'Stop Touching My Belly!' Moms-To-Be Speak Out
Once you start sporting a cute bump, it’s kind of inevitable that everyone—from family and friends to strangers—will try to touch it, whether they ask you beforehand or not. And trust us, you’ll be in good company. Here, Bumpies share their annoying belly touching moments—and the greatest ways to get people to back off.
“I’m a physician’s assistant, and one day I was standing in a room talking with a patient and his girlfriend. In the middle of my sentence, his girlfriend walked up to me and placed her hand on my belly and said, ‘Just ignore me. I just want to feel him kick.’ She kept her hand there for at least five minutes! What?!” — ACASomeday
“I can’t deal with people touching my belly! It actually took me awhile to get used to my husband and sister touching me. In the beginning, when people would try, I would literally jump back and shriek.” — bubbles412
“The next time someone does that to you, reach out and put your hand on her belly — see how she likes it!” — jkanyugi
“I was at the grocery store, and one of the employees said, ‘Oh my goodness! I can’t help myself!’ and started touching my tummy. She gushed and talked about how wonderful babies are for two minutes. It was just super-weird to have a total stranger do it without even asking.” — dear Hillary
“I already have issues with strangers standing close to me. I know once my tummy becomes big and round, everyone will want to touch it. So I made a plan: I’m just going to tell people I’m fat; then they’ll get uncomfortable and walk away.” — missthick
“If you are not my husband or family, please don’t rub my belly. I do not want to feel like Buddha!” — donalitafawn
“My aunt grabbed my belly from behind at a family function once, and that creeped me out. I shudder to think what’s going to happen if a stranger attempts to touch me.” — bailey81
“At the end of my first pregnancy, I started touching a person’s belly when they touched mine. You get some pretty weird looks, and they don’t know what to say. They eventually take a hint and keep their hands off.” — stephanier
“We were at dinner for my MIL’s birthday. As we were leaving, I went to give my MIL a hug, and she tried to touch my stomach. I jumped back in a moment of panic and said, ‘What are you doing?!’ She was a bit taken aback, but I was freaked out.”— laouli
“I do not like anyone touching my stomach at any time. If anyone ever tries without asking, they’d better believe that they’re getting a belly rub right back. Or a kick in the crotch.” — kfcupcake
“My husband told this old lady at a restaurant that I was pregnant. She started rubbing my belly, and I looked at my hubby like, ‘Get her away from me, please!’ I didn’t say anything to her, though, because she was old and I was too scared.” — scarlettdahlia
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
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