How to Belly Cast!

Thanks for all the comments on my belly cast and my beautiful nephew! I tell the baby all the time that the most excited people to meet him or her are Daddy and Eli! (And Mommy of course.) G and E are constantly asking, “When’s the baby coming out?” Soon, my sweets. Very very soon.

So you want to belly cast too? This cast is the fourth I’ve been a part of – my own, of course, and my sister’s three. It’s ridiculously easy to make! I’m sorry there are no pictures – there are pictures, of course, but they’re pretty revealing and even I’m not comfortable putting them up on the blog. Use your imaginations!

Supplies needed:

Petroleum jelly. (I’d get a new BIG jar.)

Plaster gauze. (We used this one which I bought at Michael’s. Any craft store will have it. Even if you think you’ve bought enough, get another one. We actually ran out and probably could have used some more.)

Drop cloths or towels or newspapers. (This is a MESSY project. We always do it in the bathroom because surfaces can be cleaned easily, but also, if you’re the one getting the cast done to you, you’re going to want to get in the shower ASAP.)

Bucket or pan (You need to dip the gauze in warm water.)

Some kind of chair. (One that can also be wiped down easily – we used a metal folding chair.)

Husband, sister, friend (You can’t do this yourself – get someone to do it for you that you feel really comfortable with – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend three kids 7 and under helping out – but it was still fun!)

We do the boobs – and after the first cast we realized that keeping the bra ON is probably better than taking it off. Also, keep your underwear on as well. I wouldn’t wear your brand new $60 nursing bra or your best undies. Things are going to get messy.

Step 1: Cut the plaster gauze into strips. You’ll want some long ones that will cover all the way across your belly and you’ll want some shorter ones to fill in places and really there are no wrong answers here. But it’s good to have them cut BEFORE you start. Cut more than you think you’ll need and keep the scissors close by so you can cut some more when you run out.

Step 2: SLATHER yourself with petroleum jelly anywhere and everywhere you want the plaster to go. Just gob that shit on until you ARE petroleum jelly. Go past the edges of where you think the plaster will land. Get help for this. You’ve got a big belly and there’s skin you can’t see/get to. Basically, when the plaster dries it will literally POP off your body because it doesn’t stick to the skin.

Step 3: Get as comfortable as you can in the chair while still maintaining a big belly. You don’t want to stand with the cast on – it’s not bad per se, but it does get kind of uncomfortable and you’re going to want to sit down. I sort of had my ass on the edge of the seat and leaned back.

Step 4: Fill your bucket or pan with warm water. I don’t know that the water technically needs to be warm, but why would you want to put cold water on your body?

Step 5: Dip one of the strips in the water – you don’t have to soak it, just make sure it’s all wet. Then artfully drape it across the belly!

Step 6: Repeat Step 5 until the entire area you want to cast is covered. As you go along, smooth out the edges with excess water and fill in places that seem like they might need more plaster. The plaster has already started to harden, but you can’t hurt things by using MORE. In fact, if you don’t use enough, it will be flimsy in areas and that’s not good, so MORE is better.

Step 7: Once the area is covered and things are as smooth as they’re going to get (or you’ve run out of plaster) sit there and look pretty. It’d be nice if you had some water to drink nearby because it can get kind of hot with all those kids running around and the bathroom starts to close in on you but hey! You can feel the cast starting to dislodge! Cool! The whole thing probably takes about a half an hour (but can feel much longer.) Don’t rush it – it won’t be completely dry when it pops off, but it will be dry enough on the under layers of plaster.

Step 8: GENTLY take the cast off once you’re sure it’s ready. Trust me. You’ll know. Or you won’t be able to take it anymore and you’ll take it off anyway. It will literally just pull away from your skin.

Step 9: Put it on the chair or floor, but makes sure that the heaviest part (probably the bottom of the belly) is what’s supporting the rest of the cast. It’s nowhere near fully dry and you don’t want to collapse it.

Step 10: Rip your bra and underwear off as best you can (I’d suggest wearing something you don’t necessarily care about) and get in the shower. Use a washcloth to get the petroleum jelly off, but really, the plaster just disappears from your skin.

Step 11: Dry off. Admire your new cast. Try not to think about where you’re going to put it in your house so no one sees it, especially your dad and your father-in-law. 😉

Voila! Belly cast!

There are a million kits out there, but seriously, so not necessary. I think I bought a kit the first time we did one for my sister, but quickly realized (when the kit came with a jar of Vaseline and plaster gauze) that we could do this ourselves no problem. Also, if you google belly cast, there are a million and one websites out there to tell you how to do it – maybe better than I just did. Some people use plastic under the cast in stead of petroleum jelly, but I think I would have a hard time keeping it from slipping. It’s true that the petroleum jelly coats the inside of the cast, but that’s easily wiped away.

At a later date, you can always take more plaster and smooth out areas that you’re unhappy with or need more reinforcement. Once it’s totally dry, you can decorate it, display it, celebrate it, or hide it in the attic like we do.

Have fun!