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Belly Babies! by Anne Kingston, Bellydance Teacher & Performer
When I was asked by a local newspaper if I would write an article on belly dancing and pregnancy I wasn’t quite sure where to start, having never been pregnant! The request came because I had mentioned in a previous article that I had a pregnant student in my class so I took it as an opportunity to find out more for her safety and as a challenge to do some serious research.
Since then three more of my students have become pregnant (must be the time of year!) so the need for knowledge and safe teaching became a priority. While I knew that Middle Eastern dance was used in childbirth it wasn’t enough to let my young Mums know that without backing up the information with some real medical facts. Another of my students is a midwife so I knew my findings would also be useful to her work.
It does seem unlikely to most women that a dance form usually linked with sensuality and sequins would have anything to do with childbirth, but belly dance does. Throughout the Middle East dance is used to celebrate joy, to ease sadness and grief and to promote a feeling of well being so it’s no surprise that it would also be used for the most important of events, the birth of a baby.
Belly dance is sometimes referred to as ‘birth dance’ in the Middle East and giving birth is generally a group affair with female relatives in attendance, dancing slowly with the young Mother, giving encouragement and care. In addition as one of the oldest forms of dance, originating from pre-Biblical times, belly dance has always symbolised fertility and womanhood and is linked to the Earth Goddess – making it just about the oldest form of natural childbirth in the world!
In my quest for more technical knowledge I asked a few dancers who work in the medical profession and success one of them had been contacted by a midwife who had been conducting research into the subject. I contacted Vince Tremayne, student midwife and registered nurse with the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, and found to my delight that he had loads of information and was willing to share it. The material he had uncovered has been written by members of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, midwives, dance teachers and students. (If you would like a copy of the full articles Vince sent to me e mail me at annekingston@ntlworld.) In an attempt to keep this article reasonably short and of interest to all I will give a brief run down on the benefits of belly dance during pregnancy but must state that all pregnant ladies should check with their doctors first before embarking on a new exercise regime and those already dancing should tell their doctor about the classes they attend. Firstly there have been many research studies that indicate that women who exercise regularly have shorter, less painful labours and that low-impact exercise, such as belly dance, can help maintain cardiovascular and muscle strength. Midwives have stated that certain belly dance moves correspond to those used in prenatal preparation. Hip movements, for example, increase muscular strength around the abdomen, strength the spine and pelvis, are beneficial to the blood supply and promote good posture - good posture is particularly important as the weight of the baby increases. There was some evidence to suggest that the baby benefits from the rocking of the pelvis and the soothing tones of the music indeed studies have shown that the fetus can hear while in the womb so playing some soulful Amr Diab may be just the thing! Upper body moves and undulations (camels) help strengthen the muscles of the stomach, chest and spine. These moves are useful in further preparing the body for the birth and are often used during labour in the Middle East to ease the birth process and help relax the expectant Mother. Strengthening these muscles also helps in carrying the baby safely through pregnancy and may also help in reducing stretch marks. As a teacher I was particularly interested to look at the overall benefits of belly dance classes and in brief these are:
I would like to dedicate this article to my friend (and fellow Sinai desert trekker) Natalie Nardone, who has danced through two pregnancies, the last one culminating on 20 Feb 2005 with the birth of Leila, a beautiful baby girl, who will no doubt be spoiled rotten by Dad, Mike and her three big brothers.
Further information can be found at: www.angelfire.com/retro/perfumedpalace.pregnancy www.bellydancer.org.uk/bellybab www.chidlbirthsolutions.com/articles/worldbirth/middleeast/index www.discoverbellydance.com/Vol_18_No_2.htm Anne Kingston can be contacted at 01772 783048 (mobile 07843 079574) or by visiting her web site at www.annekingston.com
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