I always find disabled spots empty but then again I would never want them to reduce the amount of disabled spots!! (although I think we almost qualify as disabled!! Because we are dis-abled from doing lots of stuff being pg!! Haha)
Lol to the sign!! I migh stick one up!
"I am pregnant and huge so if you don't want your car to get scratched from me trying to squeeze myself into my car, don't park so close!"
I was happily driving down the lot to the parking area in our local shopping centre, some cow zoomed around me, went into the next row, and then pushed in front of me. Took the last place. I ended up parking in one of 3 disabled spots, and this cow who pushed in front of me gave me the filthiest look! You know, with the blasted SPD I prolly could have gotten a disabled sticker, but figured there are people worse off than I, but when it's a horrid slope and I can barely walk ... MEH!
Can you park a bit on an angle, so you have enough room to get out/in OK? And good on you for calling them on the PA!!!
I always drive around and try and find spots that are not too close to the door, but not too far away either although at this time of year it is hard to find even 1 space. We have 2 cars a station wagon and a 2 door hatch and I have now resorted to using the 2 door car to try and make it easier for me to park and get in and out of the car....although having to climb into the back seats with a toddler with my belly already big is becoming a nightmare, but with the station wagon it wasn't just me getting blocked out but also access to the back doors to put DD into her seat as well. I've now moved DD's seat into the middle of the back seat, but it still causes problems.....
At our local shopping centre even the parents with prams car parks are too small for the station wagon, not to mention that there are only 4 spaces WTF...
My local shopping centre has all of two parents with prams parks. And they are actually narrower than the others!
I never found it too difficult getting in and out of my car while heavily pregnant - but I have serious mobility issues since than and am seriously considering applying for a disabled parking permit.
I totally understand what you mean, I've got spd and can't walk far at all, now Christmas is around the corner you have to park miles away. I've now resorted to only going if dh can go with me, he drops me at the door parks & then meets me. I had someone park so close to me I couldn't get in my car & had to ask someone to get my car out for me. We should be able to use the parents parking spaces!
I know what you mean. I remember being heavily pregnant with my 2nd and had my toddler in a pram after shopping came back to the car to find there was no way i was going to be able to open the door to put my toddler in, and I could only just squeeze into the drivers side. Luckily i had had mum with me, so she stood to the side with my toddler, i got in the car, reversed it back and blocked the lane and took my sweet time putting my toddler, pram and shopping in the car. No cars actually came up the lane, but i was ready for an arguement so its lucky for them no one challenged me...lol!
Its rare i go out with my 2 boys by myself, so most of the time I try to park as far left/right (depending which kid i have with me) with out going over the line, yet still being aware the other person has to get in their car too. I also try to park next to poles or gardens too.
I also find those parent with prams spots no bigger then the normal parks and most of the time they're full anyway, cause there is usually only 2 or 3 available. They definitely need more and make them a fraction bigger.
I like the idea of the sign on the back window though, will keep that in mind if/when I'm pregnant again.
Last edited by Frangipani; December 3rd, 2010 at 08:20 PM.
Here in Germany they have parking spaces for females only. Sexist? Yes, but they are wider than normal and are as close as the disabled parking spaces. Fantastic for pregnant women. There are actually always MORE of the female parking spaces than disabled and are almost always there. We also have Parents with prams spaces, but they aren't so common.
I didn't have that problem of not being able to get into the car but I can only imagine how distressed you were finding that you'd been parked in on the few occasions I went to the shopping center I could only walk around for about 30 mins and I'd be ready to go home. I have to admit though that when I was heavily pregnant (can't remember how many weeks) and I was 'very' sore dh and I couldn't find a car park close enough and I said "stuff it! park in a parenting park.... It'd be a brave person to have a go at me in the state I'm in" plus I thought it'd be a pretty heartless parent to say anything considering how much I was waddling and was obviously in pain kwim I wouldn't have even been out of the house if I hadn't of needed to go to that appointment. Besides I fail to see how a mother with kids needs the space anymore than a heavily pregnant woman. Even now that I have bub and the pram etc I think I needed the parking space more when I was pregnant so I really sympathise with you.
Hey didn't have time to read all the replies so not sure if someone's already suggested it, but what about writing to a show like Chanel 7 SUNRISE?? they do stories on things like this all the time and it would get such great publicity through them.
I would be pretty embarrased if I got paged to the carpark - especially if I was in the lines - it's more the fault of the carpark owners for making parks too tiny isn't it?
Actually I think its either the councils or state government as they would set the guidelines for shops etc. to comply with in relation to parking spaces when first built.
I have actually thinking the same thing as I already have trouble getting out of the car and I'm only halfway. I can't imagine what I'll be like towards the end.
I actually work in local government and I just wanted to say that when we assess new developments we can't make them provide bigger bays than what the regulated standards are (I don't know if its through state govt or aust standards or what) so we can only use those as guidelines. Also from my experience in local govt I know that for the purposes of disabled access in buildings etc, pregnant women are included in the temporaily disabled category! Don't know how we'd go getting acrod stickers though!
That's interesting mellybelly about being considered temporaily disabled. A few times while out I had to run into the disabled toilet in shopping centers I felt pretty bad about it but dh said that I was 'disabled' at the time and I needed to go to the bathroom so I should be able to use them. I used them when I had the runs and a disabled toilet was the closest and at other times to dry reach in (not vomiting but i wanted some privacy while I had a massive dry reaching episode) and then while I was heavily pregnant because I needed more room to move my belly and bag etc around in. At the end of the day we are living in a society so I can't imagine anyone having a go at you being pregnant and using facilities which will help you function better.
I hate it when that happens... I also hate it when people park in parenting and disabled parking spaces and their kids are school aged or older teenagers and they don't even have a pram or carseat in their car...
I give those kind of people such dirty looks and talk really loudly where everyone can hear me about how stupid and bad they are lol I get a kick out of it and they get all embarrassed!
And then there's the people at the major shopping centres who drop their kids of at kinder/day care in the morning and park in the parents with prams car parks while they go off to work and leave the car there all day!
Most shopping days (only once a fortnight currently lol) I walk the 1.5km down to the shopping centre anyway, even with these supposedly unstable ligaments of mine lol otherwhise I would never get any exercise since I'm supposed to be on couch rest again lol
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on the few occasions I went to the shopping center I could only walk around for about 30 mins and I'd be ready to go home. I have to admit though that when I was heavily pregnant (can't remember how many weeks) and I was 'very' sore dh and I couldn't find a car park close enough and I said "stuff it! park in a parenting park.... It'd be a brave person to have a go at me in the state I'm in" 
plus I thought it'd be a pretty heartless parent to say anything considering how much I was waddling and was obviously in pain kwim I wouldn't have even been out of the house if I hadn't of needed to go to that appointment. Besides I fail to see how a mother with kids needs the space anymore than a heavily pregnant woman. Even now that I have bub and the pram etc I think I needed the parking space more when I was pregnant so I really sympathise with you.
I felt pretty bad about it but dh said that I was 'disabled' at the time and I needed to go to the bathroom so I should be able to use them. I used them when I had the runs and a disabled toilet was the closest and at other times to dry reach in (not vomiting but i wanted some privacy while I had a massive dry reaching episode) and then while I was heavily pregnant because I needed more room to move my belly and bag etc around in. At the end of the day we are living in a society so I can't imagine anyone having a go at you being pregnant and using facilities which will help you function better.
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