Pregnant and Working full time....?

amyliz33

Hi ladies!

I'm 6 wks pregnant- live in Brooklyn, but work in Manhattan. Even before I got pregnant, I noticed how you never really saw TOO many pregnant women walking around the city streets. Or maybe they just didn't catch my eye. 

I work full time, and I'm worried about my daily commute- riding the subway from Brooklyn to UWS, dealing with the crowds, and walking to and from work in the ice and snow come this winter. My boyfriend and I have even considered moving to a different neighborhood so I'm closer to work.

Anyone want to share their stories? Is there anything that you found to be particularly difficult? Was it easier than you thought? I'm not so concerned now, but when I'm 6-9 months, I feel like it will really take a toll. I'm not originally from NYC, and it was really just temporary for my BF and I to focus on careers, and enjoy living in the city before we "really" settled down and moved away. (with the big front porch and lots of space)

Now it looks like this might be the semi permanent location considering we both have full time jobs, benefits, and secure income- which is very important right now!

Thoughts?? 

 

MamaNikita

i don't think it's that big of a deal.  i live and work downtown, so my commute is a 20-minute walk each way.  i walked it up until 8 months pregnant and during the heatwave in 2010.  my biggest problem was comfortable walking shoes as my feet were terribly swollen.  i bought several pairs and never really found one that worked.  but the swelling could have been due to the heat, which you may not encounter in the winter.  if you want a seat on the subway, just stick your belly out and look as uncomfortable as you can.  there was a time when nobody gave up their seat, and some woman started ranting about how rude the people around me were and she couldn't believe no one would give up their seat until someone did.  you'll be fine!  on days you just can't deal, take a cab.

gymkatinka

I live and work in Manhattan.I'm only a little over 5 months, but so far there have been no problems.

Yes, there is rudeness and pushing on the subway, you just have to be careful.

And no one has given up seats for me.Maybe I'm not showing enough...But don't worry, you will be fine, we both will be fine:) 

bliss611

I live in Queens - borderline Nassau and worked in midtown east when I was pregnant - an hour and 15 min commute each way (driving, a few mins walk to the subway from the parking area and a 5 min walk from subway to office).

I had LO early but worked until the day I went into labor - no problems. Worst was the nausea that I had for way too long but once that went away, it wasn't a big deal. Just don't be shy about asking for a seat if you need it - I think people are willing just uneasy about assuming you're pregnant no matter how obvious it is.

xuxachi

I'm 36 weeks today and have been commuting every day from the UWS to Mid-town East - only a 20-25 minute journey, but through both Times Square and Grand Central.  In the past 6 weeks, I've found that the busy stations are a bit much during rush hour, so I have been going in slightly later and leaving work later, which has been much better.  I don't know what it is at rush hour, but people are very rude and oblvious - I feel like I get bumped around more.   The weather makes a big difference, too - when the heat was around it sucked pretty bad, but thankfully the weather is cooler now and that makes it much more comfortable.  People will usually give up their seat, unless the train is really crowded and sometimes people don't notice as much - especially men who have their noses in BBs, ipads or newspapers.  Good luck! 

desdemona39

I like in bklyn and work on the UWS as well. When I was pg, someone gave me a seat maybe 2x the entire pregnancy, and I worked up until 38 weeks (I was huge!) when I stepped on the train, it was as if people instantly fell asleep and books and newspapers materialized out of nowhere.

Just wear comfy shoes, try not to carry too much extra, and stay away from the door area where you are much more likely to get pushed. GL!

PS- my DH would walk me to the train station when it was icy out- he was waaay paranoid about me taking a tumble.

amyliz33

Thanks everyone!! Great info.

LilMissBrooklyn

I lived in Brooklyn and worked in Brooklyn but I had a 90min commute to work last year. I had to take a bus and train and then walk a few blocks. I did it from Jan to Sept and it wasn't bad at all. Just don't expect to get a lot of people to give you seats on the bus/train. I worked during the heatwave so I always had ice or water with me but other than that things were fine.