In and of itself, being pregnant isn’t easy. It’s one of life’s cruel jokes that when you’re more hormonal and emotional than you’ve ever been in your entire life, all the rules of etiquette and good manners go out the window for those around you.

Whether you’re in a grocery store, at the bank or just running out of your house to grab the mail, someone will make a comment about your pregnancy, and often those comments are far from what you might want to hear.

Any of my co-workers will tell you that I’m one of the less crazy, hormonal, emotional types. Honestly, I think I’ve taken it pretty easy on them. But to save the rest of you from the wrath of that other kind of pregnant woman, here are a few dos and don’ts for dealing with expecting women.

1. Don’t touch the belly. When a complete stranger walks up to you and starts rubbing your stomach, the typical response would generally be some type of violent outburst. Unfortunately for pregnant women, this is all too common. Never in my life have I felt the need to go up to a fat person and rub their stomach, so why do people do it to pregnant women? If you’re a friend or a family member, it’s acceptable (with permission), but strangers should just plain back off.