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It's strange, some of the things people find annoying.
1) As others have stated, there can be many reasons for cradling or rubbing your belly. It's huge, it's heavy and the skin is very tight. Supporting it can help alleviate the tension, by taking a little bit of weight off the pulling skin. Sometimes you get twinges of pain as the muscles stretch. Sometimes the little bugger/(s) is moving around like crazy and you put your hand there to feel it. Sometimes, a foot or a bum comes bulging out as they turn and it can get mighty uncomfortable. Sometimes it's just a soothing thing to do. Sorry if that's annoying to you, perhaps you can step outside your own needs for a moment and imagine that you have a little person crawling around in your innards, doing backflips, somersaults and stretching exercises. Sometimes those hormones or maternal instincts simply cause you to "hug" that precious little baby you've got in there and you're thinking, "I can't wait til you get out here so I can do this for real. Oh....forgot this one...PERHAPS that mother-to-be has a little one bouncing around on her bladder and she thinks it's easier to try to pull the baby OFF of it, than it is to pee herself.
2) I never said "we're pregnant". I said, "We're going to be parents", or "We're going to have a baby", but that's no different than saying, "We're going to get a new car." ....well, with the obvious difference there. I've actually heard people say that, but they're NOT meaning it literally. It took two to make that baby. Far be it from me if an expectant mother wants to phrase it that way. I see it as a way of including the father in the entire process. I have actually known some couples who have literally gone through morning sickness together. Some men are far more involved in their wife's pregnancy than others. I think that's great!
3) Okay ladies, my $0.2 here. Those big bellies came in mighty handy. They made fabulous armrests, coffee tables, etc. While eating at a bbq or on the couch with a plate though, I always found that placing my plate on my tummy would make my kids head right toward that plate! I could never have it there for long, because it hurt when they'd put whatever they were thrusting, under the plate. Also, from about 7 months on, it was difficult to eat more than a few bites at a time. When I started to eat my meal, they'd start performing aerobics. For me, there was nothing like an exercise session going on inside my body, to kill my appetite. Hubby always said he loved taking me out for dinner when I was pregnant. He'd get what he ordered and 3/4 of what I ordered too.
Put the head phones on your tummy and turn up the music. Classical to make the kid smart. Head banger if you are wishing for a delinquent.
(joke)
But you may find a particular style of music calms the baby.
OMG.....seriously?! You've got people annoyed and freaked out because mothers cradle their tummies and say, "We're pregnant"...you're telling them to strap their ipod headphones to their bellies! Good heavens, are you trying to drive them right over the edge by forcing them to witness MTB treating their tummies like giant heads!?
The OP's children, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with the OP's showing up to stir up trouble. Implying that someone who only comes here to stir up trouble is caused by the fact that they don't have kids, is insulting to those of us who come here to participate productively, and don't have kids.
With all respect to you, specifically, AnonChick, recent events would tend to foster the impression that the "childfree" amongst us are not here to share lovely company and a respectful exchange of glad tidings.
It's not that I can't stand it and it's not just about expectant mothers, but it's hard to watch your good friends who are intelligent and interesting be reduced to talking about the same mindless, boring, cliched baby crap that everyone else talks about.
That also happens when friends discover religion, a new sweetheart, or World of Warcraft.
2) I never said "we're pregnant". I said, "We're going to be parents", or "We're going to have a baby", but that's no different than saying, "We're going to get a new car." ....well, with the obvious difference there. I've actually heard people say that, but they're NOT meaning it literally. It took two to make that baby. Far be it from me if an expectant mother wants to phrase it that way. I see it as a way of including the father in the entire process. I have actually known some couples who have literally gone through morning sickness together. Some men are far more involved in their wife's pregnancy than others. I think that's great!
Mmphm. When I see some guy in the hospitals getting nutrition through an IV because he'll throw up his toenails if it arrives in the usual fashion, or feeling like a truck hit him because he's been on MgSO4 for preterm labor for the last 36 hours, I'll give him points for being "far more involved".
Perhaps I'm a bit jaded here. Pregnancy was not my favorite experience, clearly!
It's not that I can't stand it and it's not just about expectant mothers, but it's hard to watch your good friends who are intelligent and interesting be reduced to talking about the same mindless, boring, cliched baby crap that everyone else talks about. What I don't like about new parents is that they become REALLY BORING to the rest of us childless folk, unless of course they're family.
Well apparently you need to search around for new friends then!.... perhaps some new parents who still behave as if they're NOT parents, who still behave as if they're still carefree, interesting, child-free people. I'm quite sure you can find plenty of them.
If I was a new parent who had "friends" who felt that way, I'd say good riddance to bad rubbish. Of COURSE most people change when they become parents. They don't get boring! Hopefully though, they do have more in common with other parents. The shallowness of some people just blows me away sometimes.
Mmphm. When I see some guy in the hospitals getting nutrition through an IV because he'll throw up his toenails if it arrives in the usual fashion, or feeling like a truck hit him because he's been on MgSO4 for preterm labor for the last 36 hours, I'll give him points for being "far more involved".
Perhaps I'm a bit jaded here. Pregnancy was not my favorite experience, clearly!
Hey, just because they "claim" to be more involved, you can NOT compare anything to the "real" thing. LOL Seriously, when I heard all about the "psychological morning sickness"...I personally thought, "Riiiiiight...you have NO idea. Tell me about those mood swings too! How do those hormone spikes make you feel?"
I'm with you here. My sentiments did not just extend to men though. I was always just a tad bit irritated by the women who said, "Oh my GOSH, I barely made it to the hospital. An hour and a half labor, 5 pushes and he/she was here!!"
My children, with the exception of my 26 wk pre-term, did not come into this world easily. No.....I was the one in the OB ward who pushed it to the limit, every single time. I'd go into labor...minimum 36 hrs....water would break and I'd be down to the wire, hooked up to the Pitocin, racing with the clock to get that baby out before they did a C-section....22-24 hrs later, we'd have a baby. Meanwhile, 10 other women would come through those doors, push their kids out (or have c-sections) and be done with it. I believed in depriving my husband of sleep for as long as humanly possible.
On the nutrition thing....oh yeah...let's talk. With those long, intensive labors, the cruelty of of going DAYS without food, and still needing to have enough strength to actually push a baby out. Oh yes, my friend....it's why I cried for three months when I found out I was pregnant with my 5th child. Everyone said, "Yes, but it gets easier, the more children you have" They LIED...the last one was just as long and drawn out as the first ones. My pregnancies never, ever got easier. Because the first 2 were C-sections, I was deemed high-risk. There was no food allowed, because there was a high probablity that I'd have an emergency c-section. Hubby's vasectomy was the happiest day of my life.
LOL I always tell my bf that we're pregnant. I dont say it to other people though. But when I was going through morning sickness he would always pretend like his stomach hurt too so I wouldnt be all alone. And now that my back hurts all the time he says his does too. And whenever we eat anything he always says he's eating for 2! lol
Well apparently you need to search around for new friends then!.... perhaps some new parents who still behave as if they're NOT parents, who still behave as if they're still carefree, interesting, child-free people. I'm quite sure you can find plenty of them.
If I was a new parent who had "friends" who felt that way, I'd say good riddance to bad rubbish. Of COURSE most people change when they become parents. They don't get boring! Hopefully though, they do have more in common with other parents. The shallowness of some people just blows me away sometimes.
::nod::
I've heard a lot of new moms say that they've been dumped by their friends as soon as the baby/ies arrive. Some people simply have a hard time understanding that new moms can't go out clubbing at the drop of a hat-- not because of baby brain so much as baby-wallet. When you have to pay $10 a hour for the privilege of going out, you start getting pickier about when you do it. And those endless stories of office politics over appletinis at the local bar aren't nearly as exciting when the politics don't involve you and you're stuck with Pepsi because you're breastfeeding.
Friends outgrow each other. Life cycle changes, like getting married or divorced or having children or changing careers can be a big catalyst. That's not exactly news-- just part of life. Really good friendships-- the ones based on the individuals, not the circumstances-- survive it, but most friendships just aren't that good.
First, I want to ask that you please don't take offense to this. There are two things that I want to note here, and maybe you can shed some light on the for me:
I can't STAND it when pregnant women "cradle" their stomach like so....
I mean, WHY do they do this??? Are they afraid that If they don't cradle the stomach, the baby may fall off???
The second thing that I hate, is when pregnant women say " WE'RE pregnant" as if the man or husband is also. Why do they do this?
I personaly, just find both of these two things very annoying.
If you "Can't stand" such a complete nonissue then how do you deal with real problems in life?
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Oh....forgot this one...PERHAPS that mother-to-be has a little one bouncing around on her bladder and she thinks it's easier to try to pull the baby OFF of it, than it is to pee herself. 
I've actually heard people say that, but they're NOT meaning it literally. It took two to make that baby. Far be it from me if an expectant mother wants to phrase it that way. I see it as a way of including the father in the entire process. I have actually known some couples who have literally gone through morning sickness together. Some men are far more involved in their wife's pregnancy than others. I think that's great! 
Also, from about 7 months on, it was difficult to eat more than a few bites at a time. When I started to eat my meal, they'd start performing aerobics. For me, there was nothing like an exercise session going on inside my body, to kill my appetite. Hubby always said he loved taking me out for dinner when I was pregnant. He'd get what he ordered and 3/4 of what I ordered too. 
