Dad comes up with brilliant idea to stop people touching his wife's bump

It can almost be instinct to want to touch a pregnant woman’s bump and coo over the miracle of life – but not all mums-to-be enjoy the feel of a stranger, or even a family member, stroking their swollen bellies.

One such mum is Reddit user LadySilvie, who revealed her husband’s genius way to deter people from touching her baby bump without permission.

Taking to the site, the pregnant mum-to-be, who is due in July, shared her husband’s hilarious yet simple invention.

Revealing he has armed her with a spray bottle of water, he attached a meme from The Emperor's New Groove with the caption ‘No Touchy’.

Explaining her new accessory, LadySilvie captioned the image, 'A gift my husband made for me to use when strangers/family get too grabby towards my belly without asking first.'

She then went on to explain, 'My mum is one of the people who I got this 'teaching tool' for.

'She insists it is always coming from a place of love — people who remember being mums or want desperately to be mums and to feel what a baby moving feels like. They get so caught up in the miracle they just forget to ask and I can't hold it against them.

'I'm of the opinion that regardless of the intentions behind the touches, the mother's personal boundaries must be respected and it is her right to say yes or no to belly touches.

The picture submitted to Reddit by member LadySilvie

'I went through miscarriage and infertility but I never once got caught up and grabbed a woman's belly. I am an introvert and feel very uncomfortable with people touching me at any point, plus I have an anterior placenta so they can't feel baby move anyway.'

She added that at least with the spray bottle she 'might be able to condition the behaviour at least out of our neighbourhood/family.'

Commenters loved her husband's handy gift, with many sympathising over her belly-grabbing dilemma.

One said: 'I have a few grabby people in my family and I would literally back up and say 'you need to ask'. Sorry your mom sucks with boundaries. Please come back with a story on using your spray bottle!!'

Another added: 'Keep that handy for when baby comes! I had 2 people touch my 4 month old's hand and face yesterday!!!! I couldn't dodge fast enough. So maddening.'

While a third said: 'A drunk lady put her hand on my belly at my husband's gig a few weeks back and told me I was 'big for June'. I was horrified. It happens :('

What are your experiences of unwanted contact during pregnancy? Do you relate to the story above? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.