touching my belly

I don't know if this is a new offense or what, but over the last few weeks I've been made aware of pregnant women's strong feelings about belly rubbing by their family, friends and strangers. There are whole online bulletins devoted to it. Apparently, some people get pretty upset....
When I first found I was pregnant my husband and about 2 close friends touched my flat belly and talked to the baby.
Now that I'm sticking out a bit more, a lot more people reach out to touch. Some people are a little apologetic, like, "Is it okay?" while their hand is suspended in mid-air, or already resting on my tummy. It just seems to me like they're connecting with the baby as best they can right now, or admiring the blooming shape of my abdomen, or whatever-- I think it's cute.
I guess it's not so different from someone rubbing my newborn baby's head. And of course that's fine.