About the time you enter your 9th month of pregnancy, just about the last thing you want to be thinking about is doing a another project. The nursery has been prepared for months. The shower is over. The waiting game has begun. So, why should you consider making a plaster mold of your belly? Because you'll regret not having done it if you don't. Believe me. We have one for our second child, but not for our first. If we could go back and do it over again, we'd have one for each of them. 

Belly Casting 101

Making a plaster mold of your belly when you're nine months pregnant is a relatively new phenomenon, but one that many expectant mothers are trying for the first time. It provides a concrete record of your journey through pregnancy, and helps you remember the days when your little one was kicking around inside of you. If it seems like it might be a neat thing to have, you should resolve to make one, get the materials together and make a few phone calls right away. Because if you put it off too long, it'll never happen.

Making The Call

You will need to have help with this project, so the first thing to do is identify some people who might be able to assist. Your husband is a good first choice, followed by your doula, your best friend, or someone else you are close with. If you're comfortable with it, two helpers is a very good number. Any more than that, and they will tend to bump into each other. Any less, and the job will take too long and you may start to get uncomfortable in your chair. It's also fun for the big brother or sister-to-be to get involved. It will help them to feel like a bigger part of the process, and that is not an insignificant thing.

Necessary Materials

A sturdy chair

A drop cloth

Gauze pads

A large cardboard box

Petroleum jelly

Scissors

A shallow bowl of warm water

Balled up newspaper 

Plaster sheets cut into long 1 to 2 inch wide strips

A change of clothes

Getting Started

First, prepare the space. Put a drop cloth down on the floor, and put your sturdy chair in the middle. Place your bowl nearby, and have the strips of plaster ready for dipping.

Now, the hardest part is getting started. Seriously, I know that the modesty factor is a big deal for you. But you can put it aside, just this once. In a week or two, people you don't know will be filing into your hospital room standing over you with clipboards, while you're pushing a baby out between your legs. (If you don't think that can happen, ask my wife about it. Avoiding situations like that is one reason for preparing a birth plan.) 

You have resolved to do this because you really want this belly cast. It'll be a neat thing to have. The first step is getting naked from the waist up, and sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, facing your two helpers. You can keep your pants on, but unbutton them and roll them down a bit, because you'll want to be sure to have the cast show the roundness of your belly. Oh, and if you keep them on, plaster isn't very forgiving so this may be their last time out of the house.

Preparing Your Body: Your Canvas

The next step is to cover your belly and chest with petroleum jelly, all the way to your neck, down to your pants line, and around your sides.  Your helpers can help with this. It's probably going to feel a little cold at first. Pile it on. Lots of it. You will need good coverage for the cast to remove easily at the end.  Now, take a small amount of gauze and stick it to the tip of each nipple, and then put more petroleum jelly on top of that. This way, you'll be sure to not get stuck in the cast. For a more modest look, use more gauze. For nipples that appear on the cast, use less. You are now ready to begin applying the plaster strips.

Applying The Plaster

Make sure your helpers are using warm water. Have them dip the strips into the water, removing any excess water with their fingers. Then they can begin to apply the strips directly to your body. The only two words of caution here is to keep from going around your sides, or tuck too far in under your chest, or it will be very difficult to pry the cast off when it is finished. Simply apply the plaster strips in a criss-cross fashion until you have layered it fairly evenly. You will want to put extra around the edges for strength, as well as across the bottom of the belly, just at the pants line. If necessary, cut the pieces as you go. When you get to three or four layers of plaster, smooth it all out with your hands as best you can. In a few minutes, the plaster cast will be dry enough to remove.

Removing The Cast

After several minutes, when the cast feels hard to the touch, your helpers should each hold a side, and gently ease it forward and away from your body. Take it slow, and carefully lower it down onto the drop cloth. Now, ball up newspapers and pack them gently inside of it. Lift the cast and place it into a cardboard box lined with newspaper. Once it is packed in newspaper, the cast should be allowed to dry in this way for several days. Oh, and while your helpers are taking care of the cast and cleaning up the room, you can take care of showering off the vaseline and changing into your new clothes.

Finishing The Cast

It could be months before you get to this, but to achieve a smooth finish you can apply spackling compound to the outside of the cast, and then sand it smooth with fine sandpaper. From there, you can really get creative. As if a plaster mold of your torso isn't already personalized enough, this is when you can add any finishing touch you desire. For more ideas, consider an Internet image search on belly cast. There are some really great ones out there.

Congratulations! You're well on your way to making the most of your birthing experience! I hope yours is as rewarding as ours was, and good luck on the birth of your child!

If you found this page useful, please vote YES to keep the guide alive.