Police confirm bump touch of New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern could be 'assault'
Mum of 7 Chelsea Manuel said she immediately felt a twinge of regret when she did it...
It's something lots of us have probably experienced if we've been pregnant - a bump touch from someone we don't know that well and might not have been expecting.
But it's not so usual that a simple belly tap becomes front page news, like it has in this case - because the woman on the receiving end is New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is 5 months pregnant with her 1st child.
Mum of 7 Chelsea Manuel - who gave the pat despite having only met the PM only once before, very briefly - later told the New Zealand Herald she instantly regretted the instinctual gesture:
"I thought... 'Oh my goodness, what did I do?'"
Jacinda herself hasn't made any comment and seemed to take the touch pretty graciously at the time, but police confirmed the incident could be reported as assault.
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They did also say, however, that they understood the desire to touch a pregnant stomach often came from a place of love and well wishes.
Chelsea said: "It just happened. I didn't even think about it.
"I was just overwhelmed that we were so blessed to be in the presence of our Prime Minister, who for me is a really beautiful soul, and to know that she is now the carrier of such a treasure... I was moved by my spirit."
What do you think?
How do you feel when people touch/touched your bump? Does it depend on who it is? Is it definitely a no-go if it's someone you don't know?
Tell us in the comments below or over on Facebook
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Authors
Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015
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