to commute over an hour every day. As with many, it is very unusual I get offered a seat and my bump is very obvious. I stick it out, rub it, rub my back, make sighing noises...but people are so busy with their books, laptops, phones, they don't notice.
My train back is the WORST. Its usually about 4 people thick on the platform waiting to get on and I just have to hang back otherwise I get shoved and knocked.
I tend to head to first class as if it is busy I will sit there, and never had a guard move me on, they are always understanding.

the pushing and shoving is really the worst, sometimes it makes me angrier than not getting offered seats.

Have got to say at 4-5 months I felt fit enough I didn't really feel I had a "right" to a seat, and felt emabrassed a couple of times when older gents gave me a seat (I remember at least once thinking I may pg but you're clearly on your last legs). At over 8 months, there is no way I could be mistaken for tubby and would bloody well like to sit down.

Over the course of 2 pregnancies, I've never yet had a white dutch bloke offer me a seat either... They all bury their heads in the Telegraf at the site of a belly.

I have been travelling n the underground for the whole of prgnancy (now 35 weeks and very obvious). In the beginning it was hard to expect anyone to give up a seat for me as it wasn't obvious I was pregnant.

Now it is obvious - I ALWAYS head for the priority seats (marked by stikers) and request the seat. I haven't been refused yet - I see it as a right!

I have two mre days at work and I will not miss my morning commute AT ALL!!!

I commuted across London until I was 39 weeks pregnant. It was hit and miss as to whether I would get a seat or not. However, I did once ask someone to give up their priority seat when 8 months pregnant when I nearly fainted (do the people sitting in them even realise their suppose to be for those "less able to stand"??!) and the fit, middle-aged man did give up his seat. I think he may have had to carry his gym bag but I suppose that was preferable to being delayed until I could be stretchered off the tube!

The other time that worked well was when I was on the phone to my mum and she asked if I had any more anti-natal classes. I was quite embarrassed to say I just had a breast-feeding class and about 4 people lept up at the word "breast-feeding". Obviously looking like a rhino was not enough

My favourite occasion though was when I was 37 weeks pregnant and an an older gentleman asked ME to give up my seat lol! I suggested that maybe the lady in her 40s sitting in the priority seat might like to instead as I was just a bit pregnant!

I'm 19 weeks pregnant and I suppose depending on my cloths I could still be taken for just having had too many pies lately. So I am wearing the TFL badge "baby on board". I feel a bit stupid with it but sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. I once had problems to stand because of the "driving style" and even almost fell down at one occasion. So everybody was staring at me and the had all seen the badge. Very quickly they had to stare at their shoes, laptops and newspapers again. I think, those people in the priority seats should really watch out for people who need them more! I can understand that people on normal seats want to read their paper and do not check at every station if there is someone who might need their seat, but in the priority seat you have to.

I'm 23 weeks and have a big bump. I've noticed I get offered seats a lot less this pg, when I'm also traipsing round with a buggy, than I did when I was first pregnant. Maybe the buggy covers the bump, but it feels like people think I just must be able to manage. I was also going on tube a lot more in first pg, and noticed the most likely to give up seats were young Asian women for some reason!

I pretty much always get offered a seat when I want one! I look hungrily and greedily at the seat I want and will it to come to me - the person sitting in it generally buggers off quite soon. Failing that, young black men always get up. If I don't want one, which is often because I'm actually not feeling tired yet, and because I don't want to get stuck in the middle of a crowded tube in a seat and then have to push myself off, I stand by the door and stick my nose right in my book for fear someone will frog march me to one.

Yes of course we should all be offered seats, but why don't you pipe up and bloody ask to sit down instead of waiting?!

In was in a queue in a shop the other day and there were some seats for the queuee's . There were 2 teenaged girls sitting on them, so I asked if one of them would let me sit down.

Its the first time I have ever asked but thought they were old enough to have offered and their mum should have made them.

Picante - there have been several cases on here of people asking and getting an earful of abuse
Most people just do the deliberately ignoring thing but there seems to be a minority in London especially who actively hate pregnant women. So I wouldn't blame anyone for not risking asking.

I am 29 weeks pregnant and rarely get offered a seat on the train. I am lucky that I don't have a long commute but the inconsideration and plain rudeness of others doesn't make for the best start to the day. I think the worst example I've had so far was being the ONLY person standing in the carriage and no less than 3 separate people stared at my protruding tummy and hastily looked away. I have a neat bump, but it's very obvious I'm pregnant now. I agree that people get engrossed in their books or newspapers, but those sitting in the "please give up this seat" seats, should expect to move IMHO. I will be 30 weeks pregnant on Monday and fully intend to start asking for a seat. But it's a real shame that British manners have degenerated so badly over the years. I'm sure if men had to give birth it would be a different story - lol

I'm 30 weeks and have a 2.5 year old DD and often travel on the newcastle metro. I just ask people if I could please sit down, no-one has yet objected. I tend to ask young men, I think they are more likely to be embarrassed at the mere idea of a pregnant woman and very quickly jump up I nearly always have a seat before the metro sets off, but then Newcastle is ridiculously friendly!

When we were on holiday with my 6 1/2 month pregnant bump AND on crutches, we were going on a boat trip round the lake and got there late. There was already a big line of people who had already paid sitting in a long line on the chairs provided, waiting for the boat to arrive - about 40 in all, all full.

I waddle up to the kiosk and buy the tickets (me, DH and DB), look at the seating as everyone studiously avoids my gaze, wander up and down a bit hoping to see a seat with a bag on it or something then go to sit on the kerb opposite. One guy, in his 60s, with a walking stick stands up and calls me over to offer me his seat. I told him not to worry about it as he had a stick himself and I was fine (which was broadly true - I could have managed perfectly well on the kerb as long as DH helped me up again).

Literally all the men sitting in the line who had been studiously avoiding me prior to this LEAPT out of their seats like they had been scalded and competed to offer me their seats. Shame is a wonderful thing

Shoesies - did you get gazumped by someone offering her seat to another pregnant woman but not you this morning? Cause if you did, she's feeling really guilty about itover on another thread!! ["Aagh. I think I just inadvertently probably made someone feel crappy."]

I would link to it but don't know how

Its rather difficult to ask sometimes. People either glare at you or ignore you, in my experience. Luckily (!!!) I'm disabled, so tend to be given a seat, but sometimes I have to waddle right to the back. Once the only person who offered me a seat was another pregnant woman, which was rather shocking. She assured me she was getting off at the next stop, as I felt very guilty about accepting it.

People are horrible, generally. And as a poster said earlier, there does seem to be a minority that hate pregnant women, though not just in London!!

If there was a pregnant woman or eldery person on the bus and no other seats yes i would give me seat up. when 40 weeks pregnant with DD2 i was on the bus this is my due date btw and noone would give me a seat. my partner had to ask someone if i could sit down cos i was feeling really quite uncomfortable and faint as you could imagine. when i was pregnant with my first i was really anemic to the point i would pass out and be in shopping centres and noone would get off their ass to give me a seat even though they could see i was really unwell. it pees me off thinking about it x

I find if people on the bus don't get up, and often the ones sitting in the seats at the front do studiously ignore anyone who is standing, someone else who is standing usually says something to shame them into giving up their seat.

Have been on the point of asking several times but as yet haven't had to

Generally my experience has been quite positive

I've found men are a lot more willing to give up their seats than women - maybe I just have more of a rapport with men?

If I need a seat, I ask. I'm nearly 34 weeks and have no problems standing for a couple of stops.

I can't really expect everyone to scan passengers as they board to see if there are any pregnant women there.

Also, some train companies give you a pass that lets you sit in first class if you have a season ticket - I have one from FCC. Worth doing if you can.

Meant to add, I know I'm lucky.