No touchy?

Mirkyjedi

So my baby shower is coming up and I'm almost in a panic about it. I'm a person who needs her personal space and I am definitely not okay with people touching my baby bump. The hubby is fine but I can't stand it when other people, including my immediate family, try to touch the bump. It's uncomfortable and awkward. They say that they are trying to feel the baby move, but our little one is active at night and rarely during the daytime. 
I'm an introvert and these types of gatherings are uncomfortable for me due to the attention.
I don't want to come off as rude or anything to my guests, which will consist of only close friends and family, but I absolutely do NOT want to be touched and I know that there will be people there that will attempt to.

HELP!

MMason12

I am the same way, I cannot stand people (minus my DH or the doctor when need be) touch me.  I love my personal space.  I will have zero issues telling people to please not touch my belly as it makes me uncomfortable. 

ArgyleBride

Wear a tarantula.  Or maybe something that hisses.

But seriously, I dunno.  Laugh, step back, "You can hold the baby when s/he gets here"?

RibbitGrl930

Estwd2 said:

It is incredibly rude for people to touch someone's belly without asking. So I say you go right ahead and grab a handful of their belly, give it a little jiggle, and say "I'll show you mine if you show me yours!"

Lol...I love it.

BlondieBia21

Keep your arms over your belly. Act like you are touching him/her so it doesn't look unnatural. If people try to touch, step back and avoid it.

MJM3108

Estwd2 said:

It is incredibly rude for people to touch someone's belly without asking. So I say you go right ahead and grab a handful of their belly, give it a little jiggle, and say "I'll show you mine if you show me yours!"

This didn't happen at my baby shower, but in a store by a random stranger... The look on that woman's face when I touched her belly and said "Awkward, isn't it?" was priceless! 

ETA- For whatever reason, people seem to lose all sight of personal space/ boundaries in general when it comes to pregnant women.... It's like the bump is a beacon flashing out "come touch me" or something. Blech! 

jblank03

Get one of those shirts that says 'hands off' or something like that to wear to the shower :P

https://www.cafepress.com/+no-touch+womens-maternity


No, I'm not really recommending you wear a t-shirt to your shower but maybe then people would get the hint...

kjenkins346

I actually had someone try to touch my belly for the first time at my shower so I do agree that the baby being the focus (point of the shower) does seem to encourage people for some reason.

When I saw her coming with her hand out, I stepped back and said that I didn't want anyone touching my belly but she wouldn't let it go and it ended up being pretty awkward.  I made a joke and tried to explain it away by saying that some people get "weird" about their personal space while pg and I guess I'm one of them.  Then my DH's grandmother, who had just heard me explain to this other woman how I didn't want to be touched, tried to rub my stomach quickly before I could stop her when I went to hug her and ended up rubbing my boob instead.  Fun Fun. 

What is it with people not understanding that just because you are pregnant doesn't mean that you body doesn't still belong to you and you have the right to tell people  to keep their hands to themselves 

neverblushed

Honestly, in the entire 18 months of my combined pregnancies, I think my belly was touched without permission only once.  And even that time the person who did it immediately realized how awkward it was and recoiled/apologized.

People don't generally feel like they get to feel up the MTB's belly for free just because it's a baby shower. 

Yes -- some clueless person may ask to touch your belly to "see if the baby's moving."  If you're not comfortable with it just say, "actually, I really dislike having my belly touched for some reason.  Thanks for asking and not just assuming it was okay.  I promise when the baby is born, you can hold the actual baby instead."