Tummy touchers - why do they do it?

[JessJess3908]

It's driving me crazy - why do my friends, colleagues and even random people i've just met suddenly think it is acceptable to reach out and rub me on the belly? I really want to tell them to feck off when they try but every time it comes as such a surprise that I'm too late.

Honestly, I am as shocked as if they had just reached over and poked me in the boob.

In my case I actually preferred strangers or friends to do it rather than family. I think that it's because there are very few children in both our families, and so everyone gets very excited. It's lovely, but I do want to tell them all to back off sometimes because it's My Baby (well, and DH's too, obviously ). It feels like the pregnancy belongs to them, and not to me anymore. I was actually very reluctant to tell them all because I knew that any chance of bumping into a friend and being able to tell the news myself was completely gone. DH tells me that I should be grateful that DD and future DB have such an enthusiastic and loving family. I know that if the pregnancy hormones weren't raging so badly then I would agree with him.
Luckily, DH's family are far too British and stiff upper lip to touch a bump, so I'm save with them.

safe rather