Belly Touching?!

kayldawn · August 2016

I'm just about 19 weeks and yesterday, had a complete stranger come up to me and rub my belly (this is the first time this has ever happened to me!!

)

Has this happened to you yet? If so, what did you do? I just stood there in shock because some random person was touching me lol, but would love to know how you have handled / would handle this kind of situation!!! Thanks!

TinaBelcher · August 2016

I am very quick with "please don't touch me"

it's not rude because I said please and also it's MY fucking personal space, they're the rude ones! (No strangers have attempted this, also no friends, but acquaintances and family have and I am not ok with any of it)

bab&tjp · August 2016

One of my good friends over the weekend touched my belly a cpl times. It was awkward only mainly because I feel like I have a lot of fluff still and not a round belly. I was full from dinner which made me look bigger but really I am still squishy. I didn't say anything but inside I felt so awkward.

AlabamaRedhead · August 2016

Ugh, I hate it. With DS, I had a VERY touchy coworker, I let her know straight up, do not touch the belly. She kinda took offense, but I don't care. I've never seen another health condition where people want to touch something...like, oh, a bunion! Let me touch it!

I only want close family/husband/son to touch my belly, that's it. It boggles my mind why people want to touch me like a wishing stone.

colleenkevin · August 2016

The small handful of times this has happened to me it's been at least an acquaintance, no strangers, but I've been so caught off guard that I froze in the moment and didn't know what to do or say. If it happens this pregnancy I'm really hoping I can keep my wits about me enough to say something like @TinaBelcher - polite but stern.

LoveIsOwlYouNeed · August 2016

Agree with the "please don't touch my belly" and sometimes the addition of "I am not touching you uninvited, am I?"

People can be so weird with pregnant women.

christac1010 · August 2016

I didn't realize until my husband pointed it out, but apparently I physically recoil when someone touches my belly. I never even realized I was doing it. My bump is very rounded, so I guess everyone feels it's open season for touching. To quote a shirt I desperately need to buy, "If you didn't make it, don't touch it."

JayneL99 · August 2016

I am probably in the minority, but, for some reason, belly touching doesn't bother me one bit.

asnowsurfer · August 2016

I feel so lucky that a stranger hasn't done this to me yet, but I even recoiled when my little sister rubbed my belly a couple weeks ago! I couldn't believe how much it bothered me even though this is my sibling we're talking about here - I don't know what I'd do if I didn't know the person! Sheesh.

I'm normally so snarky too so the fact that my brain shut down was alarming. I didn't even have two witty words to throw together...

Michellewfhs · August 2016

cjs260 · August 2016

I've only had acquaintances/friends do it so far, but I just employ the "touch back". They touch yours, you touch theirs, and when they jump back or look shocked you say, "Oh, I thought we were playing 'touching bellies'!"

ThePax89 · August 2016

I don't mind belly touching, but a stranger has never touched my belly so I'm not sure how I'd react. BUT...I hate when strangers touch my baby. Strangers WILL touch your baby. Old ladies especially.

kayldawn · August 2016

AlabamaRedhead said:

Ugh, I hate it. With DS, I had a VERY touchy coworker, I let her know straight up, do not touch the belly. She kinda took offense, but I don't care. I've never seen another health condition where people want to touch something...like, oh, a bunion! Let me touch it!

I only want close family/husband/son to touch my belly, that's it. It boggles my mind why people want to touch me like a wishing stone.

"Oh, a bunion! Let me touch it!"

hahahahaha

jsl82 · August 2016

Haha " If you didn't make it, don't touch it" I couldn't agree more. I do not want anyone but my husband touching my belly.

My mother keeps rubbing my stomach even though I have repeatedly told her not to. It makes me really worried for the future- if she won't listen to this request what is she going to let the baby do that I tell her not to. I was hoping that I would be able to rely on her to baby-sit from time to time, but I am not sure anymore.

Carly79 · August 2016

@lillynch2015 If your mom isn't getting the hint, try rubbing her belly the next time she rubs yours. Maybe it will be such a surprise that she will get the picture.

karaelaine1991 · August 2016

ThePax89 said:

I don't mind belly touching, but a stranger has never touched my belly so I'm not sure how I'd react. BUT...I hate when strangers touch my baby. Strangers WILL touch your baby. Old ladies especially.

Ugh yes to this. I haven't had a stranger touch my belly ever, including last pregnancy, but old ladies have touched DD on several occasions. When I say, "please don't touch her, we're a bit nervous about germ exposure," I almost always get a nice long speech about how they have this many grandchildren and that many great grandchildren and they would NEVER hurt my baby blah blah blah... doesn't change the fact that I don't know you and you have no right to touch my kid.

Wholesome · August 2016

Wait until you give birth. Complete strangers feel entitled to come touch your baby - they are all obsessed with tiny feet and hands and don't care if they are coughing up a lung or haven't washed their hands in three years.

cultivate your resting bitch face and map out your reactions to all people now. It gets worse.

Dinozaur · August 2016

The thought of just slapping the person's hand away and walking off without saying a word is hilarious to me. Not sure if I'm daring enough to try it, but maybe enough hormones will kick in. (I know it's rude, but it's extremely rude to me to walk up and touch someone without even asking permission and giving them a chance to say no.)

sarahmsoda · August 2016

When I saw my aunts for the first time since I shared the news this weekend they all touched my belly, it is VERY obvious now and pretty perfectly round but I made a funny face every time they started to touch it so no one lingered because they could tell I have a pretty large personal bubble and it makes me uncomfortable. I am not a huge hugger either so I am not a huge fan of people touching me (except my hubby!)

shlecks · August 2016

At this point it weirds me out even when my husband does it. I think it's because there's not much there yet so it just feels like people are rubbing my regular belly. I feel like when I'm big and round it may not bother me as much but I have no idea.

scgirl6113 · August 2016

@shlecka yes I second what you said! Right now it feels weird because baby is still so low! But I know in my last two pregnancies it didn't really bother me in the end of someone I KNEW well touched my belly or wanted to feel the baby kick. Although I will say that I expect anyone to ask first. It's never okay for a random stranger to touch your belly or even ask to though. Just no.

jlinke926 · August 2016

I haven't had anyone do this yet (thank GOD!!) but I'm pretty sure my reaction would be similar to that of @TinaBelcher

colleenkevin · August 2016

scgirl6113 said:

@shlecka yes I second what you said! Right now it feels weird because baby is still so low! But I know in my last two pregnancies it didn't really bother me in the end of someone I KNEW well touched my belly or wanted to feel the baby kick. Although I will say that I expect anyone to ask first. It's never okay for a random stranger to touch your belly or even ask to though. Just no.

This is what bothers me the most about belly touching - there is a difference between randomly rubbing a belly and actually feeling a baby kick. I am okay with telling a friend or family member when the baby is kicking and letting them try to feel the baby move, but I don't like the idea that someone gets curious about what my body feels like and decides to touch it without permission. I don't go around touching muscular men, old people, women with large perky books, etc. just because I'm curious what their muscles/skin/breasts feel like. I mean, I corrected DD this weekend for reaching out and touching a girl's braids/beads without permission because we don't touch people without permission just because we're curious about what they feel like!

katesmama0706 · August 2016

@Wholesome omg yes all the new baby touching is so annoying! Even with my baby in the boba wrap people still got all "ooooh lemme touch the baby anddddd get right in your boobs". I just finished telling my cousin I'm considering a full lock down this winter to keep people's cold and flu germs away from my winter baby cause my July baby was bad enough.

LeahNicole · August 2016

Up until Sunday the belly touching hadn't really bothered me. Prior to Sunday it had just been a quick touch that was kinda awkward, but I wasn't bothered. Sunday on the other hand I went to say good bye to my grandma and she touched all over my belly, like rubbed around as if trying to find where the baby was. Then I sat down in my chair while everyone else hugged my grandparents goodbye, as she walked by she again bent down and rubbed my belly. When I'm sitting down it feels even more like I just have a big food baby...

clichedemorgy · August 2016

I think I'm in the minority too. I've not had strangers do it yet but I feel like I won't mind. I was a theatre kid and we were all touchy feely anyway.

My close friends have even kissed my belly, with permission of course, which I felt was endearing.

mommywesley · August 2016

Never did bug me with my previous 4, and don't foresee it bugging me this time. Totally a personal thing and people SHOULD ask first regardless. I don't think it's crazy for most of you to not like it, and I don't think it's crazy for those of us that just don't care lol. I view it as hugging. I have a couple friends, good friends, who are so repulsed by hugging they go out of their way to not hug people, occasionally though, they will run into someone at our church or something who is a BIG hugger and you can just see them cringe.

Anyway, if a stranger was going to touch my belly I would probably be uncomfortable, but I also probably wouldn't say anything because chances are of me ever seeing them again is like 0. If I could catch them BEFORE they touched me then I would probably say something to prevent it though.

therealfrizzle · August 2016

A close friend of mine is pregnant as well (due March) and she told my BIL yesterday. He motioned to rub her belly and she snapped at him, "If you rub mine, I'm rubbing yours!" So I went ahead and rubbed his. He just looked at me and giggled (he's extremely ticklish). it was a pretty amusing situation.

When I first told BIL I was expecting, he had rubbed my belly to say good bye to baby on his way out and I informed him that baby wasn't in my belly, but much lower (since I was only 6-7 weeks at the time). He has since not rubbed my belly because I made it so awkward the first time. LOL

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