Pregnancy Belly Cast: An Experience I'll Never Forget

Before I even found out I was pregnant I made a conscious decision to not take a moment for granted. Enjoy every spout with morning sickness, every kick to the rib, and all the changes I see in my body.

From my cankles, to my big belly, to my outtie, I'm loving it all! (I just said I love my cankles... Wow. But it's true!)

One thing I've always wanted to do is find a way to preserve the shape of my belly. I KNOW belly casts are weird to some people... In fact, my husband gave me a crazy look when I told him he was going to help me with mine and asked "what's the point?" All I can say is I wanted the experience, whether we decide to save it a long time or not, and it would be fun to say I did.

I looked up lots of different belly casts and I wasn't really into some of the styles. Here's some different variations:

(source)

(source)

(source)

My husband was leery of me doing one because he didn't want my "boobs showing."

(source)

So I was really excited when I found the Belly Vita Belly Cast Kit from Maternitique.
I tweeted about it a couple of days ago and people were like "your bellycast has clothes on!" But I like it that way, it's a pretty cast but a little more modest if that's your style... And that FOR SURE is my husband's style.

Speaking of his prudeness... He didn't let me take pictures when he was helping me do my cast. I was trying to sneak one, but I couldn't get to my camera. I asked him to take a photo for me so we could remember the experience and he said "No, cause it'll end up on your blog or Facebook or something"... he knows me too well.

So no photos of the process but I'll tell you how it went.

It was SO easy to do! I guess the normal casts use strips and take awhile to dry, this one was so easy to do (and more modest-looking) because it used one piece of cloth to dip in the mixture and lay on my body.

The woman in the photo in my instructions had a bra on so I was like "oh I'll wear my bra too." I grabbed an old one I'd be ok with throwing away just in case.
Then we went to work! The includes some pampering time for mom. There's a nice aromatherapy oil that comes with it that he rubs on first (I made sure to read that part loud and clear so he knew it was a major step in the process).

After that he mixed the water, powder, and a pinch of salt as instructed, and mixed it up before adding the cloth.

We put the cloth on and went crazy fitting it right blow my collarbone and down around my belly. It dries super fast, which I think is another difference between the normal kind. It was pretty much dry after 10 minutes but we waited 30 to be sure it was done before pulling it off.

Getting it off was the worst part. The lady in the picture had what looked like saran wrap but we didn't have any, so it pulled my peach fuzz out when we were taking it off. It was kind of funny cause here I am tearing up as my husband is trying to pull off this huge cast stuck to my huge stomach, and he's asking me if I want an epidural.

He kept making me laugh but every time I'd laugh it would pull against my skin some more, and then I'd scream OOW! It's an experience we'll remember forever, that's for sure!

We got it off of my body, but the bra I had on got stuck inside the cast so we unsnapped it to get it all the way off of me. My husband then suggested I leave it like that... With the bra inside and just wear it out as a shirt from time to time as a Gaga-like fashion statement.

Here's how it looked right after we were done!The next day I primed the cast but I was pretty sure I wasn't going to paint it like some people do. I'm not a good painter and I didn't want to ruin it. One of my friends on Twitter said she has a painter friend who may make hers look like a ladybug.. The theme of the nursery. I think that would be so cute!

I decided to leave mine white and add a pink bow. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and it already has a nice spot on the ledge in the nursery.Soooo... What do you think of my cast?

Maternitique, the company I got the Belly Vita from, is an excellent online store for women. Their mission is to help women look their best, feel their best and do their best throughout pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Their goal is to help inspire happier mothers, easier births, healthier babies and a safer world—and to do it with uncompromising style.
To that end, they choose products designed for modern women that combine the best of science and traditional wellness—what we call "maternity evolved, naturally." They carefully select natural brands that are safe for you and your baby. They also guarentee your purchase 100%! So they back what they say! Learn more about them by following @Maternitique on twitter or by "Liking" Maternitique on Facebook.
Maternitique has items for every woman, not just moms or pregnant women. Not only do they have items for the nursery and postpartum, they have lots of beauty products for any woman!

They're generously giving one of my blog readers a $50 gift certificate to Maternitique. Just visit their shop and let me know what you'd like to get.

If you follow them on Twitter or "Like" them on facebook, and let them know you found them from my blog, leave an extra comment letting me know each for extra chances to win. My blog followers also get an extra entry.

Giveaway ends June 20th at 11:59pm.
Random.org will choose a winner!

*Thanks Maternitique for sending me the BellyVita to review, and sponsoring this giveaway! As usual, opinions expressed are mine alone*