The Rise of Henna Baby Bump Art
Henna body art is a prenatal tradition within some cultures. For thousands of years, women in India, Africa and the Middle East have considered henna decoration of the baby bump to be good luck. They feel that it is an auspicious act to adorn the pregnant belly with beautiful artwork. Legend has it that doing so will mean a safe birth and is likely to mean the baby will be very happy.
Whether there is truth in this or not, most expectant mothers know they have nothing to lose by trying, but a beautiful piece of art to gain! Using henna for this purpose makes sense, as natural, organic henna is totally safe and non-toxic for topical use. Henna has been used for centuries as a skin and hair dye, and for other cosmetic uses.
Baby bump henna art is usually done when the expectant mother is between seven and nine months pregnant. The eighth month is the most popular because at this stage the bump is unlikely to grow much more. After this point, the pregnancy can become quite uncomfortable and it can take away from the enjoyment of the belly art. Some artists don’t want to book moms in after this point anyway, as chances are higher of last minute cancellations due to labor!
Henna Baby bump art is a fashion statement
This kind of art has become a fashion statement over the last few years, with hip moms choosing henna to embellish their baby bumps with intricate designs that last for a few weeks; it’s a pretty cool opportunity to show off your pregnancy in style, don’t you think?
There are many attractive designs to choose from. For example, the tree of life is extremely popular… it looks totally awesome on a baby bump. There is also a symbolic reason for its popularity though: the tree of life is a world famous motif, used within religion, theology, philosophy, mythology and science. It speaks of the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.
Baby bump art has really taken off in the last few years. It’s great fun as an activity for baby showers, and it makes a woman’s pregnancy memories even more valuable. Like many women, you might prefer to bring your friends and family into the experience this way. Some mothers-to-be even opt to go for a more permanent kind of pregnancy memoir: a cast of the bump that they can have embellished and mounted on the wall. What a fabulous novelty for the kids as they grow up!
Henna Baby bump art is therapeutic
Some mothers will tell you that the experience of having henna painted on their baby bellies is very therapeutic and relaxing. It’s an intimate experience and a connecting one for both the mom-to-be and the artist. It’s not unheard of for pregnant moms to fall asleep during the process – pregnancy is taxing and this is a great chance for them to relax for a few hours, in a novel kind of pampering session.
As you might imagine, creating an elaborate piece of baby bump art is far more in depth than a standard piece of henna work. If you’ve ever had an elaborate henna tattoo done, you’ll know that it can take a couple of hours or more for an artist to render the design, and then of course there is the drying time. The whole process might take up to eight hours, so you moms-to-be signing up for this should be careful to free up your day for it!
Celebrities love baby bump art
By now you may have seen some of the celebrity moms gracing the news. They’re making this fashion statement even more fashionable by doing it with maximum style and then showing off their awesome baby bump designs all over magazines, online news and social media platforms like Instagram.
Mariah Carey was one such mum, when she was carrying her twins back in 2011. She went for a pink and blue butterfly design, whereas Alanis Morissette went for a gorgeous henna tattoo on her belly back in 2010.
More recently it was Beyonce making headlines with the most memorable baby shower imaginable. Her ‘push party’ was themed around West African influences and the stunning henna design she chose fitted it perfectly. Henna body art has been a big part of West African culture for at least a thousand years. If anyone can market henna baby art as an American fashion statement, it’s Beyonce!
Pregnancy is an exciting time for most women, so choosing to celebrate it and make memories with henna art makes perfect sense. We hope you enjoy your henna experience!