The stranger bellyrub

[klwa]

Come on! You know you have a story. Either where they took you by surprise or they tried to & you were able to deflect it!

Yesterday, took the kids to see Finding Nemo by myself. As we were leaving, we stopped by the bathroom & DD decided to pitch a fit. Since we were the only ones in there at that moment, I stepped around the partition to calm down a bit before dealing with her. (Lovely pregnancy hormones!) While standing there, an older lady (Not old - I'd say 50's-60's.) walks up to use the bathroom. And starts speaking to me. Asks how far along I am, etc. Then when my head is somewhat turned to look around at DD, she starts rubbing me.

Seriously, what makes people think it's okay to do this?

[roseyloxs]

:hysterical:

I am actually really lucky. No adult has ever rubbed my belly (except for DH of course) and I am on pregnancy #3. Maybe I just have a very intimidating, 'don't touch me or I'll kill you' look. Kids(mostly girls) do it to me all the time though but they are always cute and gentle so it hasn't bothered me yet.

[swissair81]

:hysterical:

I am actually really lucky. No adult has ever rubbed my belly (except for DH of course) and I am on pregnancy #3. Maybe I just have a very intimidating, 'don't touch me or I'll kill you' look. Kids(mostly girls) do it to me all the time though but they are always cute and gentle so it hasn't bothered me yet.

:yeahthat: 5 completed pregnancies and no one touches me. Should I lend you my invisible 'keep yer hands off or I'll remove them' sign?

[specialp]

I have never had the stranger belly rub either.

[AngB]

No stranger belly rubs here either. I actually get very few comments, and when I do they are usually of the "god bless you" variety since I usually have (almost)17 month old DS with me.

I don't particularly care for friends and family to do the belly rub thing either, so it's mostly just DS and DH, who are definitely allowed.

[ehlana06]

I, unfortunately, have experienced the stanger belly rub. Actually, with DS2 I was so big near the end that people seemed magnatized to my stomach. I didn't mid it sooo much when it was a little 80 year old lady as I figured she was remembering when she was pregnant with her own or something. What creeps me out is the men. One time when I was in the grocery store some creepy hill jack looking man probably in his 50's walked up to me and grabbed my stomach from both sides and said "GOOD LORD what are you having twins or something?" Fortunately DH walked up and made the guy leave.

[flashy09]

Ugh, I still feel grossed out thinking about the time it happened to me. Weirdest man around at the racetrack came up to me and said "Dh (said first and last name of husband) got you knocked up??" (don't think he knew we were married) and stuck out his hand. I truly thought he was offering some sort of high five/handshake so I stuck my hand awkwardly out, which ended up hitting his hand, because he was going straight for a belly rub. Gross! Since he didn't know I was going for a handshake, it must have come off that I was deflecting his hand and he STILL did it. Yuck. Worst part is that I was too shy and too in shock to do anything and endured a 5-10 second feel up. Yuck.

[Mopey]

Never a stranger but my sister's class full of six year old girls couldn't stop once I said it was okay (and I also do not like even ILs touching me).

The funniest part was that one girl went from rubbing my tummy to rubbing my boobs for a second because she was distracted by the other girls. She turned back to me and blushed so fiercely it was hysterical! Whoopsy.

[pinay]

Not necessarily a stranger, but a coworker that I don't know well- right after we sat through an hour long sexual harassment training! What part of "no touching others inappropriately" did not make sense???

[ellies mom]

I must just give off a vibe. Because out of both pregnancies, I've only had one stranger rub my belly. I was at the fabric store trying to pick fabrics to redo DD1's room and the salesperson who was cutting samples for me reached out and patted my belly. She was really sweet and I was more surprised than bothered but I do wonder why people think that is OK.

[klwa]

Not necessarily a stranger, but a coworker that I don't know well- right after we sat through an hour long sexual harassment training! What part of "no touching others inappropriately" did not make sense???

:hysterical: Okay, you win the prize, I think! :)

I don't remember having a stranger walk up to me before this pregnancy, but, since we're also including "people we know", during my first pregnancy, I had told my & DH's parents, but basically no one else. Went to my parents' church for homecoming and had the lady in line behind me start rubbing me. A little lower than my belly. Because my dad had slipped & told her husband & she thought that it would be fine. I wasn't even showing yet! And, like I said, where she was rubbing, no one should touch but me, my doctor, and my husband!

[Hemlock]

I guess I must be weird or something :shrug: because it never really bothered me if someone patted my pregnant belly -unless they were creepy looking. It mostly happened with coworkers or people who attend my church, so I was fine with that. I LOVE being pregnant and I also love to pat CLOSE family members/friends bellies after asking to make sure that it is o.k.

[goldenpig]

Well, I am starting to get patients patting my belly and saying "Are you pregnant?" And I'm only early 2nd trimester. Yikes! Good thing I am pregnant and not just fat or I would be really offended! ;) And I can't really say anything because I have to be nice and it's usually little old ladies who mean well. I guess fair's fair since I am always touching my patients' bellies during the exam, but it's part of my job!

[MamaMolly]

Rub them back, y'all! RUB THEM BACK!! Save the next pregnant woman they encounter the bother of a stranger feel up and RUB THEM BACK!!

[AnnieW625]

No one ever did this to me either, not even my parents or my grandma. As a slight off shoot I never had anyone put their hands and try to touch my babies when they were in their infant seats.

[klwa]

Rub them back, y'all! RUB THEM BACK!! Save the next pregnant woman they encounter the bother of a stranger feel up and RUB THEM BACK!!

I want a like button! Not that I'm brassy enough to actually do it, but because I WANT to be!