DO NOT TOUCH!
DATE: 05.13.10 TIME: 15:02 PM



I honestly do not know ONE pregnant woman who thinks it’s ok for some stranger to walk up to them and touch their pregnant belly. So please tell me WHY so many strangers feel this is ok? Do I walk up to you and touch YOUR belly? NO. So why are you going up to pregnant women touching theirs?

I’ve been pretty lucky so far not to encounter this to an extreme. For the first five months, the only person touching my belly was my husband and my RE nurse (and she is allowed because she helped to produce this little growing being inside of me!). The first person other than these two people to touch my belly without asking was my closest friend in NYC. I was about 20 weeks pregnant, and it was a little shocking at first. I actually blurted out….”WOW! you are the FIRST person other than Charlie to touch my belly!” She was like….”Oooopppsie! Is that ok?” To which I replied, “Yeah! You’re one of my closest friends!”

A couple of days later, a woman who works for the same organization I do, but does not work in my department, saw me in the elevator and her hand immediately gravitated towards my belly. Not good. NOT. GOOD. AT. ALL. It took me everything I had to not brush her hand away. I was extremely uncomfortable and what was worse is that WE WERE IN AN ELEVATOR!!! I couldn’t back up. I couldn’t move forward. This woman had her hand resting on my belly for a little too long. But what the hell was I supposed to say? It wasn’t like she was a complete stranger. I couldn’t be shitty. I work with her!

A few days ago, I had dinner with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few months. It was the first time she’d seen me since we found out we were pregnant. She actually asked to touch my belly - which I thought was sweet considering I would have been fine if she just went for it.

But, really, people. Watch the hand. Just because you see some pretty pregnant woman, it does not give you the right to touch her when she may not want to be touched. Just ask. It’s common courtesy! It’s almost too bad the baby can’t stick her hand out of my belly button. THAT will give you a shock now, wouldn’t it?