Different ways to deal with people touching your belly

The minute you start growing your bump, friends, family and even strangers will want to touch it. While it is all out of admiration for your growing bundle of joy, this gesture can also be very invasive for some expectant-mums.

Here are some ways you can handle uncomfortable belly touching moments:

Cover your belly

If you think someone might put their hands on your belly, cover your bump before they get the chance to touch it. This sends the message that you don’t want to be touched and they will probably move their hands without you having to say a word.

Take a step back

This is another non-verbal way to deal with the situation. Simply move your belly to the opposite side or take a step back when they want to put their hands on your bump. If you want, you can give them a shy smile while you do this. This way, the person will know you’re not trying to unkind.

Don’t face your belly towards them

If your body language isn’t very inviting, the person will be less tempted to give your bump a rub. You can have your belly face a different direction so that you can avoid any awkward situations.

Joke about it

Some expectant-mums like to ‘joke’ about it. Say something funny about how you don’t like people to invade your space. The person will probably get the hint that you don’t want to be touched and just back away.

Be upfront about it

You have all the right in the world to tell someone not to touch your belly. At the end of the day, it’s your body so if you don’t want it to be touched, nicely say, ‘Please don’t touch my belly’. You never know, they might be more understanding than you think.

Sit it out

Sometimes you just have to sit it out. A lot of people don’t touch your belly for very long, so their hands will probably be off your belly by the time you want to say something to them.

At the end of the day, how you decide to deal with it is up to you.