London Underground is to give special badges to pregnant women
in a drive to encourage people to give up their seats for mums-to-be.
BBC News, March 7, 2005

When I got pregnant with Stephen, we were living in Japan and I took the subway at least three times a week. Most of the time, I would be able to avoid rush hour so there were plenty of seats, but sometimes all the seats were taken and nobody ever offered me a seat. Marv rode the subway with me once when I was about seven months pregnant and was outraged that I couldn’t sit down. He threatened to beat somebody up just to get a seat.

Even after Stephen was born and I used a sling to bring him out with me everywhere, I was offered a seat less than five times. And each time, the person who offered me the seat was an elderly woman who needed the seat almost as much as me (although older Japanese women are generally full of vim and vigor).

These “baby on board” buttons are obviously meant for women who aren’t showing yet when, as one rider put it,

In the early stages of pregnancy when no-one can tell you’re pregnant a lot of women feel sick and faint and it can be dangerous if they have to stand up in a crowded carriage.

Fortunately, I am big and strong and have never been considered fragile. Even during pregnancy, I experienced very few discomforts. But does that make me less deserving of a seat?

Personally, I would avoid announcing my pregnancy before it became obvious. There are psychos out there who target pregnant women. And, even though I am generally not superstitious, I’d also be a little afraid of jinxing myself.

In any case, if people pay as much attention to the badges as they do to the “baby on board” signs suctioned to car windows, pregnant women won’t be able to sit down anytime soon.

First seen at Blogging Baby.