Pregnancy by nature is transient. Even though you’re maybe trudging through your final weeks with all the inherent aches and pains of a growing belly, you may want to immortalize this miraculous time of your life. Here are 4 ways to honor your baby bump.
Belly Painting: Taking the time to paint – or have someone else paint – a design on your growing belly allows you to really focus on your bump. Choose non-toxic craft paints and let your imagination go wild. You can pay close attention to your baby’s positioning and how your baby moves inside, and cater the design to his form. Be sure to take photos before you shower away your masterpiece!
Belly casting: You can purchase kits specifically created for pregnancy casting, or you can pick up supplies at your local craft store. Creating a body cast of your pregnant form can make a fun afternoon with your girlfriends. You might even want to incorporate decorating the dried cast into your baby shower – pick a design and allow guests to paint or glue pieces or have everyone sign the cast with well-wishes for birth and parenting.
Henna (Mehndi): Have a henna party to have your pregnant belly decorated or see a henna artist to create a beautiful, temporary design on your bump. While henna seems to be a new fad, it’s actually an ancient tradition. Typically used to mark a major rite of passage, women had their hands, arms, feet and legs decorated with henna (or Mehndi). This practice continues in many traditional cultures today, and can be translated to modern Western pregnancy culture as a way to honor this life transition. (An added bonus if you have a summer due date – henna is cooling and as long as your skin is stained, you’ll be less affected by heat.)
Photography: Whether you snap a couple of selfies with your smartphone, or hire a photographer to immortalize your pregnant form, you’ll be amazed by the changes in your body. While some women feel camera-shy and don’t want to record the weight gain, skin changes and fatigue on film, other women choose to take at least a monthly profile photo of their changing belly bump. Consider hiring a professional and having a boudoir photo shoot – a sexy pregnancy nightgown and some seductive poses may make you feel better about your growing form.
Whether or not you choose any of these options, take time each day to bond with your baby and feel good about your baby bump. Massage your baby, imagining what his or her hair color will be and whose personality traits he might have. Enjoy the final weeks of your pregnancy – before you know it you’ll be holding baby in your arms instead of your bump.
Written by Michelle: writer, editor, childbirth instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2018. All rights reserved.