A seat on the subway
After not sleeping well for two nights, I guess it was not surprising I was late getting up this morning. So I decided to walk to the closer subway station since the trains are not as full once rush hour is over. Of course it was packed and the first train was squished-standing-room only so I let it pass. I got on the second train but wasn’t able to get a seat.
So for the first time I asked aloud “Anyone willing to give up their seat for a pregnant lady?”. And it worked! Two people started to get up and I took the closer one, thanking the woman who got up for me.
My belly is big enough now (start of third trimester) that most people guess I am expecting, but there is still a question in their mind if I am really pregnant, or just fat.
Normally I walk an extra stop just so there are empty seats (I also take off my coat and rub my belly while waiting for the subway), so I can’t really run an experiement to count how often I am offered seats. But I will let you know how it goes if I ask again.
Hopefully I will get a good sleep tonight. I just started taking iron supplements at my doctor’s recommendations, so hopefully that will help with my overall energy levels.
Should I give people a chance to offer me a seat before I ask?
November 16, 2006 2:39 pm. Subway Stories, Third Trimester, baby, pregnancy. Leave a comment.
Subway seats for Pregnant Women
I had a subway ride from hell again this morning. I am 5 months along, so I know my tummy is not that obvious, but I talked to a friend of mine and she said she was rarely given a seat on the subway even when she did have an obviously pregnant belly. I was hoping that once I got big I would be able to get a seat.
I got on the subway and some guy had left a box on the ground so I couldn’t move forward, and all these people behind me kept pushing to get on the subway. I almost fell over and once the subway started moving, I couldn’t brace myself since my feet didn’t have enough room and they were not fully underneath me. It really hurt when the subway decelerated, especially since my ab muscles cannot do what they used to be able to do. Eventually I was able to stand near a pole and then a few stops before mine I actually got a seat. Normally it is not that bad, but today there must have been an earlier delay or something because all the stations had a lot of people and the trains left with people still standing at the stations.
Most days I walk an extra subway stop north just so that I am more likely to get a seat, (because the Sheppard station, which is closer, is where the two subway lines join up and there is always a lot of people). I do the same thing on the way home since I walk to St Andrew and go South a bit before I go North, also a lot of people get off at Union station so I can usually get a seat.
But today I was late for work, so I went to Sheppard and I didn’t want to wait for the next train since I was late, but I really should have anyway. I got to work feeling tired and grumpy and lightheaded and overall miserable.
I just blocked my calendar at work from 9 to 9:30 every morning so I don’t get any more early meetings. I don’t function well in the mornings anyway.
I know some people are oblivious to others around them as they read their book or paper on the subway, but I would think at least someone would notice. I guess I could try asking for a seat, has anyone tried this? What would I say?
October 3, 2006 5:08 pm. Subway Etiquette, Subway Stories, Toronto, pregnancy. 1 comment.
