[turtlemamameg]

I ordered the materials last week and they should be here any day. Has anyone ever done this before? I have seen them and think they are super cool. A friend of mine had hers painted by an artist and it is beautiful. I also kind of wanted my belly henna'd and I have a friend to do it, but now I want to do my cast first so that the cast does not ruin the henna art. I will be sure to take pics of both. I am open to any suggestions on the belly cast from any btdt mamas.

 

[guestmama9922]

My husband did one with our first.
It's nice to have, but it's been in the loft ever since!
It doesn't exactly fit in with the decor of the house.

 

[Siobhain]

I did mine last weekend at almost 38 weeks. I have done them with my 3rd, 4th and now 5th pregnancy. I love them, they are on display in our home. Have fun doing it. I would love to have belly henna done but don't know anyone to do it and just don't want to spend the money to have someone come do it for me. I can't wait to see pictures!!

 

[cristeen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by powpow My husband did one with our first. It's nice to have, but it's been in the loft ever since! It doesn't exactly fit in with the decor of the house.

This is exactly why I decided not to do one... my midwifery books all over the house are one thing, as are pregnancy photos. I don't think DH would go for a belly cast hanging off the LR wall, though.

I've always wanted to have my belly henna'd during pregnancy, and I'm kinda bummed it didn't happen.

 

[acemama]

I hope we are doing one tonight!

 

[lisa_nc]

I am doing mine tomorrow or Friday!

 

[peanutbuttercup]

I'm pretty sure we're doing one this coming Monday! I am so excited!

I don't think it'll become decor in any room of our house, but I think it will a really fun thing to show my daughters when they are older. I didn't get to do one with my first (bc I had her at 34 weeks), so I can't wait to "record" my body this time!

For all of you that don't want to use your belly cast as decoration...What about painting it and putting it in the baby's room?? That way as the baby grows you can help them understand how beautiful your pregnancy was with them! Just a thought...Also, my friend just had her 4 year old paint her belly cast with her. She feels like it her own specail piece of art. I LOVE that idea!

 

[dosergirl]

we are doing one, any time now. i have the stuff. we didn't get an overpriced kit but instead just got the stuff from the art supply store.

probably my mom and i will do it, maybe tonight.

i plan to hang it in the baby's room or in our bedroom

 

[turtlemamameg]

We didn't get a kit either, I just found pre-plastered gauze for face masks online. We don't have an art supply store around here, so I had to do it online...the shipping made it a bit more expensive, but I would have had to drive 3 hrs round trip to pick something up in Burlington. The northest of VT has a lot of trees and cows...not a whole lot else. I've done just about all my shopping for this LO online.

Belly masking is scheduled for tuesday. I will be 37 weeks. I don't want to wait much longer than that because I am pretty sure I will go early. I made my body promise to hang on until I get this done.

I suppose the gauze will come with some sort of instruction, like do you have to gob yourself up with something like vaseline? What should I buy for that?

 

[cristeen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtlemamameg I suppose the gauze will come with some sort of instruction, like do you have to gob yourself up with something like vaseline? What should I buy for that?

Well, when we did masks in Jr. High, we used vaseline. You can also cover your belly with plastic wrap if you prefer - but vaseline stays put better. The plaster won't stick to the vaseline, so it'll pull right off your skin. The plaster WILL stick to plastic wrap, but plastic wrap won't stick to your skin, so the whole thing will pull right off. So it's just a matter of personal preference, I suppose.

 

[Siobhain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtlemamameg We didn't get a kit either, I just found pre-plastered gauze for face masks online. We don't have an art supply store around here, so I had to do it online...the shipping made it a bit more expensive, but I would have had to drive 3 hrs round trip to pick something up in Burlington. The northest of VT has a lot of trees and cows...not a whole lot else. I've done just about all my shopping for this LO online. Belly masking is scheduled for tuesday. I will be 37 weeks. I don't want to wait much longer than that because I am pretty sure I will go early. I made my body promise to hang on until I get this done. I suppose the gauze will come with some sort of instruction, like do you have to gob yourself up with something like vaseline? What should I buy for that?

cocoa butter will also work, anything with a thick consistency, gob lots on especially if you are covering anywhere where you might have some hair, your hair will get stuck in the plaster otherwise....OUCH!! I used to live in VT, I feel your pain on actually being able to run out and pick something up!

 

[Zumbi]

Yes definitely use vaseline! I did mine a few weeks ago and the first time, my friend forgot to put some on. We started with my chest and once the gauze began to dry after a few minutes, it really tightened, pulling my skin and I actually almost passed out. I couldn't breathe and got really really faint. Other than that, I'd say work quickly! Have as many hands helping as you can. And the smaller the strips, the easier to work with. For the edges where the cast will eventually rest, you will want to double up the gauze - just fold it in half and put the folded part on the edge. This is to reinforce it. We also did some cool texturing afterwards gobbing on some liquid plaster so that it didn't end up looking like bandages.

 

[RavenStar]

My SIL just did one for me. We cut the plaster/gauze into different sized strips, some long to go across my belly and some shorter ones. Also she has found that little triangles work really well for shaping the nipples. We also cut squares too. Have everything cut ahead of time since it starts to harden fairly quickly.
I also agree with slathering vaseline (or some other stuff) anywhere that you think the plaster may touch. With the first cast we did, I didn't use enough....yup those little hairs really hurt when they get pulled. This time I was really liberal with it and had no pulling.
Have fun!

 

[dosergirl]

definitely vaseline

and just like described. there are instructions on the box of strips

also, we lived in vermont for the first 5 years of my life

so i remember some things. it's still my mothers favorite state but i think she enjoys seclusion.

you should make a trip to boston in a few months, we can go shopping

 

[kismetbaby]

I want to do one soon with DH. The "Birthing from Within" book has a nice set of instructions about this. I was just going to go to Michael's (craft store) to get the supplies.

If you like working with fabrics, I know a woman who covered hers with fabric (she cut different strips of interesting colors and glued them on) and it looks gorgeous. You can also use the cast to make a positive, which I think would be cool. I'd love to hang mine on the wall eventually in the babies room.

 

[loriu]

my students did one in the art room with baby #1. it has stayed in my classroom, as our 1 bedroom apts just cant' manage it.

this time i'm thinking of doing a henna tattoo. if i'm still pregnant by friday, that's my plan!