Commuter Wearing Baby On Board Badge Asked To Prove Pregnancy To Get Seat

Do pregnant women need to carry their maternity notes with them at all times, asks one female commuter left embarrassed after a fellow commuter challenged her. [Photo: Instagram]

A pregnant woman from London has been left embarrassed after a fellow Underground passenger asked her to prove her pregnancy.

Raayan Zafar says a man in his 40s asked her “where is the baby?” when another commuter gave up his priority seat for her last week.

Zafar was wearing her badge so passengers would know she was pregnant because at just a few months pregnant her bump isn’t yet visible. But that isn’t to say she doesn’t feel the effects of pregnancy – the exhaustion and the nausea, for example.

“It’s early days so that’s why I don’t show,’ Zaraf told the Evening Standard. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not pregnant or tired or sick all the time.

“It was a long commute and I suffer from severe morning sickness – I’m on medication already. I feel dizzy and out of energy, which makes standing in the Tube quite difficult when there is not enough ventilation.”

On London transport, there are priority seats for people who need to sit down. [Photo: Rex]

The incident happened on the Victoria Line, after Zafar requested the priority seat that’s reserved for the elderly, those less able to stand and pregnant women.

“The man sitting there was a gentleman and gave me his seat, but then a lady who was already standing in front of him tried to take the seat, so I made her notice me by saying ‘excuse me’. That lady realised I was going for the seat, but the person sitting beside it started arguing with me, saying the lady wanted to sit there and asking: ‘Why are you taking the seat?’

“I showed him my ‘baby on board’ badge and he then rudely asked me: ‘Where is the baby?’

“I was shocked – is that the way to speak to a pregnant lady? Do I have to carry my maternity notes with me all the time?”

The Duchess of Cambridge with a baby on board badge during a visit Baker Street Underground station in 2013. [Photo: Rex]

Zafar is by no means the first pregnant women to experience hostility on the tube after asking for a seat, for whatever reason.

Yahoo blogger Felicity Hannah, explains that while feeling unwell on a train isn’t nice at all, being pregnant is 10 times worse.

“I’ve been hungover on a train and it’s miserable,” says Felicity. “I’ve staggered onto the underground wearing heels so uncomfortable it’s like I’m walking on knives.

“But being pregnant is completely different. For a start, pregnancy lasts nine months! Then, there’s the welfare of the baby to consider. When I was pregnant with my first baby I used to faint if I stood for too long. Mums-to-be can feel nauseous, have swollen ankles, have back ache, suffer pelvic girdle pain… The list is endless. They need those seats.”

The ‘baby on board’ scheme, started by Transport For London (TFL), is no longer limited to the capital – it’s also in effect in a number of other places in the UK. In Liverpool, mums-to-be can wear a bright yellow badge to let other passengers know that they’re expecting.

“In the early stages no one can see that you are pregnant, so a badge would be useful to make sure the people around know you are expecting, in case you fall ill while travelling or so they can make space for you when getting on and off the bus,” says Kat Taylor, who contacted Merseytravel to suggest the idea.

The Southeastern ‘baby on board’ badge. [Photo: Southeastern]

Navy blue badges have also been issued for Southeastern passengers, free of charge.

“We understand it can be difficult for pregnant women to travel on busy trains,” David Statham, from Southeastern, said in a statement. “We hope the badges will make travelling across the Southeastern network safer and more comfortable for expectant mums.”

Mums-to-be using TFL’s services can pick up their badge at most underground stations, from the website or from Not On The High Street, who TFL teamed up with to create a range of ‘baby on board’ branded products.

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