Pregnancy is a special time for women full of exciting new experiences (and maybe some that are not so exciting). It’s a period in life that most want to remember since it is one of those ‘life-defining experiences.’ After some chitchat we found that women can do some funky things with their oversized bellies during pregnancy, but who are we to judge? Here are some fun and creative ways you can document your bump here in Shanghai.
Paint Your Bump
Painting your bump has apparently become all the rage in the UK and it has now made its way to Shanghai. Kathryn Robbins has broken into this niche market after her experiences with costume and body painting.
She first tried it out on her own sister when she was eight months pregnant and realized what a fun thing it was to do for moms-to-be. She explains that it can be a very liberating experience for those being body painted and she enjoys it because the connections she makes with clients happens quite quickly.
The paint is completely safe, water-based and is easy to take off, but to make sure soon-to-be-moms can remember the whole experience, a professional photographer is there to document it. Together with Silver Cloud Studio, Katherine will be offering packages of bump painting and a photo shoot starting at RMB2,888. The painting process takes about three hours and she is always conscious of how long women are able to sit down and feel comfortable, taking breaks for them to walk around and improve their circulation.
If you want to go all out, she also offers full body painting or family members can even be added to the experience. For those who don’t quite know what they want, there is a portfolio of options to choose from. Katherine uses the gender of the baby and other details about the woman to create some artistic inspiration.
>Kathryn Robbins, WeChat ID: Kathryn80085 or email kathrynrobbinsmua@gmail.com
Photograph Your Bump
We’ve all been annoyed by friends who obsessively post selfies of their kids and bumps, and if you are pregnant you are most likely to follow suit, but don’t fret. You can do it up classy with some professional photographs of your bump and the family.
There aren’t too many photographers that we found who photograph bumps, but Barefoot Studios here in Shanghai specializes in both pregnancy and family photography and can help you capture the glory of your baby bump for all to see. Expat Don Yap started the studio with the mission of offering Shanghai parents a refreshing antidote to the usual over-the-top, kitschy Chinese photography aesthetic.
Pregnancy photo shoots are 90 minutes and start from RMB2,800. Since pregnancy shoots often involve some kind of nudity, they are always scheduled with a female photographer to ensure the comfort of the mother. While the studio’s philosophy emphasizes clean and natural shots – hence the name Barefoot – it also works with each mother to customize the shoot according to her particular identity and style.
Schedule the shoot between the 28th and the 31st week of your pregnancy as this is usually the optimum size bump for the photographer to work with. Wearing a two-piece outfit also helps to showcase that round belly. But the biggest tip of all is to “Involve your husband,” Yap says. “This is an experience that you can both cherish.”
>Barefoot Studios, 4th Floor, 668 Huaian Lu, by Changhua Lu, WeChat ID: barefootSH, (136 3649 9379)
Cast Your Bump
Sometimes it’s not enough to just take pictures of your belly bump – you’ve got to document it in 3D. For more forward thinking, tactile- oriented moms-to-be, the weird world of belly casting awaits.
A belly cast is a 3D sculpture of the pregnant body made from a plaster mold. Strips of plaster are laid directly on the belly (and neighboring parts if you prefer your sculptures more realistic than abstract), set to dry, and then painted with a gesso sealant to ensure longevity. While celebrity moms like Kourtney Kardashian have gotten their belly casts done professionally, you can buy your very own DIY kit from—where else—Taobao.
For best results, Taobao belly cast seller Chen Guori suggests making the cast at around eight months of pregnancy. He suggests watching how-to videos online for instructions and ideas, as well as inviting family members and friends to help with the process. Sounds like a fun party – wouldn’t you want to have your friends over for wine and make a mold of your bare stomach?
And Chen’s kits are all made with safe materials in accordance with EU safety standards. The finished plaster cast can also be painted and decorated; Chen will be adding paints to his Taobao store soon. If belly casts don’t sound like your thing, you can also buy mold-making kids for your baby’s hands and feet instead.
>Haisenlan Co Ltd, purchase at kxtang.taobao.com
