People Touching Your Belly

[tutmae]

Oh, I don't mind it if friends do it (most of them ask or quickly step back and say "sorry! you must hate that!!), but this random woman came up to me in this shop, grabbed my belly and started rubbing and jiggling it saying "oooh, I just loooved being pregnant! you must toooo". Not only was I just plain shocked, but my m/s is still around and she's very lucky she didn't get thrown up on with all the jiggling. That might have sent the right message. Heehee.

Surely if you just tell your MIL that you're not comfortable with it she'll understand. Or maybe you can just make sure you have one or both of your hands resting on your belly to block her when she goes for the touch.

[~Kim~]

Lol I could teach you all a check drill and a loud "GET BACK" - well it works with offenders....

No truly I hated it too. With my first it happened way more, especially with my mega offensive MIL, but like someone mentioned, I quickly learned to say "Please don't do that" but quietly and only to them so they weren't embarrassed and it didn't cause a confrontation.

This time I haven't even really had any trouble. The girls I work with always ask, and the blokes...well they're funny creatures and always ask. I'm kind of touched by them - that hardened coppers can be so excited by it.

[Lolli]

This time I haven't even really had any trouble. The girls I work with always ask, and the blokes...well they're funny creatures and always ask. I'm kind of touched by them - that hardened coppers can be so excited by it.

Awwww

[Megan]

My MIL knows I don't like it, so hasn't tried it since I was about 8 weeks when I told her I don't like it. As my belly gets bigger every time I see her, I can see her itching to touch but she isn't game enough to ask!
I've had friends who have had nosey people in supermarkets and other public places just walk up and touch. If that happens to me I will definitely rub their belly back and ask how they like it. It's just plain rude.

[cazoraz]

I hate it too. I made my feelings very well known early on though via a funny story.

A lady at my work who I barely knew one day came up to me and started rubbing my belly, quite seductively I thought, while I was on the phone. I was furious so i put the call on hold, and before she could say anything I said "My boobs have gotten bigger too, would you like to grope them too?"

Needless to say she never spoke to me again

I then retold the story quite proudly ta MIL's house and my BIL and SIL took the hint and stopped trying to grope me every time I saw them.

Second pregnancy I also made myself a t-shirt with an iron on transfer that said "NO you can not touch my belly!"

hope that helps!
xxxCaz

[tattoo_mama]

Haha maybe you girls should get some tattoos or piercings, nobody except my dp has tried to rub my bump, I think they are scared of me...I always hear ppl in my shop saying "that goth girls pregnant"...im not goth! Lol
My niece who is 20 months loves touching it, only for the fact she thinks its a balloon...Lmao
Just remember ppl are curious creatures....nobody is trying to offend you by touching your belly! Try taking it as a compliment

[Catastrophic]

I am only just getting a noticable bump and already have people touching it... i love it when DF does it and the kids! BUT girls at work are doing it ! aghhh! me thinks its going to get worst before it gets better...

But what i hate more then people touching my bellyis... people touching my newborn! Aghhh drives me up the wall get your dirty hands away !

[Junglemum]

I can't stand people touching my belly, not even DH unless i invite him to. A bit extreme perhaps...... but yanno.

Besides the rubbing back, or saying please don't, i find talking about how much i don't like it lets people know how i feel. My whole family know i really don't like it so now it is a bit of a joke and if a new person is around they say "go on , touch her belly, i dare ya" and everyone has a laugh, so at least it is out there!

[~ Mylitta ~]

Luckily I don't mind people touching my belly, but I still think it's good manners for them to ask first. There is a girl at my work who is now pregnant as well, and I don't think she will cope very well when people try to touch her once her belly grows. She is definitely NOT a touchy-feely kind of person, and it wouldn't surprise me if she actually flinched and jumped back if anyone tried to rub her belly.

For me personally, I enjoy showing off my bump and letting people have a bit of a touch (and a chat in the case of one girl, lol). But I'm not sure how I would react if it were a perfect stranger though...

[MummyNaomi]

My MIL rubbed mine once and I must have given her a weird look as she hasn't done it again, when people do it its usually so out of the blue that its a bit of a shock - but raising your eyebrows and asking "Are you right there?" usually does the trick.........

The other thing I read in a pregnancy magazine which I'd love to see say is "I'm not a Genie, so feel free NOT to rub me" LMAO

We have a newsletter at our work which we all contribute too, so I wrote a small funny article about the pro's and con's of being pregnant with one of the con's being "People rubbing my belly, the next person who rubs it will get a belly rub back, don't dare me" and I have been left alone at work since. Although it was written in a funny context, the message was still there

Naomi

[sloane]

i haven't reached this stage yet, but i'm not looking forward to it - i'm a bit weird about people touching me normally, let alone something quite personal!

i'm still getting used to people peering at my belly once they know to see if i am showing - i've spent years trying to hide the fact that i had a belly anyways & now people staring at it makes me feel so weird! it's like i forget i have an excuse now

[Glamourcide]

Haha maybe you girls should get some tattoos or piercings, nobody except my dp has tried to rub my bump, I think they are scared of me...I always hear ppl in my shop saying "that goth girls pregnant"..

Hahaha, agreed. I was pretty lucky when pg with DD, only my mum seemed to be obsessed with touching my belly all the time.. after a while I got to the point of practically yelling, 'SHE'S ASLEEP, NOTHING TO FEEL HERE!' as soon as she walked in the door to ward her off...
I did have issues with a couple of random strangers just waltzing up and giving the ol' gut a good pat every so often, mostly older people who probably just didn't realise that it's no longer 'appropriate' (was it ever? probably) to just touch a random person's belly, even if that person is pregnant. I just suffered through it with a smile though because the perpetrators seemed to be sooo happy for me to be carrying a baby... sweet, really. But still kind of weird.

[*The_Mrs.*]

I absolutly hate it. I thought I would be one of those people that would want to share my belly with everyone. Yet it almost feels like someone is invading my privacy everytime. I would just rather everyone would wait until the baby is born and love on it not my belly.

[Melbournemumma]

I don't mind people rubbing my belly, although I have to say I haven't had very many. There's the guy in the cafe who's really nice. He's married and they've just had another baby. Apart from that there haven't been too many people.

But if you're not the kind of person who likes people invading their personal space at the best of times, I can imagine it would be annoying having people think they can touch your belly without asking.

[~*Niadalla*~]

Doesn't worry me at all. Same as all of the 'crikey you are HUGE' comments. I love the attention my belly gets.
Wait until I'm about 36 weeks onwards and people stare at me though. I was cranky last time about that....

[~Hestia~]

OMG I am so happy I found this thread!! Some of the tips you girls have said are hilarious
I have had a few girls at work rub my belly and I HATE it!! I probably wouldn't mind if they asked first. But when I'm at work, running around just doing my job & they stop me by rubbing my belly, I just find it so inappropriate. I'm sure they don't mean to be offensive, but it still is. I never know what to say to them. I have started telling some people that I really hate it, hopefully word will spread around & I won't have to worry about it
But it gets worse...the other day at work this lady I barely know came up to me and...LIFTED...UP...MY...SHIRT I was so shocked!! I normally hate confrontation but I just reacted & said something like "Don't do that!!" & yanked my shirt back down. I had no idea people would do this, lucky I had my Bando thing on because I can't do up my pants at all & my fly is always undone
I think if my MIL was to touch without permission I would say nicely "I'd rather you didn't do that". That goes for anyone close to me.
If a stranger was to touch my belly that's a whole other story. I'd have no hesitation in telling them where to go, I don't care what they think of me because I don't know them.
It's the acquaintances & colleagues that are hard to deal with. Because I see them everyday I don't want them to think less of me. Isn't that silly when we're the ones feeling violated?

[Glamourcide]

I would just rather everyone would wait until the baby is born and love on it not my belly.

You say that now, but just wait... once the bub arrives you will despise anybody who dares to lay a finger on it without your express permission!!
When I was in hospital after having DD, I barely got to touch her because my parents and in-laws kept inviting all their friends up to have a nurse, poor DD was being passed back and forth like a football... I wanted to just punch everyone and tell them 'SHE'S MINE! GIVE HER BACK!!'

[Toomanytoomany]

Cheezelmonster, I think I'd be reporting that - that is grossly inappropriate behaviour for the workplace. How dare they! In fact, anyone being touched in the workplace without being asked their permission should go and speak to their HR person and get a memo sent around reminding people about what is and isn't acceptable behaviour. As far as I'm concerned, it's sexual harassment.