It is said that being pregnant is one of the most beautiful times in every woman's life. It’s a magical time to be carrying a new life inside of you. And people are mostly nicer and more helpful. For example, they may give up their seats, let you go first in the grocery store or just smile and congratulate you.
However, there is also another side of it where people just may think that they can touch you and comment on your size, because if a person is pregnant - it doesn’t count and is appropriate.
More info: Reddit
Don’t comment things about others that you wouldn’t like to hear being said to you
Image credits: Camylla Battani (not the actual photo)
Woman shares that many people feel like they have the right to touch and comment on pregnant people’s bodies
Image credits: Ivan Samkov (not the actual photo)
She shares that she is 8 months pregnant but has two fibroids that cause her to look bigger
Image credits: Junior REIS (not the actual photo)
One time in a grocery shop, an older woman congratulated her, but commented that she looks huge, to which the woman replied ‘you too’
Image credits: u/Silver-Butterfly-767
She shares that although her answer may have been harsh, she wishes that pregnant women wouldn’t suddenly become public property
To begin with, very recently one Reddit user shared her story to one of the most judgmental communities. She asked if she was indeed being a jerk for insinuating a woman was fat after getting called ‘huge’ for being 8 months pregnant. The post received a lot of attention and in just 1 day it collected more than 9.1K upvotes and 2.2K comments.
The woman starts her story by sharing that during her 8 months of pregnancy, she has learned that many people, especially older ones, like to touch pregnant people’s bodies without permission and make comments about it. She also adds that she has two big fibroids that make her look even bigger. So with that said, she shares that a few days ago, an older and bigger woman walked over to her and congratulated her.
However, after that followed belly touching and comments that she is huge and according to her size may give birth any day now. After this, OP just thanked the woman for the congratulations and answered ‘you too!’ Well, it didn’t go well, and the stranger just huffed away after some comments. The author highlights that she strongly feels that there shouldn’t be a stigma that pregnant women suddenly become public property.
Community members voted that the woman was not being a jerk in this situation. Moreover, many people agreed with the author as they have experienced the same treatment when they were pregnant. “I once had an old woman stop me on the street, touch my pregnant belly with both hands, and loudly start praying over my stomach,” one user wrote. However, there were quite a lot of discussions that OP was being rude and the stranger just wanted to share joy about her pregnancy.
Image credits: Daniel Duarte (not the actual photo)
It’s not a secret that for many pregnant women, changes in their body may result in a negative body image. According to the International Forum for Wellbeing in Pregnancy, research shows that psychological health during pregnancy and positive body image are significantly correlated. Even if you did not have any troubles previous to becoming pregnant, body image problems can arise during pregnancy and may persist or even get worse after giving birth.
Moreover, Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, M.D., an expert in obstetrics and gynecology, shares that body dissatisfaction during pregnancy can harm the mother's and the fetus' health, leading some women to excessively restrict their food or causing an eating problem to recur. Additionally, women who are unhappy with their bodies have a four times increased risk of developing perinatal depression.
Also, as it was seen in the story and comments, it’s not a rare thing that strangers tend to touch pregnant women’s bellies. So according to Scary Mommy, a pregnant belly isn't a license for people to go around touching it. The reasons why - it's dehumanizing, to start with.
Furthermore, it makes matters worse because women who are pregnant already feel exposed and don't want to draw even more attention to themselves. It can also cause a breakdown, and even if you touch your belly and believe that you are touching the baby, you are not, which only serves to make things seem crazier when you think that way.
So, guys, keep your hands to yourselves, especially around pregnant women who you don’t know personally. It may make them uncomfortable and you may not get the reaction that you were expecting for your gesture. But anyway, what do you think about this story? Was the author being rude or did she have every right to react this way?
Redditors had various opinions about this situation, but most of them backed the woman up
