Most anyone who is a mom, has a mom or is married to a mom knows how cumbersome and uncomfortable the last month of pregnancy can be. Simply moving that off-balance body out of the driver's seat is quite an effort. For those who continue a normal lifestyle during pregnancy, this is a non-issue. But for those whose medical doctors recommend limited acitivity or bed-rest in order to maintain the pregnancy, this is a very real issue.

For pregnant moms who are working outside the home, saving extra steps at the end of a long day at work can make the difference between continuing to work and leaving her job earlier than expected.

Kids are people, too!

Pregnant women and new moms who have additional children need to escort these young people via stroller or handholding through busy parking lots. The shorter the distance they need to walk, the safer for all.

While most moms try to keep their newborns home during the first month of life, sometimes they have to take the baby out. Not for a walk around the mall, but to buy food for her family. Most women are suffering with sleep deprivation during the first month or so after childbirth, so walking around the mall is not even a consideration.

Newborns need to eat often. Timing is everything to the mother of the newborn. To go to the market for a few things: As soon as the baby is done eating, change his diaper, bundle him up, get him into the carseat that was probably designed by a childfree human, drive to the market, traverse the lot, get a few things before the baby starts to cry (he is not trying to annoy other shoppers; he is just a baby and is getting hungry again), wait on line while people quibble over price discrepancies with the cashier, hold the baby in one arm while putting groceries on the belt with the other, find the money with one free hand, cuddle baby while pushing cart to the car, put crying baby in carseat, put groceries in car, drive home while singing to soothe baby, take baby in, feed him, get groceries from car. And some moms are also toting a toddler who may not be happy about the new baby.

Personally, I lived on trail mix and Product 19 for the first few months with my twins.

Many men choose to work when, and often before, they become fathers. As a result, they are not available to do the marketing. Many moms do not have parents or in-laws on call to do their errands. These women must continue life. They may even have older children who need to continue life also. After all, a mom doesn't want her children to grow up hating small children. Even with a newborn, a mom may choose to take her older kids to school (required by law in most states), scouts, birthday parties, sports...well, the list could go on. Moms who don't have anyone to help them must take their newborns along with their other young children on these excursions.

I believe these moms and newborns should be extended the courtesy of handicapped parking privileges or at least provided with mandatory stork spots. Some states have already addressed this need.

What we need

I would like to see handicapped parking privileges offered to women during their final month of pregnancy and carried through to six weeks post partum.

How it would work

What I foresee is a temporary Handicapped or Stork Parking windshield sticker or rearview mirror hanger. Each state would provide guidelines and passes to OB/GYN offices, which would supply the passes to moms-to-be.

What do you think?

Is this a valid issue? Does my idea make sense? Let me know what you think. Fill out out the survey .

What you can do

The most important thing you can do is to make your senators and representatives aware of your feelings about this issue. Bookmark this site. Follow the links to find addresses for your congresspeople. Then come back to see a sample letter and the guidelines for writing your letter.

Don't forget to complete the survey.

Who am I?

I am the mother of four daughters: a five-year-old, an eight-year-old and twelve-year-old twins. My ob/gyn suggested I leave work four months before the birth of my twins. It wasn't the working that caused complications; it was the commuting. I was on bedrest for three months, then limited activity until the babies were born.

Once they were about four months old, I walked for miles a day with their double stroller. Walking to the market or library was often easier than getting them out of the carseats and assembling the stroller in the parking lot. (I developed a permanent lower back sprain from taking them in and out of the carseats). I could sit in the library or stop in a park to nurse. Imagine how offensive that must have been to the Childfree by Choice.

My second pregnancy was during the winter of 1994; the winter of ice in the Northeast. I had two three-year-olds and a big belly. Yes, I gained weight when I was pregant—after all, I had a living human inside me.

I'll never forget the day I realized pregant women should be given special parking privileges. After chopping ice in the driveway (supply and demand had driven rocksalt prices way out of proportion) with my three-year-old twins, I decided to take them shopping for bedding for the new baby that was still inside me. My children are and were very good children that behave in parking lots and elsewhere. Since my own parents and inlaws are unavailable to help me and my husband works, I've always taken my children places on my own. Even Disneyworld. You see I am not afraid or incapable of walking or controlling my children.

We didn't go to the mall; I didn't want to put together the stroller in an icy parking lot. Nor did I want to get involved with walking around the mall all afternoon. We went to a free-standing outlet store. When we arrived in the parking lot, I was surprised that all the parking was behind the store. But there was a sidewalk around the building. So I parked. Got my kids out of the car. Bundled them up. Got them over to the icy sidewalk. Walked past 12 — yes 12! — empty handicapped parking spaces. The little ones slipped and slided holding my hands until we all three fell. I guess I should have stayed home the whole winter. But I made the choice to leave my house. Did I deserve to fall because I was healthy enough to leave my house?

While I will never benefit from this action, I would like to help make life a little more comfortable for other pregnant women.