ePregnancy Article

Belly Dancing

By Barbara Card Atkinson

This article appeared in the February 2005 issue of ePregnancy Magazine and is reprinted with permission.

When you hear the term “belly dancing,” you probably think of scantily clad women veiled in gauze and shimmying under the lascivious gaze of lounging men. This is a fairly recent Hollywood-ization of a ritual dance which pre-dates Biblical times. Belly dance enthusiasts believe the circular, rhythmic movements were used to celebrate fertility and motherhood, and as a body-based method to teach women how to prepare for childbirth. In fact, there are numerous medical professionals both in the U.S. and abroad who are currently teaching women to move their pregnant bodies to the ancient rhythms, gently tracing organic forms to awaken and strengthen their muscles for the birthing work ahead of them.

At Isis Maternity, a comprehensive pregnancy and birth resource center just outside Boston, Cathy Moore, a certified nurse midwife with over 15 years of experience, and Anita-Cristina Calcaterra, a second-generation belly dancer who has been working with pregnant mothers and midwives since 1993, run a workshop called “Belly Dancing for Pregnancy and Birth.” Calcaterra says , “I know this dance is directly related to childbirth. I've seen it and just feel it.

Labor Prep
“Belly dance promotes body awareness,” states Moore. “Similar to activities such as Yoga and Tai Chi, belly dance helps us to be in our bodies, to be aware of what our muscles are capable of doing, and to be centered in our being. Belly dance can be like a moving meditation. Belly dance also promotes body acceptance both in pregnant and non-pregnant women.”

The dance form includes a combination of deep concentration and the isolation of muscles and abdominal movement, all of which directly benefit pregnant women. The deep-breathing patterns and pelvis tilt exercises in belly dance techniques are the same ones taught in modern-day childbirth classes.

Moore explains, “If you look at the types of prenatal exercises that were being taught in the first Lamaze classes in the ‘60s to ‘70s, they are very similar to some of the basic movements of belly dance. For example, most women are familiar with the pelvic rock exercise used to help with low back discomfort. The basic posture for belly dancing that [we teach] to our students is very similar to this exercise.”

How Do I Get Started?
Although you may have to search around to find a class geared specifically for prenatal belly dance, most major cities offer a wealth of regular classes. Check community centers, dance complexes and yoga studios. You can also contact one of these studios for more information or to take a class if they're in your area.

• Kismet Dance in Salt Lake City, UT

• Isis Maternity in Brookline, MA

• Seattle Holistic Center in Seattle, WA

• Empire Dance in New York, NY

• Toronto Belly Dance Collective in Canada

• Belly Babies in London, England

If you can't find a class, use one of these resources to begin your belly dancing workouts.

• Belly Dancing During Pregnancy , an instructional belly dance video by Gaby Oeftering

• “Belly Dancing and Childbirth,” by Morocco

• Discover Belly Dance

• Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance: Awakening Spirituality through Movement and Ritual, by Iris J. Stewart

Webgoddess note: For Boston area classes check www.InTheBellyOfTheGoddess.com

Belly Benefits
Swiveling your hips and working your tummy in a belly dancing class give you and your baby plenty of benefits.

• Pre-birth: Belly dance during pregnancy can help to allay some of the common discomforts of pregnancy, such as low back pain and heartburn. It also helps to keep you in shape, which can make for an easier pregnancy and delivery.

• Labor: During labor, the movements can be used as a focal point to help you cope with the pain of contractions. Also, most midwives and birth attendants believe a laboring woman who is upright and moving will often experience an easier and shorter labor. Plus, the shape and size of the pelvic outlet is influenced by body position, and belly dance movements such as hip circles and figure eights keep the muscles and bones of the pelvis open and moving. This assists the baby's head in finding the optimal position to fit through the pelvis into the birth canal.

• Postpartum : The relaxing quality of belly dance movements may help breastfeeding by encouraging the letdown response. Belly dance is also extremely useful for recovering abdominal and pelvic muscular tone, and it's a great wind to unwind from the stress that motherhood sometimes brings.

Constraint
Before you rush right out and find a belly dancing class to start attending, check with your healthcare provider. Once you have his or her approval, be sure to consider the following while you're working it!

• Slow it down: Some parts of the dance form should be modified to accommodate your burgeoning belly. Moore cautions, “Most of the more vigorous movements, such as shimmies, may need to be toned down a bit or done for shorter periods of time.”

• Listen to your body: Remember to keep your heart rate below 140 beats per minute, drink plenty of water to maintain good hydration and pay attention to your body's signals; it will let you know when to stop or slow down. A woman who is very fit going into her pregnancy will be capable of a more vigorous workout, and one who has been belly dancing prior to pregnancy should be able to continue with some adjustments made during the third trimester. If you're trying it out for the first time during your pregnancy, you need to proceed gradually.

• Be gentle: A pregnant woman's joints are more flexible due to pregnancy hormones, so be careful not to overstretch them. Movements such as hip circles and figure eights should be done gently and kept small.

“When I first began learning belly dance, I was… amazed by how much the movements actually mimic the process of labor,” says Moore. “The belly rolls look so much like contractions, and look very much like a laboring woman's belly as she works to push her baby into the world. The shimmies, especially the full-body vibration, look exactly like the trembling many women experience during… transition and initial postpartum.”

Far from being a new trend in the pregnancy world, today's form of belly dance is a way to reclaim the original birthing method.

About the author: Barbara Card Atkinson is a freelance writer and mother who lives in a Boston-area suburb.

Note from the WebGoddess: Barbara wrote this article while studying belly dance with The Goddess Dancing.