A mum-to-be who doesn't like being touched says she's found herself in a difficult position after her mother-in-law went to touch her baby bump, despite having been told she needed to ask first. The 24-year-old woman, who grew up in an abusive household, says she 'can't stand being touched', so much so that she and her husband had to have a conversation with her in-laws when she became pregnant.
Although she understands it's an exciting time for the family, she requested they always make sure to ask first before reaching for her bump. Unfortunately, it has proven especially difficult to maintain this boundary with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who both feel they can touch her stomach 'whenever they want to'.
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Things recently came to a head at the expectant mother's baby shower, when her mother-in-law suddenly placed her hand on her belly without warning while discussing the baby.
Taking to Reddit, where she goes by the username u/No-Comfort-670, the woman recalled: "I took her hand, removed it and said ''No, no, you know I've told you not to touch without asking first. You know how to ask first, do you? It's easy!'' with the most condescending voice I had.
"Both my mother-in-law and my father-in-law's sister looked at me shocked, and then my father-in-law's sister laughed but my mother-in-law got red in the face."
She continued: "When it was done, my mother-in-law approached me and said that what I did wasn't nice and she just 'slipped' so I didn't have to treat her like a kid. I just smiled and said that she touching me after being asked a million times not to was a kid behavior and I just called her out on that.
"She left, very sad, and when we got home, my father-in-law called my husband and said he would love for both of us to apologise to each other, but I said no."
After having some time to reflect on the incident, she's now wondering whether she went about things the right way, torn as to whether she should now apologise or not.
One fellow Reddit user advised: "I hate being touched. Everyone thinks being pregnant makes you public property. Stand your ground, enforce your boundaries, and tell her off every time."
Another said: "Country neighbor I had told her friend a solid one-liner I'll never forget: 'If you didn't help bake the cake, keep your hands away from the oven'."
Do you have a pregnancy story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
