By Mary Windsor, Staff Writer

Published in print Mar. 25, 2015

Downtown Saturday afternoon was awash with round bellies, babies wrapped around chests, and toddlers in strollers. Bright colors, Baby Bjorks, rubber duckies, OBYGN nurses and bottles cluttered the inner halls of the Cultural Center.

The Greensboro Cultural Arts Center held their fifth annual “Baby Belly Bazaar” this Saturday from 11am -3pm. This event was for expecting women and mothers of newborns that were interested in alternative parenting.

Over forty vendors and companies held booths and information sessions to introduce mothers to their birthing options. The event hosted several different childbirth centers to show case different means of birthing a baby.

Midwives, doulas, yogis, water birth activists and several Piedmont hospitals offered advice, explanations and resources to expecting mothers. Women were also given alternatives to postnatal care and lactations expertise by consultants from Moses Cone Hospital. Kenny Shulman, the founder of this event, was excited with its turn out this past weekend.

“The whole premise for this convention is to show women their different options in childbirth and postnatal care,” said Shulman. “You’ve got choices, ladies realize it.”

Some fun attractions offered to expectant mothers were several different types of belly painting. Similar to face painting, the mother chooses a design and has it painted on her belly. There were three different booths for this type of art.

One of the most popular one featured Poonam Solanki of Henna Art. She has been practicing the art of henna for the last ten years. She specializes in weddings, birthdays and pregnancy henna designs. Her designs on woman’s stomachs were large and intricate, swirls and mandalas adorning the roundest part of the belly.

Solanki’s designs revolved around the theme that the roots of our world and hands that cradle the world are mothers.

“I was originally inspired by a belly painting,” Shulman gushes. “I saw this picture of a belly painting and wanted to host an event where the pregnant women of Greensboro could come together and learn about their bodies and different choices for labor and postnatal care.”

Big box stores like Body By Baby and Baby’s R US were having several giveaways during the event. Belly casts, strollers and massages were grand prizes given away during the bazaar. Hypno-birthing sessions, essential oils to help with the pregnancy, and chiropractive massages were all available. Local vendors sold organic baked goods and explained the importance of eating healthy during a pregnancy.

In this event the medical, art and healing arts community all gathered together to help prepare new moms and dads to become parents. Over 700 people attended this year.