To Touch or Not To Touch?

When pregnant it almost seems like a knee jerk reaction for you to reach out and touch the mom-to-be's belly and give it a rub. I have mixed emotions about this. I don't mind it when it comes from family and friends who I know, love and trust. But when it is unsolicited from a total stranger I do have to admit it is a little creepy. I read an article which I will re post below that says since it is my body I have the right to say "No". It's just an odd situation to be in. I like the idea I read in another article that said to say "the baby is asleep and I don't want to wake him/her" when it comes to people wanting to touch my belly. LOL Here is one of the articles.

Everyone wants to touch the baby, especially during the pregnancy, but doesn’t it seem like nobody asks before touching? If you haven’t noticed yet, the minute you start to show a pregnant tummy, everyone else will gladly reach out their hands to show you how big your belly is. The tummy becomes this magical, super powerful magnet for hands, and everyone wants to handle it. It doesn’t matter if you are walking around in a store, sitting down in a restaurant, or walking on your own street – someone is bound to start rubbing their grimy hands all over it and driving you crazy.

Your belly, clothed or not, is a personal space; sure, there is someone intruding inside you, but that person inside is very welcome. But to actually touch someone else’s belly, one should ask before they do it, and then kindly respect your answer. If you don’t want them to touch it, just tell them. While some women don’t mind all the attention, there are other women that don’t want their bellies touched; much less do they want their bellies showing for the whole world to see. Maybe they’ve gained 10 pounds, and they feel conscious enough about it, or they could be a very private person. There is nothing wrong with either at all.

Children may also want to touch your pregnant belly; usually, it’s because they know someone that has had a baby recently who permitted them to do that. If you don’t like it, let them know. If you don’t mind them touching your belly, you may at least want to hold their hand and place it gently on your belly. Children tend to get excited, and they can actually smack the belly when they are trying to reach for it.

Forget about the soft and smooth rubbing of the belly for a moment; be careful that you don’t get the person that likes to poke at it. Poking at your belly can hurt more than anything, and most of the time “belly pokers” just don’t get it. Try explaining to them as nicely as you can that it really does hurt. They may only be doing it because they want to see the baby move, and, when you jump, they just think it is part of the pregnancy reaction. If you let them know how painful it really is, in the future, they may think twice before doing it again to you or anyone else.

If nothing else seems to work, and you’ve been polite in letting people know that your belly is off limits, feel free to launch your husband onto them or even start shooing and swatting. You’ve already given fair warning. You’ve got every right to defend yourself – including your pregnancy belly. Don’t feel bad if you smack a person that lifts up your shirt in broad daylight either. This is a normal reaction, and people should really think twice before doing it. They wouldn’t do it if you weren’t pregnant.