Pregnant Bellies

Today's blog topic is about pregnant bellies.

Recently I've been surrounded by, know of or keep hearing about friends and people who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant. It's definitely the topic of conversation at work...everyday. That's fine though. I understand that I'm pretty much past the stage where everyone around me was getting married and have now entered the baby stage. But what I've noticed is how freely people feel about putting their hands on pregnant women's bellies.

People don't ask if it's ok to put their hands on the bellies. They just do it. Why is this acceptable? Just because there's a baby? If you think about it, it's still that person's body and should be respected. People don't go around putting their hands on other people's stomachs in everyday life. That would be weird! So just because a woman is pregnant it gives people a free pass on stomach patting. I understand why it happens, but I think it's disrespectful how people assume it's ok.

And it's not like the mother-to-be is going to say anything about it. Maybe they should. I find it hard to believe that a pregnant woman will ALWAYS be ok with people putting their hands on her. What if it was someone they didn't like? Should they have to grin and bare it just so they're not seen as bad people? I think people should ask first and be understanding if they say no. It's their body, their moment...not yours.