Creating a pregnancy casting, also known as a belly cast, is a unique and beautiful way to capture the miraculous shape of your body during pregnancy. This process involves creating a plaster mold of your pregnant belly, which serves as a lasting memento of this special time.
Here are some reasons to consider creating a pregnancy casting:
Celebrate the Pregnancy Journey: Pregnancy is a time of incredible change and growth, not just for the baby but also for the mother. A pregnancy casting is a way to celebrate and honor these changes, capturing the beauty of your pregnant form in a tangible way.
Unique Keepsake: Unlike photographs or videos, a belly cast provides a three-dimensional representation of your pregnancy. It's a unique keepsake that you can display in your home, serving as a physical reminder of the time your child was growing inside you.
Personalization and Creativity: The process of making a belly cast allows for creativity and personalization. You can decorate the cast with paint, decoupage, or other artistic embellishments, making it a piece of art that reflects your personal style and the love you have for your unborn child.
Bonding Experience: Creating a pregnancy casting can be a bonding experience for you and your partner, or even for the whole family. Involving your loved ones in the process can make it a special and memorable event.
Emotional and Psychological Benefits: The act of creating and having a pregnancy casting can provide emotional and psychological benefits. It can be a therapeutic way to connect with your pregnancy, helping you to process and celebrate the journey.
Capture a Fleeting Moment: Pregnancy is a relatively short period in the grand scheme of life. A belly cast captures the moment in time when you were carrying your child, preserving a phase that will soon pass.
Great Gift or Party Activity: A belly cast can be a great gift for a baby shower, or the process of making one can be a fun activity during a baby shower or a get-together with friends and family.
In summary, creating a pregnancy casting is more than just crafting a keepsake; it's about celebrating the miracle of life, embracing the changes in your body, and creating a lasting memory of an incredibly special time. Whether done privately or as part of a celebration, it's an activity that is sure to provide joy and sentimental value for years to come.
Materials You Will Need
Materials:
- Plastic drop cloth
- Jar MoldEZ
- A pair gloves
- 3-4 rolls plaster gauze bandages (each 4" x 5 yards)
- Sand paper
- 2-pans or bowls of warm water
- Stool
- A mold maker
Finishing supplies
- 3-inch chip brush
- Jar of gesso
- Other craft supplies for decorating your cast
Procedure Introduction
A pregnancy casting, also known as a belly cast, uses plaster of Paris plaster gauze bandages to capture the form of the body. The bandage method doesn’t provide the full detail that an alginate or silicone mold allows, but it is far simpler method and an extremely popular way to memorialize any pregnancy.
Several layers of wetted-out, fast-setting, plaster bandages are applied to the parts of the body that are to be cast. This not only includes the belly, but for a more artistic interest, it can also include the breasts as well as the arms. Once the plaster bandages have hardened (about 15-minutes for fast setting bandages) they will conform to the shape of the body parts that were molded and when de-molded the cure bandages will provide a permanent representation of the pregnant mom’s shape.
A belly cast for the most part, is a misnomer, as most mom’s choose to have both their stomach’ and breasts included in the molding process. A more touching pose is to have the mom cradle her belly in both hands and then including both arms as well as as belly and breasts.
The ideal time to make the belly cast is late In the pregnancy as this provides the maximum mold size. Thus, the best time period would start around thirty-six weeks.
Preparations
Unfortunately, this is not a do-it-yourself project. For every pregnancy casting created, there must be at least two people involved, the pregnant model and the mold maker. It is, therefore, a wonderful couple exercise requiring no skill on the part of the mold maker except to cut bandages to the correct length, dip them in warm water and apply them. If you have doulas or midwives, they might be another option. . . it is certainly guaranteed that they will have an appreciation and reverence for your pregnant form.
Before beginning:
Before starting, make sure the expectant mom is comfortable, and not hungry or thirsty -- and that she won't need to visit the bathroom for at least half an hour. (If that's possible!) If you want to take photographs of the process, have your camera ready. Also, prepare an area where the cast can rest undisturbed as it finishes curing. (Usually 24-48 hours.)
You might want to light some candles and turn on some relaxing music to set the mood.
How to Start
Start by protecting your work area. You will probably want to lay down a few layers of newspaper on the floor, upon which you will set a chair. The chair should be at a comfortable height for the expectant mom. We suggest draping the plastic drop cloth (enclosed) over the chair.
You will need a shallow basin of room-temperature water. This is how you will wet the plaster strips. Place it in a sturdy spot, near the expectant mom. Away from the water, (and over a protected area because the strips will be powdery) open at least two of the rolls of plaster casting material. With sharp scissors, cut the plaster roll into strips 12 to 18 inches in length. Set the cut strips into two piles based on their length. Also, cut at least one square (three squares if you're doing a cast that will include your breasts) that is approximately 2-3 inches square. These squares will be used for accentuating the belly button and nipples so your cast will be finely detailed.
You need to decide what to cast, and then prepare the area that will be casted. Then you have to bare it! Bare skin makes the best belly cast, although you can wear a bra above and underwear below the casting area if you desire.
Since the casting material will go right against the skin and will set (much like glue), you want to ensure that small hairs are not trapped in the plaster of the cast. We suggest petroleum jelly just for this so you can create a non-stick surface on your body. Simply spread a layer of petroleum jelly all over the areas to be cast. We also suggest applying it all in one direction so the hairs have less of a chance of being caught. Don t worry the plaster will still adhere on top of the jelly. (Note: Latex gloves will fall apart if you use them to spread the jelly. Instead, you might want to spread it with bare hands or a paper towel.)
Next, you will need a piece of plastic wrap to protect the underwear or the pubic hair area. The expectant mom should position herself toward the front edge of the chair -- close enough so she doesn't have anything touching the cast zone, but far enough back so she can sit comfortably for 20-30 minutes. The expectant mom should sit up as straight as she can, and once you begin casting her chest, she shouldn't look down.
A note about non-seated positions: It is possible to cast the belly while standing, although this can become tedious for a full-term mom-to-be, especially with the added weight and heft of the cast. We've heard many stories of women fainting while standing still for such an extended period of time. Aside from the obvious safety issues, this can also damage the cast. If you have your heart set on standing, make sure to keep your knees soft and slightly bent to minimize the risk of passing out.
Some women do their casts lying down, which is certainly appropriate if the expectant mother is on bed rest. In general, however, a prone position will produce a cast that shows a smaller belly and breasts in a less-flattering position -- not to mention the pressure on the vena cava if mom is on her back.
Creating the Cast:
Whoever will be handling the casting materials should put on the gloves. Next, thoroughly (but quickly) wet single plaster strips one at a time by running them through the water basin, and then place them across the area to be cast. As you approach the belly button and nipples, place one of the small squares over each of these areas and carefully conforming them to the shape. You will want to reinforce the cast with multiple layers, but take some care to avoid further layers around the belly button and nipples.
To give the cast maximum strength, create multiple overlapping layers, laying strips up and down, side to side and diagonally across. Try to cover every area of the cast with a minimum of two layers of casting material -- and more is better.
Don t rush, but work quickly, smoothing the strips as you go along. Make sure the sides are also reinforced with extra layers. The casting material will begin to dry in about eight minutes, but as you are applying additional layers, the cast will need to stay in place until it "tells" you it s ready by getting warm, quite heavy, and eventually separating from the body after 20-30 minutes.
When the cast is ready to be removed, handle it carefully. We suggest gently stuffing it full of crumpled newspapers and setting it belly-up on a surface so it can air-dry for at least 48 hours. It will be hard to the touch, but until it has cured, it can sag under its own weight if not adequately supported.
After the Casting
As soon as the cast is complete, you will want to take a shower! We recommend first using a paper towel or napkin to wipe off as much of the petroleum jelly as possible. Then you can take a shower or bath to get rid of the remaining plaster.
Once the cast has cured, you can smooth off any rough areas with the sanding screen we have included. (Just rinse out the screen if it fills with plaster dust.) To seal and smooth the surface, apply a coat of gesso with a brush (both included in this kit) and then let dry.
Your belly cast is now complete, and ready for you to display, store, or paint and decorate as you wish! Be sure to write on the cast the date you made it and how pregnant you were at the time, and consider writing a letter to your baby to paste inside.
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