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.
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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