Our hope was to do a belly cast for her son Acen, but we were a little unprepared and her water broke before we had the chance. Needless to say...we planned this project!
You will need:
Plaster of paris
Plaster gauze (2 rolls)
Cake pan half full with warm water
Sheet to stand on
Gloves (no joke- the plaster sets fast)
Plastic wrap (we used press and seal)
(suggestion of cooking oil, but it wasn't really needed with a liberal usage of plastic wrap)
I have seen many different variations as to how to do this, plus the variations of how much body to cover. It was our choice to just do belly and breast.
1- pre cut gauze
(I only had one roll so we did 4 long strips- best to have 6 so you can do two layers) and a few strips 4-5 inches plus a few skinny strips that I reinforced the edges with.
Word of advice.......plastic wrap your entire back.....front and chest. You'll want more area to accidentally cover then you think. You will also want to cover to the area under your armpits and at least to your back.
2- mix plaster as directed on
Container...a smooth texture that you can hold in your hand and spread over the plaster.
3- after mixing plaster and wrapping the belly in wrap...dip gauze strips in warm water. You want them damp not super wet. Apply water to gauze if not sticking well enough.
- use large strips first for belly button area. Put in a vertical direction. Then use another long strip for under belly area. I then used the smaller strips for the area under the breast and cleavage areas. The smallest strips were used to help stabilize the borders around the area of armpits and where the arms hang. double up if you have enough strips. (makes it more durable.)
4. Now for the fun part! DIG IN! First apply gloves! Then one handful at a time, spread the plaster over the gauze until completely covered. Try to keep a smooth texture as much as possible.
5. Wait for it to dry...you will
See a difference from wet to dry, but you can also knock on the plaster belly to see. Some dried pieces that are not stuck to gauze can fall off, do not be
To worried this is normal.
6. When the cast has dried a fair
Amount, have your pregnant mama move very slightly to naturally peel away the cast. This will make a
Subtle gap that allows you pull it away from her body. I found it helpful to grab the top left area (around the arm pit) and the lower right area (pelvic bone) slowly pull away.
7. Lay the cast down- belly side down and let dry 1-2 days.
It is a bit messy....so do this in an
Area and with clothes you
Don't mind getting messy.
