How To Create A Belly Cast

November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A Bellycast, or Bellymould, is a plaster cast taken of your pregnant belly, that you can then decorate, and display as a keepsake of your pregnancy.

Casting Kits are available to buy all over the internet, or you can gather the materials you need for one yourself.

You will need:

  • Plaster Gauze Strips (available from most pharmacies, or even art stores. Gypsona is reputably the best)
  • A barrier cream, such as Shea Butter so the plaster doesn’t stick to you
  • A Tarp, or plastic mat to cover your working area
  • Scissors
  • A bowl of body temperature water
  1. To cast your belly, first prepare your plaster strips,  by cutting them into 30-45cm lengths. (Measure the girth of your belly with some string, that will give you an indication of how long they need to be)
  2. Cut some smaller strips about 20-25cm if you intend on casting your breasts.
  3. Then, strip down, cover yourself in barrier cream, get comfortable, and get a helper to dip the strips in the water, one at a time, and working from the top down, smooth them over your belly. Overlap each strip slightly, and make sure the plaster is smooth. 2 Belly Castlayers of plaster will make a nice strong cast.
  4. The area under your breasts and at the bottom of your belly will be weakest, so reinforce them with a few extra strips.
  5. The cast should set in about 20 minutes, and you can slowly and carefully wriggle your way out of it. Stuff it with newspaper to support it, and let it dry thoroughly for about 48 hours.
  6. Then you can decorate it with whatever you like, paints, moasics, decopauge….
Photo Credit: www-bellyoflove-com
Filed Under: Pregnancy Celebrations Tagged With: , ,

Preparing To Try To Conceive

February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Congratulations, you’re about to embark on one of the most incredible journeys our lives have to offer. The journey to becoming a parent.

You see, when a baby is born, it’s not just the baby that begins a life, it’s a mother who is born too. Becoming a mother is an entirely life changing experience from the moment the two lines appear on your home pregnancy test.

If you are in a position to prepare to try to conceive, there are lots of things you can do to make space for a baby and increase your fertility in your life, spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Get educated now, before even conceiving is a good time to research what type of birth you’ll have, what the implications of medications and pain relieving drugs are, how you would like care providers to treat you, and what kind of support team you’ll have. There is a great list of Trying to Conceive resources here.

Physically:

  • Get your spine checked by a chiropractor, and consider regular spinal adjustments.
  • Ensure you are eating a healthy diet, and consider eliminating toxins such as refined sugars, dairy, wheat, and chemicals.
  • Make sure your diet is filled with lots of sources of folate (green leafy vegetables are great!) and if you are not getting enough folate in your diet, consider a supplement.
  • Ensure you are getting adequate exercise (30 minutes, 3 times a week is a great start)
  • Eliminate or significantly reduce caffeine and alcohol.
  • Check in with your doctor or chosen care provider to make sure you’re in great health.
  • Get in tune with your menstrual cycles
  • Start researching topics such as vaccination,

Having a baby changes your life. Entirely. You become soley responsible for a little human being who is entirely dependent on you.

Mentally

  • Ask yourself if you’re ready for a baby in this stage of your life?
  • Are you financially prepared?
  • Are you emotionally prepared?
  • How will you feel when you are tired and your baby needs you?
  • Are you prepared to give up a lot of your social activities, at least for the short term?
  • Are you prepared for your childless friends to feel left out, or perhaps abandon you?
  • What if your parenting or birthing methods conflict with your family’s or friend’s points of view?
  • What if your parenting or birthing preferences conflict with your partner’s?
  • How will you feel if trying to conceive takes longer than you expected/

Spiritually

  • Make time to meditate and be still
  • Prepare a calm body for your baby to be conceived
  • Visualise holding your baby in your arms, and how you’ll feel
  • Surrender to the journey.
  • Tune in an connect with your unborn child
The more you get in tune with your body and baby, the more wondrous journey you can create as you prepare to become a mother. It’s sometimes helpful to use tools like guided meditation CDs, audios, and books to help you embark on your journey. There is a great resource here at Soulbirth for trying to conceive, that helps you tune into your cycles, become increasingly relaxed during ovulation, prepare emotionally to conceive a baby and increase the bond with your partner. It also helps you improve your health and vitality and be attracted to the right kinds of foods to nurture your growing baby.
Happy Baby making!
Photo credit:VirtualErn
Filed Under: Pregnancy Celebrations, Self Care

Blessingways

December 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment

BlessingwayA blessingway, or mother blessing, is the non-commercial “equivalent” to a baby shower. It’s a ceremony for a pregnant woman, to honour her transition into motherhood.

Traditionally, a South American ceremony, marking the transition of Maiden to Mother, blessingways are an opportunity for a mother to be surrounded by close friends and family who she trusts – and can gain wisdom from.

A typical blessingway might include ceremonies such as henna tattoos on the mother’s belly, a belly cast, candle lighting, a bead ceremony, or anything that is personal to the mother to be to honour her impending birth.

Like a baby shower, it’s a lovely opportunity to share good food, and good company, but that’s where the comparison ends. A blessingway, is focussed on the mother to be, and it’s her day to be pampered, and spoilt.

Here are a couple of ideas for blessingways, that pamper the mom to be, and are fun for the guests.

Bead Ceremony:

Each guest brings a special bead to the blessingway, and threads it onto a strap to make a necklace for the mother to be. It’s a nice thought to give a blessing or message with your bead as you thread it on, perhaps why you chose it, and it’s significance.

Candle Ceremony

Each guest brings a candle to the blessingway, and the labouring woman lights it when she is in labour, to be surrounded by positive and loving energy.

OR

The mother to be provides each guest with a candle to light when she goes into labour, so their thoughts are with her from afar.

Quilt Ceremony

Each guest brings a piece of fabric, or quilt panel to the blessingway, and together they lay out a quilt design to be sewn together. It’s nice if someone other than the mother to be has the responsibility of sewing the quilt!! So it’s a lovely gift.

The wonderful thing about a blessingway is, it’s so personal to the mother to be – so if she’s crafty, centre the activities on that. If she’s a gardener, plant a commemorative garden, if she’s a cook – bring food (that said, it’s nice for guests to bring a freezable meal for after the birth) If she’s musical, compose a song. Use your imagination.

 

 

Photo Credit: embodied yes

 

Filed Under: Pregnancy Celebrations Tagged With: , ,