Talking about boundaries, have any of you mothers had ladies ask to pat your pregnant stomach?

[MoonRiver]

It's thought to be good luck, and I've had that happen to me during all my pregnancies. I thought it was weird but let them do it. The patters always said nice things like I hope your baby is beautiful and healthy, etc.

[janterry]

1. Just once

I've heard women say it happens all the time, but to me - just the once

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. It never happened to me, but many of my friends reported people touching without asking.

Women's bodies are not seen as their own.

[SoCalDem]

13. Two of my black friends had strangers (met at a party)

ask if they could touch their hair.. They each said NO..

[Ohiogal]

26. Pregnant 3 times

People ... complete strangers ... would pat my stomach without asking when I was in a public place
It was unavoidable. I did not like it.

[JoeOtterbein]

3. Funny, my wife was saying the same thing this morning but added that

other women in particular will just go ahead and touch without even asking.

[MoonRiver]

7. It's possible people did that to me without asking, but it's been so long I can't remember!

Since only women did this, I didn't mind and understood it goes with the territory, lol.

[MuseRider]

4. It happened to me a lot

usually at the grocery store or a place like that. It was always women and I did not mind it at all. To me, at least at that time, it was almost like our club. We are the only people who get to experience it and motherhood is something wonderful so it never occurred to me to question it.

What I minded were the people who came up several months after giving birth who touched me and said, "I see you are a new mom." When I looked puzzled they mentioned I had a little burp up on the back of a shoulder. While it was helpful to know I was always a little embarrassed. **Just an aside from part of the club.

[Bettie]

5. All the time

and I smiled and let them.

I was so excited to be far enough along to be showing and having things going well that it was a joy to have people notice and wish me luck. I needed it after a full term loss and miscarriages.

[Laffy Kat]

6. I worked for several neonatologists (newborn doctors) while pregnant with both of mine.

They were male doctors and were always patting my pregnant belly. It didn't bother me at the time--of course, this was 20+ years ago. Several of my female co-workers also patted my baby bump and that didn't bother me either, in fact, I probably patted theirs too, since we were all having our babies at the same time and we were good friends. I don't think I ever had a stranger do it and I'm sure I would not have liked that. It would never occur to me to touch a stranger's womb, either.

[Autumn]

8. I had one woman ask me, I very loudly told her Hell no you can't touch my stomach.

Why the hell would I want a stranger to touch my baby belly to satisfy their fetish. .

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. My pregnant neighbor was just complaining about this last week.

[Autumn]

10. Can you imagine if someone were to ask the husband of a pregnant woman

"Can I pat your penis"? A pregnancy was always a personal thing to me.

[912gdm]

18. ball pat

A nice atta-boy!






you made me legit LOL

[Luciferous]

11. I had people pat my stomach without asking me.

I worked in retail when I was pregnant with my first and a LOT of women would just do it without even asking. I thought it was pretty rude.

[DesertRat]

12. Yes, and I had women and men pat my pregnant belly

I never liked it, even when they were offering good wishes. I remember a stranger in a grocery store touched by belly and commented that I must be having a (boy or girl, can't remember now) because of the way I was carrying.
It made me uncomfortable as did people asking how far along I was then commenting about the size of my belly.

[SoCalDem]

15. My friend Debbie had a shirt made

She was quite overweight and people would ask her when she was due.. Her shirt said.."I'm not pregnant...just fat"

Need I say that she was a hoot !!!

[DesertRat]

16. Perfect!

[dawg day]

28. It's also important to notice that the "pregnant woman" with the newborn in her arms--

doesn't want to be asked, "When's the baby due?" and have to explain she just hasn't lost all the weight yet.

I know people just mean to be friendly, but there are landmines there, everyone.

[MrsMatt]

14. Never.

two pregnancies (22 and 14 years ago).

Although I did have a coworker who, when I announced I was pregnant, asked me if I'd been on the pill.

She also wanted to know if I'd had an episiotomy after I gave birth.

[mercuryblues]

19. What good is an episiotomy

after you give birth?

[IcyPeas]

17. yeah, when did this become a thing?

I first saw in in the early 90s. I thought it was weird then. still do.

[mercuryblues]

20. Yes

I would back away from strangers, that is just weird.

[Dankasaurus]

21. It got so bad that my wife refused to go to the grocery store when she was preganant because of

all the women who would want to touch her stomach.

[pnwmom]

22. Ew. I wonder if this is regional. I've been through multiple pregnancies

and never had it happen, or seen it happen to anyone else. Gross.

[MoonRiver]

24. I was in Texas through my pregnancies, so it could be a Southern thing.

[pnwmom]

29. I've seen pieces written about people from other regions thinking the Seattle area

is full of people who are too reserved. I like that about Seattle, if that's why people around here don't ask to touch pregnant women!

[MoonRiver]

30. Even though I was born in Texas, my parents were very reserved.

So I was never really comfortable with those pats. It was kind of funny, but definitely weird. Now that we're in the Midwest I am much more comfortable with the lack of physical touching.

I LOVE SEATTLE! Wish I were there!

[pnwmom]

31. There are nice parts of all states,

but I'm glad we ended up here. It is beautiful and I love the mix of (somewhat reserved) people.

[MoonRiver]

32. Our daughter lived there for several years. I just loved it when we visited.

[dawg day]

23. I had a male friend tell his son to pat my belly-

I'm sure he just meant it sort of educationally (the kid was about 8), but really.

[MoonRiver]

25. That's outrageous!

He was teaching his little son that putting your hands on a strange woman is a good thing!

[mcar]

27. Oh yeah

Both pregnancies. It was weird.

[GemDigger]

33. It happened to me and if it's someone I know I ask.

If it's a friend and I am going to be around child often. I pat the belly and talk to him/her often and to the parents horror, I play disco music for the baby for as long as I can get away with it.

Edited: Never someone I don't know.

[kimbutgar]

34. Yes and a couple of men asked me if they could touch my stomach when I was pregnant

[cbdo2007]

35. I like asking pregnant women how dilated they are..

And I'm a guy. Always good for an awkward laugh.

[Hortensis]

36. With our first we lived in urban West Hollywood with people from

around the world, educated, uneducated, every sexual orientation, lots of young professionals, entertainment industry, every legal retail and service business and some that weren't. Nice conversations and perhaps a rare "can't-resist" pat were common when I went out because it just wasn't a young, family neighborhood.

When shopping in the nearby borscht belt with a trending elderly Jewish population, I always got even more attention, but that was nothing to after the baby was born. I don't recall any problem with touching the baby, though here and there someone must have briefly yielded to temptation. On two separate occasions people, both of obvious European backgrounds, stopped me and told me they could tell I was going to have a boy, and they were both right.

Don't think anyone every said anything about "drawing luck," though that would have been fine, just another version of showing kindness and sharing something special.

[MurrayDelph]

37. I wanted kids when I was younger

(Didn't get married until in 40's, and then to someone who'd had a hysterectomy)

Never touched a pregnant stranger's belly, but have asked pregnant acquaintances if they ever have days when they say

"Baby, Mommy loves you, but get the Hell outta me!"?