Preserve that baby bump with a belly cast

Pregnant and proud! This appeared to be the inspiration of six bold pregnant mothers who dared flaunt their belly casts for the exhibit entitled “Casting the Pregnancy Journey.” 

 

It was a unique public display that featured belly moldings of these expectant moms. This one-of-a-kind way of celebrating the many facets of pregnancy was one of the activities at the Philips AVENT: From Pregnancy to Playground event held at Shangri-La Plaza last October 6.

 

Birth art comes in many different forms, the more familiar ones being painting and photography. But mothers have become more innovative in preserving the memory of their journey, and baby casting is a result of this creativity. Abroad it has been around for more than 10 years, while in the Philippines it is starting to gain ground. 

 

Birth artist Mimsy Jundis, who is one of the first to offer belly casting services in the country, enthused, “Belly casting is probably the most personal of them all.” Mimsy was commissioned to work on the six pregnant mothers, who gamely agreed to be subjects of the exhibit. She proudly adds, “only belly casting can perfectly memorialize a baby’s bump.”

 

Mommy blogger Neva Santos of Manilamommy.com, celebrity chef Barni Alejandro, chess coach Chiara Datu, events planner Belle Camacho, birth photographer Polly Fong, and businesswoman Ayse Trifyllis were the expectant mothers featured at the event.

 

First-time mothers Camacho, Datu and Alejandro were delighted at the experience. Camacho, who has been managing a difficult pregnancy, said the belly cast “will be a beautiful reminder of my journey.” 

 

Like Camacho, Datu is also having a sensitive pregnancy. She admitted that being pregnant has left a big impact in both her career and goals in life, limiting her work and travel plans. And so she took the offer to have her belly cast done because she said, “it is part of the lots of firsts I get to experience with my child.” 

 

As chef and health buff, first-time mom Alejandro is having a smoother pregnancy compared to Camacho and Datu. She described herself as “curious” and would not hesitate to try anything that will make her pregnancy more interesting and different. Therefore she did not have second thoughts about having a belly cast. Alejandro welcomed the experience with eagerness.

 

More seasoned moms Fong, Santos, and Trifyllis, who are all in their second pregnancies, mutually agreed that a woman’s body is most beautiful when pregnant with child. To be able to replicate it through belly casting will give them a tangible reminder of this wonderful phase.

 

Making the belly cast

 

The belly casting process starts with the artist applying moisturizer on the mommy’s belly, followed by a big dollop of petroleum jelly. Plastering starts until the artist is able to capture the unique curvature of the belly. The casting process takes about 30 minutes and an additional 15-20 minutes is needed for the cast to dry, but it is advised to let the mold hang safely for a week for complete dryness . 

 

Once dry, the artist decorates the casts with paint and other embellishments that will personalize each cast.

 

Belly casting can also be done at home. There are belly casting kits commercially available among online sellers priced from P800 to P1,800. This not only broadens the reach of the process but also makes it more convenient as expectant moms can do it in the comfort of their homes. Doing the belly cast in a studio with an artist is a bit pricier as the artist will charge for her services along with other fees.

 

Each of the six casts arrayed at the event last Saturday stood out. There was one painted with loud, vibrant colors in tribal pattern, another one had graffiti, while one came in pink adorned with ribbon, lace and gems.

 

Onlookers had different reactions to the exhibit. Jose Nucup, a father of three, seemed amused looking at the molds. “I just don’t know where to put my wife’s belly in the house if ever she did one,” he told GMA News Online.

 

Another guest, Mary An Gonzales, also a mom herself, shared it was “very interesting. If I knew about this, I would have tried it during my pregnancy.” 

 

Childbirth educator Lin Fernando of the Philippine Association for Childbirth Education, who was a speaker at the event, said, “Pregnancy changes a woman, physically and emotionally. It is important that a pregnant woman maintains a positive self-image. Birth art, is one tool of affirmation that a pregnant body is a beautiful body.” –KG, GMA News