I do not know why, but it appears that pregnant women regularly become public property. I understand that this statement may sound a little peculiar, but if you talk to anyone who has recently had a baby, they can tell you that this is true - hands down. Each time I see a stranger walk up to a pregnant woman and put their hands on her growing stomach, I wince.

I remember when I was attempting to get pregnant, a relative of my husband's would regularly come up and put his hand on my stomach. I was not yet pregnant, but this relative still felt that it was apparently alright to touch my stomach without even asking me.

There is something that is truly wonderful about being pregnant. Most people either remember how magnificent it felt like to be pregnant, or they dream of having more babies in their life. This frequently makes a pregnant woman the target of a lot of attention.

However, this does not mean that pregnant ladies will welcome the awareness. A lot of pregnant ladies feel self-conscious as it is, and when a stranger approaches them with unwanted advices, or advices that are redundant, they frequently become irritated and perturbed, though they try their best to hide it.

If you see pregnant ladies, remember that their pregnancy does not mean you could touch them without asking for their permission. If you were to stroll up to any other woman and place your hands on her stomach without asking her, you would be punched in the face.

Plenty of pregnant women understand why people do this, but that does not mean that they like it. Always ask for permission before you touch anyone, and this goes for pregnant ladies too. Putting your hands on their stomach may be considered one of the rudest things you might do.

If you are one of the pregnant women who enjoy this sort of attention, enjoy it while you are able to. However, if you do not like it, and somebody touches you when you do not want them to, ensure that you speak up. It may stop them from doing it to another person in future. Explain that though you are a pregnant lady, you are the owner of your own body, and you do not need someone touching you without asking. It can be quite unnerving, and I do not know how many pregnant ladies endure it.