• Ask the Expert Home

• What is a belly cast? What do you do with it?

  15-Dec-09 22:32

• When can I get a gender determination ultrasound?

  11-Dec-09 22:39

• When do I start feeling my baby?

  02-Dec-09 01:34

• What do you think about baby sign language?

  08-Dec-09 00:28

• I am not due yet, why am I contracting?

  30-Nov-09 02:35

• Is 3d/ 4d ultrasound safe?

  11-Dec-09 00:21

• What are the best ways to handle a baby with colic?

  05-Oct-09 00:23

• Should I take a childbirth class and which one?

  10-Nov-09 23:23

What is a belly cast? What do you do with it?

A Belly Cast is when your pregnant abdomen is immortalized.  Plaster of paris, which is used to cast broken bones regularly, is laid over the belly.  The plaster makes a mold of the abdomen and when it dries it is removed from the client.  At Pregnancy Journey we finish the cast by re-enforcing it with plaster, paint it with a primer, drill holes and add a ribbon for hanging.  There are many things that you can do with this mold.  You may have it painted with the baby's statistics (time and date of birth, height and weight), decorated to match the nursery, painted in a bronze to look like artwork, or have the baby's foot and hand prints on it.  It is a beautiful way to remember how you looked when you were pregnant. 

When I was pregnant, I wanted to do everything to remember how I was during that moment.  I knew that being pregnant happened in a blink of an eye and you do not ever get that back.  So I made sure I got maternity photos and a 3D ultrasound during my pregnancy.  If I had known about getting my belly casted I would have done it.  Beth (my business partner) was on bedrest with her twins and had found about belly casting.  So while she was in the hospital she had it done and it was later painted by Katy from Fanciful Walls to match her nursery.  It has a Classic Pooh theme and both babies stats were painted on it too.  Everytime we have clients inquiring about belly casting, they are amazed at Beth's which is on display for all to see.  It is a beautiful work of art.  Come into our office any time or check out our Belly Casting Section at www.pregnancyjourney.com.

When can I get a gender determination ultrasound?

"Is it a boy or a girl?"  Many parents are anxious to find out as soon as possible.  You can get a gender determination as early as 16 weeks gestation.   At your diagnostic ultrasound around 20 weeks, most sonographers try to find out the sex if the baby is cooperative.  There are many factors that make it difficult for a sonographer to determine the gender, and they have a great deal of measurements to do in the allotted time.  However, at 3d/4d facilities we take our time to give the customer the answer they are looking for.  We are given more time to determine the sex in a comfortable place for the whole family to share in the news!

When do I start feeling my baby?

It all depends on where your placenta lies.  Every placenta implants in a different area of the uterus.  If the placenta implants in the back of the uterus, there is no cushion in the front and you willl feel the baby sooner.  You will feel something like fluttering, gas bubbles or tickling.  When it implants in the front it acts like padding, so it might take longer to feel it.  When I was pregnant, I did not understand why I had not felt anything and I was almost 18 weeks.  I started to worry, then on morning on my commute I heard a great song an decided to rock it!  I almost jumped out of my seat when I felt something tickle me from inside.  After the initial freak out, I was relieved and had to share with my husband the new milestone.