Preserving pregnant bellies
Published Saturday November 1st, 2008
At nine months pregnant, I barely wanted to be seen in public. I felt like I was expanding by the minute, stretching to capacity. No coat would contain my girth and I avoided cameras in those last few days. I would never have considered sitting for a three-dimensional sculpture of my belly, something now available to expecting moms in the Moncton area.
When I first heard about Lidia Branch's belly-casting service, I thought it was loopy. I mean, who would want a huge bowl-like replica of themselves at peak size? Plenty of people do, evidently. It seems I was too hasty in my conclusion.
Branch, mother of two, birth doula, midwife assistant, aromatherapist and now belly-caster made her first rough plaster cast six years ago. She is now working up bellies with such detail, you can see the pores of the skin in the finished product.
She makes dozens of casts a year in her home. She prefers to work on full-term women for full effect, but will do a cast earlier if that's what the mother wants. She casts bellies; bellies with the hands of the mother, father and siblings; or bellies and breasts. After the baby arrives, she also offers casting for babies' hands, feet or bums, up until they are six weeks old. She glazes and paints the finished products in the colour of the parents' choice, often matching the décor in their house. The casts hang on their wall or sit on a simple easel.
It was only natural that Branch, 39, would find her way to this new venture.
She moved to New Brunswick in 1997 from Holland, where she worked as a druggist, esthetician and aromatherapist. When she got pregnant eight years ago with her son, she realized delivering a baby in New Brunswick is very different from delivering one in Europe.
"I was just very disappointed in the way they had the maternity system set up, especially to find out that people were going to be kicked out of bed within 48 hours after birth and they had to go back to work," she said recently from her Moncton home. "In Holland, you get your certified extra-mural nurse, who is coming to help you, wash you, feed you and do all kinds of other things for 10 days."
That, coupled with a shortage of family doctors in New Brunswick, prompted Branch to become a certified doula, travelling to Portland, Me., to take a course offered through the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators and Doulas. A birth doula is a professional care-giver who prepares couples for labour and delivery with non-medical support. They assist during labour and keep an eye on mothers postpartum. Branch has assisted in more than 60 births and is convinced doulas are making a difference in the birth experience in New Brunswick. She said doula-assisted labours are easier and have fewer complications.
A few years ago, Branch was preparing a client for her birth when the woman asked about belly casting. Branch had been reading about it and decided to give it a try.
"When I put my hands into the plaster I just loved it," she said. "So I did a couple and learned about a new technique. And when I saw how important it was for women to have that souvenir and how detailed I could make it - that I could release all my creativity - I just loved doing it."
Over the years, Branch, who operates Transitions Aromatherapy and Child Birth Assistance in Moncton, has perfected her technique. She uses a natural material called algenate to make the mould. The mother sits for an hour or so while she applies the algenate, waits for it to set and removes the mould. They often chat about childbirth. Sometimes, husbands or friends come by and take pictures. Every experience is different, she said. Afterward, Branch makes a plaster cast from the mould and the finished product is ready in about two weeks.
"Often, when I bring the belly cast, they have already delivered their baby, because I need to dry and sand and paint," Branch said. "So they're just very, very happy to have a long-lasting piece of art of themselves and remembering one of the most magical times. And often, they look at themselves and see a beautiful person, so that's very empowering."
Branch said parents are speechless when they see the end result. They can't believe how detailed it is. She likes to turn the cast around to show them the inside, so they can see the cavity, the space where their baby grew.
It's clear she loves to share these moments with the couples. And she relishes the creative process.
"Sometimes for me it's just such a cool thing to do to work on these bellies and you can feel, sometimes, the babies kicking against your hand," she said. "I feel so privileged and so special to do that."
Branch will be part of the Moncton Art Studio Tour today and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., with a display at La Teraz, 154 Church St. She will also have a display at the 2009 Saint John Baby Expo on April 5 at the Lily Lake Pavilion. For details, visit www.lidiabranch.com.
Andrea McAuliffe mcauliffe.andrea@telegraphjournal.com is an editor at the Telegraph-Journal and mother of two. Parental Guidance appears every other Saturday in Magazine and addresses important issues as well as the lighter side of parenting.
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