1 Next time tell them you have a highly contagious rash all over your body, then suggest an ointment they can use.

2 Ack! What is it with those people? Next time you see them, go rub their tummies and say you are "just checking"...

3 AAAHHH!! And so it begins.......

4 Just kick them as soon as their hands touch your stomach and tell them it's a reflex.

5 I always wonder how this worked. I canNOT stand having random people touch me, so there's fear factor involved for if/when we have kids. Can you tell someone, politely but firmly, that you do not like to be touched, so don't do that again? Or even better, gently grab a wrist as the hand flies out and state it then?

6 Use Tersea's suggestion - tell 'em they just got a mega-dose of the handherpies. Paul

7 Oooh, bummer. I don't know what it is that makes people think that's OK! Unfortunately I fear it will only get worse. Good luck!

8 Drop something on their arm as they reach...like the file, book or large rock you happen to be holding. ;-p Although I think I'd go the route of AmyT. Or Sue- especially if the offender is female and your in a large group of people. It'll make them self conscious as all hell, and perhaps the embarassement will teach them something...

9 Just another reason I won't be having kids. If someone touched my stomach, I'd break their arm, then I'd go to jail for assault and the baby would be born behind bars.

10 Well You didn't kill em... so .. your doing well.

11 Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. I think it's time for a t-shirt with a brazen saying on it. Will.chop.off.hands.

12 One for each lemonhead, one presumes? You should develop a sense of humor and a comedic comeback to this, you know. The pull of rubbing of the impregnated belly is inevitable. One might even say irresistable, you know.

13 Yeesh; people still do that, eh? Even after all the "Dear Abby" letters about it? O_o So did I tell you about the woman in the office I worked in when I was pregnant with my first? As I went into my 8th month, every morning as I walked past HER desk area to get to MY desk area, she'd ask me, all solicitous and puke sweet, "How do you feel, my dear?" and I'd chirp, "just fine" and she cluck at me and say, sadly, "Oh you look just terrible, dear; so tired, so exhausted." "Really?" I'd ask, bug-eyed and all of 21 years old. "I do?" I'd squeak. "But I feel okay." "Oh no! You look like death, my dear, trust me!" Okay, I still have pictures of me back then and I looked fucking *glowing* during my pregnancy. A HUGE belly because I carried Lucy all in front but I looked awesome; no one would have ever said I looked "sick". But I didn't know that back then. I was fairly well traumatized at that point about my body doing what it was doing as it was, and anyone saying ANYTHING negative was a big cause for concern for me. This went on EVERY DAY for weeks and I started to dread walking past her desk. I actually felt *worse* every day after she'd tell me how tired and worn out I always looked; although I'd felt just fine before I saw her sour puss. Finally I complained to someone about it, a friend, can't remember, and they suggested I tell her I felt great instead of agreeing and slinking away; in fact, to say, I felt better than I'd ever felt in my LIFE BEFORE! (Okay, I should have already done this, but, only 21, remember? And none too bright back then, either. Heh) I did as my friend suggested and the woman was shocked. "Are you SURE you feel okay? You don't *look* it at all, my dear. Not at all." "YES I FEEL GREAT WONDERFUL FABULOUS!" I almost shouted and stalked off to my desk. She *avoided* me after that! She actually turned away every day until my last day and pretended she had paperwork to do when I had to walk by. The End (Gee, I'm really enjoying trotting out all my old pregnancy stories, Helen! hehehehe COMMENT BLOG WHORE HERE! ahahahaha)

14 Oh and btw, the mu.nu spam filter prevented me from posting at first because of the word: s-l-u-m-p-e-d So I subbed with the word "slinked" and that went through no problem. What kills me is, I used "fucking" and "whore" in that comment, but those words went through just fine! LOL!

15 I would just smile and say, "I appreciate it, but I have personal space issues." Or, you could just cough on them. People tend to back up when you start hacking....

16 I have no advice to give you about how to stop the belling petting, but I do think that touching their belly back would be awesomely direct. If they ask what you are doing, just state: "Oh, don't you like it when I touch your torso?" Man, if I ever get preggers I am totally using that if someone pets my stomach. I would also say something like, "Way to make me feel fat." As a side note, last year when my best friend was pregnant I kept asking her how she enjoyed being knocked up. I found that very funny, I don't think she enjoyed it as much as I. Few people find me as hilarious as I find myself.

17 No one ever rubbed my belly when I was pregnant (three times over) unless they asked and were only allowed if they were my grandma. I think I put off the vibe of "touch me and I'll kick your ass." Which sucks when you want to be one of those huggy friends but don't know how to go about it. Erp .. tangent. I'll kick their asses for you if you want!

18 Do the words "sexual harrassment" lawsuit ring a bell. I happen to know a person who enjoyed rubbing the bellies of pregnant people in hte work place. He was complained upon and treatened with lawsuit. He left never to return. And he was not an employee. Double whammy. Harrassment and the employer was caught because thye had not prevented him from the action: he was known as a compulsive belly patter. You have remedies.

19 Do the words "sexual harrassment" lawsuit ring a bell. I happen to know a person who enjoyed rubbing the bellies of pregnant people in the work place. He was complained upon and treatened with lawsuit. He left never to return. And he was not an employee. Double whammy. Harrassment and the employer was caught because they had not prevented him from the action: he was known as a compulsive belly patter. You have remedies.

20 I was recently in an all-female gathering of about 20 young women, and I only knew a few of them. One was pregnant... very close to her due date, in fact, and the baby was kicking. She actually encouraged all of us to touch her stomach, offering it to each of us. She was surprised, and, I think even a little offended when I declined her offer. (Call me strange, but I don't touch people I know very much, let alone strangers who are pregnant and want me to rub their bellies.) Are there many other pregnant women who WANT people to touch their tummies???

21 Ack! I had the same problem when I was knocked up with T-Boog. A friend told me about these shirts, but she was pre-term and I didn't have time to get one. Next time for sure though! I hated feeling like a pissed-off Buddha for 6 months. I love the "Don't touch my belly" and "No prenatal stories" ones. http://www.leavemeb.com/index.php?cPath=31&osCsid=26cfa1f1bf3b61431640d6ce62dee97f (Yeah, HTML illiterate here)

22 OK, I fear I'm about to get myself flamed to the eyebrows, but I just gotta say a few words in defense of the well-intended. For some of us, the experience of feeling our babies move inside us was the epitome high point of our lives. Hard to articulate -- but it's about the rush of joy and wonder and disbelief. There's no "close" like the close of having a new life held safe INSIDE your own body. For the rest of our lives, we remember -- and maybe yearn, a little bit? When we encounter that visible miracle in another mom-to-be, the wish to receive (and pass back) that energy again is palpable. So we do that thing you hate so much. I apologize to all of you. It's just our need to connect with and welcome the miracle. I acknowledge your aversion(s). We will try to do better.