Have you ever had a complete stranger come up to you and touch your bump?

peggels24 · December 2014

Is this a thing? Do complete strangers do this? Note the use of complete stranger - I'm not talking about your second cousin that you barely know - I mean an absolute stranger that you have never before, in your entire life, known.

peggels24 · December 2014

I did not put a SS snowflake option because it's a simple yes or no question.

peggels24 · December 2014

Firefly3911 said:

I've never had a complete stranger touch my bump. I have had them come up and touch C's feet or rub her tummy (wtf?). I know C is a happy baby, but happy =/= touch me.

@firefly3911 That is so offensive - why in the world would a stranger touch anyone? I'm afraid of what I would do if someone tried to touch my child.

Bella9215 · December 2014

Yes. My new house cleaner. Happened today. She also told me I wouldn't be so "fat" in a few weeks. WTF!

Maebb · December 2014

For me it was a restaurant server. We were in Mexico, so maybe it's ok there?

She smiled, and I just smiled back. I felt awkward and didn't know what to do.

I have a friend who is a bit crazy, and he said one time a person touched his daughter at the grocery store (she's 18 months), and he waved his finger at the lady and said "No touchy!"

honeybeee3 · December 2014

Firefly3911 said:
I've never had a complete stranger touch my bump. I have had them come up and touch C's feet or rub her tummy (wtf?). I know C is a happy baby, but happy =/= touch me.

This happens all the time with DS. I especially hate it when strangers grab his hands, since his hands are always going in his mouth. It makes me cringe. Don't touch my baby, dammit!

stephchris0321 · December 2014

Yes, but at least that person asked me if it was ok.

atrinh11 · December 2014

I had a unique experience with this pregnancy. I was in a grocery store and a girl in her teens came up to me and just put both of her hands on my belly. I could tell she had some sort of mental disability. She was with her mother, and her mom was mortified and was trying to coax her away from me. I basically just froze. She was trying to ask me questions, but was a little hard to understand. She ended up asking me how many months pregnant I was, and if it was a boy or girl. Once I answered her questions, she was content and just smiled and walked away.

It was awkward, but I couldn't be mad at her for it or anything.

4littlebears · December 2014

atrinh11 said:
I had a unique experience with this pregnancy. I was in a grocery store and a girl in her teens came up to me and just put both of her hands on my belly. I could tell she had some sort of mental disability. She was with her mother, and her mom was mortified and was trying to coax her away from me. I basically just froze. She was trying to ask me questions, but was a little hard to understand. She ended up asking me how many months pregnant I was, and if it was a boy or girl. Once I answered her questions, she was content and just smiled and walked away.
It was awkward, but I couldn't be mad at her for it or anything.

I had a similar experience with a girl who obviously had special needs, though she didn't touch me. I just smiled and answered her questions. I thought it was sweet she noticed.

TXUltraRunner · December 2014

Yes a very large man walked up to me and didn't say a word, just grabbed my belly. I grabbed his back. He never even reacted. He just said "it's a girl" and walked away. WTF?

peggels24 · December 2014

Bella9215 said:

Yes. My new house cleaner. Happened today. She also told me I wouldn't be so "fat" in a few weeks. WTF!

So you hired her?

KerBear8 · December 2014

I put no. That said, while DH and I were in Santorini in Sept, one of the shop owners came up to me and said "YOU'RE PREGNANT!" and moved to touch my bump and I literally backpedaled to avoid contact.

12chachacha · December 2014

Yes, a lady in the line up for a take-out place. I didn't really do anything, I was kinda taken off guard and she was older.

marvan5 · December 2014

I answered no, I've been pretty lucky with no strangers approaching me AT ALL about it. You know, I got more comments about "are you pregnant?" when I WASN'T pregnant if I wore the wrong style of shirt/dress (thank goodness they never touched me).

Josie400 · December 2014

Yes. Today. I took off my jacket and they weren't expecting to see a pregnant belly and they automatically touched me.

Milagros315 · December 2014

Yes. We were walking our dogs one night and another walker stopped to talk to us and she grabbed my stomach. I just froze. H says he sees her in the neighborhood every now and then, so I plan to avoid her in the future.

marvan5 · December 2014

emmyg65 said:

Oh wait. I said no, but I lied. I was waiting in line for the bathroom at a restaurant and a four-year-old boy waiting with his mom poked my belly button. (It's currently an outie.)

Oh, boys. Did his mom notice?

marvan5 · December 2014

emmyg65 said:

marvan5 said:

emmyg65 said:

Oh wait. I said no, but I lied. I was waiting in line for the bathroom at a restaurant and a four-year-old boy waiting with his mom poked my belly button. (It's currently an outie.)

Oh, boys. Did his mom notice?

Nope. She had two kids and they were running all over the place.

What did you do?

At that point I don't know if my hormones would have allowed me not to comment how inappropriate that was to said boy.

Mrs_Bennett · December 2014

I don't think I've ever had my bump touched by a stranger, but many strangers have touched (or attempted to!) my babies. So annoying, especially when it's a little old lady, so I try to be friendly.

DS2 was been admitted to the hospital for a few days for RSV when he was about 4 months old, and when we were finally released, we stopped at the pharmacy to fill his prescription. DH was standing in line, and I was holding DS2 and looking for baby Vicks. As I rounded the corner of an aisle, this woman ran up to me and reached for him. I said something like, "Oh, don't touch him, he's sick!". But then, without saying anything, she grabbed both of his arms and pulled. I was so horrified, I couldn't even say anything, I just held on to him as tightly as I could! She was obviously mentally impaired, and the woman who was with her ran up immediately and told her to let go. She wouldn't, and it took both me and her friend to pry her fingers off of my baby. Seriously, I know that she probably didn't understand that she couldn't take a stranger's baby, but that should not have happened! I think it took me an hour to stop shaking and calm down afterward...

rodiesmum · December 2014

In our culture touching a bump brings good luck to the one who touches it. I was at a cake store tge other day and a good looking lady approached me and asked if she couls touch my bump as she badly needs to close a deal.
Then there are work parties when newly introd people would request to touch your bump so they could win the raffle. They always ask permission. I feel like am a buddha though. In one party, one person wbo tou bed my bump won a $1k worth of GIFT card. Hahahha

rodiesmum · December 2014

And if u consider random kids strangers. I get a lot of bump touching fr dd's classmates. Dd gets irritated though and tells them not to touch me

readyforround2 · December 2014

I've had 2 random strangers come up to me and touch my belly. The first was in Macys. A little girl (maybe 5) ran up to me and put her hands on either side of my belly and her ear over my belly button and said "can the baby hear me? My little brother could hear me when my mommy was this big." I admit I froze. Her mother ran over and apologized but the little girls response was "but mommy, I just wanted to say hello to the little miracle"....I couldn't be mad.

The second happened at my 3 hour glucose test. I walked in as an older Greek lady was walking out with her nurses aid. She stopped me and put both hands on my belly, said something in Greek then gave me a big hug. Her nurses aid told me that she gave the baby a Greek blessing. Again, I couldn't be mad.

Over all I can't complain. My resting bitch face tends to scare off most people who just "love a baby belly"

lilouboo2 · December 2014

Yes only once on an escalator. It was a disheveled lady who was clearly on drugs, commented on the fact that she was pregnant too and then rubbed my belly. I was too busy feeling bad for her unborn child to know how to react to the belly rub.

LadyXaverian · December 2014

Yes, with my first pregnancy there was a maintenance worker who would sometimes come to the school I worked at who walked by and touched my belly on 3 different occasions. The first 2 times I didn't say anything. The 3rd time, I lost it a little and said in a snippy tone, "Do I know you?? No? Then please stop touching me."

With this pregnancy, I've gotten quite a few unsolicited touches from co-workers and students, which I don't love, but not from strangers.

Beauxbaton · December 2014

I've never had my bump touched by strangers. I barely let people I know touch it. I actually pushed my aunts hand away and told her "don't touch me." I felt kinda bad afterward but it was a guy reaction. I did say sorry, and just explained to her that I don't like being touched

longcat07 · December 2014

Firefly3911 said:

I've never had a complete stranger touch my bump. I have had them come up and touch C's feet or rub her tummy (wtf?). I know C is a happy baby, but happy =/= touch me.

this. a couple people have stroked his cheek too. usually i was too stunned to say anything but by the 4th or 5th time it happened, i finally just said, "please don't touch him."

the closest i've come with the bump is have people point to it, which isn't nearly so bad, but still makes me feel like a bit of a freak show.

susannahbrynn · December 2014

Today. Buying an industrial sized mac n cheese.

Cashier: "that'll be $8.19." *touches bump* "so it's a girl, right? "
Me: *backing up* "nope. It's a boy."
Cashier: "are you sure? Boy? Not girl? But you're so big!"

Thanks.

brickcitylove · December 2014

Yup. A woman at my yoga studio who I never talked once before came up, touched, then leaned down and started talked to the belly. It was weird but kind of broke the ice. We say hi now and she asks how the baby is.

BackseatDriver · December 2014

After getting a prenatal massage the massage therapist touched my bump. I kind of feel like that is a special snowflake.

SheHulk723 · December 2014

I had a drunk lady in a bar touch mine. It was very awkward. She also told me I have to have two additional kids and that they should be boys...

raveness · December 2014

I said no, but it kinda happened? A couple we are good friends with were visiting from out of town and were staying at his parents house. His grandmother, who I had never met before, got really excited when she saw me and immediately started touching my belly. I just smiled; I didn't know what to do. My H and this family are very close; it's one of his best friends. Friend's mom calls my H "son", and H refers to her as "mom". It's not like I could just swat her hand away and get offended.

spoonleg · December 2014

Many strangers have touched my bump. I think the twin thing makes the bump irresistible. Fortunately, I'm not one of those people who gets defensive about it. Generally when people touch pregnant bellies they are only trying to send love and positive energy to the babies inside. I have no problem with that.

Now, people touching little babies once they're on the outside? Not so cool. I know there is no harm meant, but germy stranger hands near my newborn's face would make me anxious.

rayna912 · December 2014

Yes! I was walking to our mailbox (we live in apartments, so it's on the other side of the complex) and this lady was sitting out on her porch and started yelling from the second floor asking how far along I was. She then came all the way down the stairs just to touch my belly.
I had never seen this woman in my life. But I couldn't be mad, she then proceeded to tell me how beautiful and healthy my little girl was going to be. Funny thing, I didn't tell her it was a girl lol O.o

jesswill78 · December 2014

I don't allow anyone to touch my bump. I'm 35+5 and only 3 people have. Hubs, niece and my best friend. I have and will continue to hit arms away. My family knows I don't want people touching so they don't attempt. It's the co-workers that I'm frustrated with. One in particular keeps trying to sneak a touch. Last time I upped the strength of the arm swat. She hasn't tried since.