Meet the artist who has painted over 350 baby bumps

Pregnancy, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, has a renewed focus on self-care.

Around one in 10 women suffer from prenatal or postnatal depression, according to NCT and one of the suggested self-help methods involves boosting your wellbeing.

In TOWIE star Lauren Pope’s new Yahoo UK video series, The Baby Bump, boosting our wellbeing is a hot topic of discussion, covering everything from the UK’s bounce back culture to pregnancy during the coronavirus.

Although 2020 has thrown some curveballs at pregnant women around the world, we’re lucky that our options for self-care are more plentiful than they’ve ever been before.

One woman offering pregnant women a bit of light relief is baby bump painter, Jo Peters, who appeared on The Baby Bump.

The make-up artist has been working in the field for 25 years and has trained in body painting.

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“I thought it looked cute,” Peters explained, discussing her first ever foray into bump painting.

“It’s grown into a business for me over a long period of time, the first five years or so it was a fairly rare occurrence, but the last few years it’s become really popular and I think it’s down to the growth of social media.”

Peters, who has painted over 350 bumps to date, says her most commonly requested bump paints are “silhouette fairy designs, followed by floral bumps”.

Many women also choose to have their stomach painted with a football, which Peters explains are usually “a surprise for the dad-to-be”.

“I did a football bump during the World Cup tournament for a lady who was watching the final with friends and family in the pub, she was planning to lift up her top in celebration but sadly football didn’t come home! The bump was a lovely way to lift spirits anyway.”

Like many people across the world, Peters’ work has suffered in the wake of the coronavirus, but she’s hopeful that she will be able to start back up as soon as the beauty industry is given the go-ahead.

“I’ll be kitting myself out with PPE to ensure my clients and I are protected, I’ll wear disposable gloves, a mask and/or a face shield and continue with my usual high level of hygiene ensuring everything is clean and sanitised.

“I’ll follow the guidelines given to the beauty industry when I am able to start work again,” she explains.

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Given that this experience is all about self-care, one area pregnant women can find a little overwhelming is what they are and are not allowed to put on their skin during pregnancy.

“I use professional water based face paints which are safe for the skin and easily removed with soap and water, and my brushes and kit are cleaned between each person,” Peters explains.

Speaking about the types of products women should look to use during pregnancy, the make-up artist explains: “It’s always best to keep things simple and I prefer brands with natural or organic formulas such as Neal’s Yard or Weleda, products with smaller ingredient lists tend to be less likely to cause irritation.

“The best advice is always given by health professionals who can assess your individual concerns. A bb cream or tinted moisturiser and a hydrating face spray - Body Shop do some lovely ones - will enhance your pregnancy glow even on days when you might not be feeling full of energy, a quick spritz throughout the day keeps your skin hydrated and can do wonders.”

One intricate looking part of Peters’ job is sketching baby scans onto pregnant women’s stomaches.

Many women like to commemorate their pregnancy by having their baby scan drawn onto their stomach. The photos can then be saved and added to their baby book.

Speaking about the impressive looking images, Peters explains: “The scan bumps are surprisingly easy! You just have to figure out the prominent features such as an arm or a leg at a particular angle, if you get the placement right you get a good resemblance of the scan.

“I like to finish my scan bumps with a frame of flowers to add an arty twist to an otherwise monochrome image.”