Experience of a pregnant woman on public transport in Paris…
You have just learned that you are pregnant, you are delighted, so far so good. However, you also have a job in Paris and no car, because cars are not eco-friendly. For the lucky ones, you will be able to take the bus and for the others, it will be the metro, and not just any metro: the Paris metro! How are pregnant women accepted on a metro during rush hour? The answer below, which is 100% real-life…
As a matter of principle, Parisians will pretend not to see you or, far too busy with their smartphones, they really won't see you! This behavior particularly shocked me in Paris when, during my 8.5 months of pregnancy (because my little darling was born 15 days early...), I noticed that I had to be spontaneously offered his seat 2 times at the most. Needless to say, on line 1 to La Défense (yes, that was when I was still an analyst and I made very pretty PowerPoint slides), at rush hour, every morning I struggled: between avoiding being crushed between 2 people pushing and trying not to fall at each brake that was not always gentle.
So once, when I was 8 months pregnant, I asked if I could take his place and I was very surprised by the response of this classy gentleman: "I'm fed up with the child king."
Should we take the time to respond to this kind of provocation or laugh about it? Everyone reacts as he/she can, but this murderous sentence is representative of the condition of pregnant women on public transport in Paris.
So yes of course, there are good people who give you their seat, but it must be recognized that they are few in number in Paris. We are still far from the London underground where we get up every time to give our seat to a future mother.
I have also heard that "pregnancy is not an illness...", yes indeed, it is far from being an illness, or it is a beautiful illness. But let me tell you, that the pregnant woman must still carry between 8 and 25 kilos more (as was my case: +25 kgs), which can sometimes justify a "slight" unusual fatigue, and the risks of getting hit in the stomach during rush hour are a little more frequent standing than sitting. Should we really say it?
I am rather optimistic by nature and I think that by shouting it out loud, we will succeed in changing mentalities! And you can contribute to this.
If you agree and wish to participate in this movement, share this article without moderation.
Candice, creator of Neuvième Ciel
Find the Neuvième Ciel collection on www.neuviemeciel.fr