Snapper aims to put mums in the frame

Jessy Paston. (s)

A DROITWICH photographer is looking for new mums around the area to bare their bellies as part of a unique new project.

Jessy Paston from Langley Road has created the ‘Jelly Bellies’ project in a bid to boost confidence in new mums and make them proud of their post-pregnancy bodies.

The experienced photographer took inspiration from her own pregnancies with daughter Anisha and son Dan and now wants to share other mum’s stories and photographs in a tasteful way.

Becoming a mum left Jessy with her own ‘jelly belly’ but she hopes her project will give mums a more positive body image and be more accepting of who they are and their bodies after childbirth

She said: “Childbirth brings about so many changes to your life. Your whole life is turned upside down, you hardly have any sleep, you are suddenly responsible for a human being and it’s scary!

“To top it all off, your body feels alien, doing its own thing, spurting liquids all over the place. But it is worth it for you have a beautiful baby and you finally realize what the word love truly means.

“Are all these changes to our bodies normal? Do other women have the same things happening to them? Is it just me going through this?

Jessy said one way of understanding the effect of pregnancy on women’s bodies was through photography and stories.

“It is not wrong, or horrid or something to be ashamed of.

“The changes in our bodies are because we’ve had a baby and that a miracle in its own right. Let’s be proud of what we’ve done and achieved.

“So here’s to our Jelly Bellies, a mother’s badge of honor. Let’s share it and let’s wear it with pride,” she added.

Jessy said most mums have been quite keen to take part in the project but have wanted to be anonymous, participants do

not even have to have their faces shown or names revealed.

E-mail jessy@paston.biz, visit http://jessographyjellybellies.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/hello-world/ or call 01905 795407 for more information on the project.

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