Italian chef, opera singer, and mum-of-two Silvia Colloca was made to stand for over two hours whilst waiting for her test results in hospital, despite being 27 weeks pregnant.
The wife of Australian actor Richard Roxburgh took to Facebook this week to vent her frustration at the young crowd of patients in the hospital waiting room who refused to give her a seat.
“I’m posting this picture to give you a good idea that I look obviously pregnant,” wrote the 39-year-old chef.
“However none of the people occupying all the seats in the small waiting room at the pathology centre seem to be aware of it, as NONE has yet offered a visibly pregnant lady a seat…”
“So, here I am, standing amongst a small crowd of seemingly youthful people, all avoiding to make eye contact with me. I’m fit and healthy, I can stand up (although I’ll be here for two hours for my gestational diabetes test), but I still think this is very sad to observe.”
Silvia was visiting the hospital for her routine 28-week gestational diabetes test.
The test is uncomfortable at the best of times, involving a blood test, and drinking a large amount of sugary mixture to test your glucose response levels. To be standing – especially when there were seats available – would have been more than frustrating.
Silvia’s post has garnered a sympathetic response from her online followers.
“I hear you Sylvia,” wrote one Facebook user. “I used to catch the tram into work and also obviously pregnant, but no one any time gave me a seat, often I would need to leave the tram and wait for a less crowded one as I would feel nauseous…humanity.”
“What a sad state of affairs!” wrote another fan. “People have no manners these days.”
C’mon, people.
It’s common sense, and common courtesy. When a woman is pregnant – as Silvia clearly is – you stand up and offer your seat.
And for the pregnant ladies out there, don’t be afraid to ask for a seat. If they aren’t going to have the manners to give it their chair? Make them!
Top Comments
when my best friend was pregnant she would regularly ask for a seat on the train to and from work. She stopped doing it because more often that not she was told no (and often to F off) and that she chose to be pregnant, she chose to take the train, she wasn't "ill" and she shouldn't assume she should get special treatment. It was easier to sit in her car on the monash for an hour every morning and every night in the end.
I'm pregnant but I don't assume anything. I would ask for a seat but then I'm pregnant using a cane as I have major pelvis issues.
Usually at a pathology centre people come and go so in the 2 hours she was there, there would have been a spare chair at one stage.