I had posted before indicating that my husband (a federal LEO) and I (pregnant) were travelling through DCA and flat out refused to go through the scanners. We just returned home and I figured I'd share some of my observations.

First off, for our early morning flight from DCA the scanners were all roped off and they were only using metal detectors. No pull outs, no further scanning. I stayed away from dresses, skirts, and anything "baggy" within reason, since obviously most of my clothes are maternity and are semi baggy due to that. We were late getting into IAH and had to run to the other side of the airport to make our connecting flight so I didn't notice anything about the security there. So all in all, pretty uneventful from the TSA standpoint.

This morning, we departed from CRP and actually got to the airport right as it opened and the TSA personnel were arriving. They were ONLY using the scanners and I had to wonder if it was because there was a small number of people so they could get quotas done without causing backups. I saw one child clearly under 12 put through the scanner (isn't that not supposed to occur?) and the only signage up were small signs on top of the line roping saying "TSA enhanced procedures in use at this checkpoint." No explanation about what the machine was unless you walked right up to the machine and stood reading the info posted on the side. I opted out, clearly annoying the clerk, and my husband did as well. We were told to walk through the metal detector and then to wait at a gate. Neither of us set off the detector and then when our designated gropers arrived we were told to stand on the mats. My husband went first, told the TSA agent that he was a federal LEO so he was aware of pat down procedure and got the quickest .5 second lack-of-grope ever and was on his way.

I got the entire speil explaining how they would feel my legs until they met resistance, feel my chest, etc. Then they asked if any part of my body was uncomfortable/sore. She also asked that since I was clearly pregnant was my pant waistline above the bump or below. I was offered a private room. I declined the private room and got quite a thorough pat down. The only thing they did not do was much manuevering around my breasts, the TSA agent mentioned that she had kids so maybe she was aware that pregnant women really aren't keen on having their constantly sore breasts touched? What I did think was odd is that I was wearing jeggings and the amount of feeling up and down the legs seemed excessive. Clearly I can't fit anything extra in those unless it's in a body cavity. They definitely DID come in contact with my genital area.

She ran around my waistband but did not lift up my shirt (long hemmed to almost mid thigh) to do so. I sarcastically said to my husband later that I wondered if they were afraid of flashing pregnant belly to other patrons.

She also had a running conversation with herself while groping about how the patdowns really weren't as bad as everyone was making them out to be and how everyone is overreacting, blah blah blah. She also told me how all of them were forced into the scanners for training and how it was worse for them because the person being trained on the images could see exactly who was going through so now they all knew what their coworkers looked like (I guess to try to make me feel silly for being concerned?). I asked her if she was aware that zero studies have been done on the safety of pregnant women and their fetuses going through them. She stopped rambling.

Once through, we sat down to eat some breakfast with full view of the security area and realized that out of that time, plus those going through ahead and with us we were the only two to opt out. Everyone else just goes through like sheep asking zero questions. It's really sad.

At IAH we passed two security areas on our way to our transfer gate and one had all the scanners roped off and the other was using them for random selection, which of course means that anyone on our flight from IAH to DCA likely "just" got metal detector screening so making super, doubly sure that the two of us coming from CRP on our flight weren't terrorists was totally effective in keeping the plane from being attacked.

It was an interesting eye opening experience since I had not flown since the "enhanced" procedures went into effect. Overall impressions- useless, stupid and the only thing they really show is how ridiculously complacent Americans really are.