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WESLEY CHAPEL - It's not a snow globe or a key chain, but a mold of your belly at its most rotund has become a pretty trendy souvenir for moms-to-be.
Belly casting is the process of applying medical grade plaster to a pregnant torso. After drying for 10 minutes, the hardened plaster creates a three-dimensional form of the belly.
A mold can be painted to match the nursery. It can be displayed as an attractive mantle piece. Some people line the mold in fabric so that the infant can sleep in it, taking comfort from the familiar shape.
Her Special Time Maternity Boutique in the Shoppes of New Tampa sells the $54.99 ProudBelly kits and offers monthly classes on the process of making a mold.
"I would do it with my girlfriends or my mom," Her Special Time owner Sherri Spaw said of the process.
Belly casting has been featured on Live with Regis and Kelly and the Learning Channel's A Baby Story. The plaster is all natural, and manufacturers say it is painless to use. The cast can be completed in less than an hour.
At the very least, it's a conversation piece.