Pregnant Belly Art Celebrating Life
Categories: Just For Moms, Pregnancy & Birth
Email ThisIt's easy to do. Do-it-yourselfers can cast their own pregnant belly for between $15 and $60. All you need is Vaseline and plaster strips. Moms-to-be who want something more tricked out, like a henna design, will get what they pay for. Tattoo and body paint artists charge up to $65 per hour for their work, while a bronze belly bowl (you heard right) can run into the thousands.
Belly art is a decorative heirloom you can be proud of, for sure, but it's also a great conversation sparker. With its can't-mistake-it shape, people aren't surprised to find out what it is. But they're certainly interested.
You'll be amazed at our gallery. Share your favorite and your own belly art story.
Painting Pregnant Bellies
Gestational Art
Round like a basketball, heavy like a melon and containing nature's most perfect work of art, it's no wonder that expecting moms are using their swelling bellies as a canvas. Here's a look at some of our favorites.
Nancy Kartoon, nancykartoon.com
Most Sparkly
Magda Pecsenye, a New York mom of two who writes Ask Moxie, says her changing body inspired her to try a belly cast. "I wanted something tangible to remember what I looked like when I was incubating another person," she says. "Then once my son came out, the belly cast became more about him than about me."
belly-of-love m on Flickr
Most Posh
Some moms decorate their casts right away, others wait and use them to record birth statistics or first footprints. "Once I've finished decorating them," says Pecsenye, "I hang them someplace that's my personal space -- an office or corner of my bedroom. I don't care if anyone else ever sees them as long as I can."
belly-of-love m on Flickr
Most Traditional
In India and the Middle East, henna tattoos are thought to bring good luck. The lotus flower, which is often used in a tattoo on a pregnant belly, symbolizes fertility, peace and serenity. Safe and natural, the tattoos last -- as one artist put it -- about as long as a bouquet of flowers. Stay away from black henna, which may have unsafe ingredients.
LAHenna.com
Most Elaborate
Mom of two Amy York, who's also been pregnant twice with twins as a surrogate, says getting her henna tattoo was a "really fun bonding experience" among friends. When York went into labor, "the nurses and doctors did a double take when they saw the belly for the first time," says Amy. "I think it was a nice change for them."
CheleHenna Moon/Flickr
Most Artsy-Craftsy
Artists warn moms not to lie down when doing a belly casting; it's a lot more flattering if bellies and breasts don't get smushed. Sitting not only makes for a better cast, it forces a pregnant mom to sit still and relax for an hour. Be sure to have some help on hand. "The process itself was messy and cold and funny," says Pecsenye.
belly-of-love m on Flickr
Most Outrageous
Body painting artist Mark Greenawalt says it's lady's choice what he paints on her belly, though he'll help her kick around a few ideas if she gets stuck. A good starting off place, says Greenawalt, is the baby-to-be's nursery theme. He charges pregnant moms $50 for a session, but says that the paintings are often gifts from friends or family.
Mark Greenawalt, futureclassicx.com
Most Sporty
Mom's not the only one who gets tickled by her newly decorated belly. "I was painting a belly one time and the baby suddenly was gently kicking where my brush was," Greenawalt says. "It turned kind of miraculous when the baby kept following my brush around the belly as I painted. We kept chalking it up to coincidence, but I've got to say that it was pretty wild."
Mark Greenawalt, futureclassicx.com
Most Realistic
A pumpkin is a natural choice for a nice, round belly. This one's so realistic, it's hard to believe it's not part of the pumpkin patch. Water-based paints are popular with expecting moms, but just be sure to use a paint that's approved for use on the body. Less permanent than henna, these paintings wash off in the shower.
Scott Riether, estatik on Flickr
Most Casual
"Their cast is their cast," says artist Tisha DeShields. "Many times, it tells their story." DeShields even had one client who hung her fiber-glassed belly cast outside in a tree, right above where she buried her baby's placenta. "Art is art, and what you decide to do with it is your choice."
Tisha DeShields, www.originalbellyworks.com
Recent Posts
- Medical Journal Argues Against Allowing Women to Give Birth at Home (7/30/2010)
- Kids in Gaza Attempt to Break Kite-Flying Record (7/30/2010)
- Opinion: 'The Kids are All Right?' Not Really; Just So-So (7/30/2010)
- Letter Necklaces Make Jewelry Personal (7/30/2010)
- Opinion: Parenting in Public is Perilous Business (7/30/2010)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jan Bay 2-26-2009 @ 7:56PM
I have never done this, but some mothers who have says that it's rather relaxing.
One of the mothers who entered the pregnant tummy contest on my site was a military mom who painted her belly in a global design and marked where she (and baby to be) were located and where her husband was stationed. She won first place with the most votes.
Here's the picture of her artwork if you'd like to take a look.
http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/where-in-the-world-cute-pregnancy-picture.html
The latest contest running on my site is a nursery picture contest. So if you have some pictures of your nursery, send them in!
http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com/baby-nursery-theme-contest.html
Reply
Keleigh 2-27-2009 @ 10:54AM
I am a professional pregnancy henna artist in Ann Arbor, MI and have been creating belly art for the last 3 years. Most typically I work with the mother to do a custom design that reflects where she is in the process of her transition. How she is feeling about the upcoming birth and mothering her new child can be represented in symbolic ways using the traditional shapes of henna art. The session lasts 2 hours and includes a foot bath and 45 minutes of massage while the paste dries. I use only the most pure of ingredients in my paste that are organic and safe in pregnancy to keep my clients healthy. The design lasts around 2 weeks before fading gently away. My work and more on my process can be found at:
http://www.BellyBeautifulHenna.com
A decorated pregnant belly is a reflection of our times. No longer are we hiding our blossoming shapes through pregnancy but now celebrating them, and working with an artist to create a custom design not only does that but can also further the major psychological shift we all experience as we make this transition.
Reply
Shay 3-01-2009 @ 6:37PM
I feel very bad for you that you can't feel comfortable with a pregnant body, including your own. I think you need help. And how dare you blast other women for the changes that their bodies go through. Sick... seriously.
Reply
jessee 3-02-2009 @ 6:14PM
Sorry, but I don't see how finding fat women disgusting means I need help, a lot of people find fat women gross, pregnant or not! If I needed such help with this issue, I would not have had children. Having my kids was worth every moment of discomfort, and I was also very careful with how and what I ate to keep both of us healthy, I did not take it as a free for all to gain a ton of weight like so many women do! By the way, fat men are as gross as fat women, so at least I am fair about it!!!
Reply
starstopangea 3-02-2009 @ 10:16PM
I hope that you don't pressure your children into having your ideals. No one is perfect and your idea of ugly or fat may be someone else's idea of beauty. No one is perfect and by harboring a hateful attitude like that, you only make yourself ugly on the inside and no makeup or weight loss can hide that, girl. I just hope for your childrens' sake that they don't end up with a thyroid disorder or eating problem that causes them to gain weight. What then?
Reply