Yesterday (6.03.08) the mayor of London, Ken Livingstone announced a new priority scheme so that people on the tube were encouraged to give up their seats to pregnant travellers. Apparently this move follows research carried out by London underground which surveyed 500 new mothers and found that those given a seat while pregnant had to wait for an average of five stops before getting one. (5 stops - lucky them!)
Ironic really since last night I was the only person standing and wasn't offered a seat at all. I am now nearly eight months pregnant and there is no mistaking the bulge in my belly as anything other than a growing baby. What I wanted to do was shout, (to the mostly male passengers buried in their papers), 'What if your pregnant mother/sister/wife had to stand all the way home - would that be OK?' My problem of course is that I should speak up and be more assertive, but a year ago I saw a pregnant women standing on a tube and when she spoke up, everyone ignored her! Since when did the world get so rude? I know you can't always tell if someone is pregnant or not and people don;t want to offend in case the women is a 'larger' lady, but what's worse - your embarrassment or my health?
As well as common courtesy and manners, it's definitely a matter of health. For this reason I am welcoming Ken's new scheme, but I doubt it will work. It has to rely on the same situation - people being prepared to give up their seats. If it doesn;t work now, how is a sticker going to help? Everyone feels like they have a right to a seat on the tube because they have had a hard day at work and pregnant women are by no means at the top of the seat pecking order. I think a better idea would be to make taxi's free for pregnant women (and all you have to do is show a card that confirm you are pregnant) and the government pays the bill - Ken take note...
gurgle is growing and expanding everyday as much as my pregnant belly is. We're busy updating all our articles so that you are reading the most recent information. New and interesting groups this week include:
Recipes for babies, toddlers and families,
Dads corner,
London mums group.
Alternatively, help other mums out this week with their queries on:
VBAC or C-section for 2nd baby,
frequency of dirty nappies and
is_sex_ok_in_early_pregnancy?