Belly cast

Plaster belly cast of pregnant woman's torso

A belly cast is a three-dimensional plaster sculpture of a woman's pregnant abdomen for the purpose of having a keepsake of the pregnancy. They are also known by other names such as a belly mask, pregnancy belly cast, a pregnant plaster cast and prenatal casts - to name a few.

Belly casts are often made during the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy and some women choose to make a series of belly casts thereby capturing the progression of their pregnancy. Belly casts are made by preparing the skin with a coating of Vaseline or a similar lubricant. Strips of wet plaster gauze are layered over the pregnant abdomen to replicate the mother's and her unborn baby's shape in her. Some women choose to also cast their breasts, arms, hands and thighs into a full torso sculpture. The plaster sets in about 20–30 minutes; some fast-setting strips set in as quickly as five minutes. Once set the cast is then gently removed by the mother using a wriggling motion. It takes 24–48 hours for the belly cast to completely dry. Gesso is a product that is supplied with most providers of belly masking or belly casting kits that is painted onto the belly mask after it has dried and cured to stop it further absorbing moisture from the air. Gesso also works as a surface primer for painting a belly cast while aiding to extend and preserve the life of a belly mask. The belly cast can be decorated with any number of finishes or designs or left in its natural state. Most popular decorations include painting and decoupage. Some companies now sell decorating kits to decorate your completed cast. Some moms like to put baby's hand and foot prints on their finished cast once born.

References

• ProudBody's easy-to-use belly cast kit
• ProudBody's Belly Cast Gallery, hundreds of pictures
• ProudBody's Tips Page about making and decorating a belly cast
• How To Make a Pregnancy-Belly Cast - YouTube Video
• Make Your Own Belly Cast - Instructions
• BellyMasking's Page about What is a Belly Mask
• BellyMasking's FAQ Page