pregnancy safe exercise?

[Ahava_Melantha]

I am curious if belly dance is relatively safe for pregnancy exercise?

I know in the farther stages of pregnancy maybe a lot of jazz moves and theatrical aspects of belly dance might not be appropriate, but generally is it safe?

any advanced students/teachers have any recommendations for dancing in the different aspects of pregnancy?

 

[Darshiva]

it varies from individual to individual. Talk to your doctor about the kinds of moves you do and ask for advice. Get a second opinion if necessary and then speak to your teacher about how to modify your dance practice around the medical advice.

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

I'll talk to my dr and soon obstetrician. right now I don't have a dance teacher, but am thinking that as I progress to cut down on the turns and super modern oriental, and stick to more earthy types of dancing, maybe hone my skillz on baladi

 

[Kashmir]

It does vary between people, as a rough guide:

• don’t allow your temperature to rise too high
• avoid jarring movements (not a good time to be rehearsing debke).
• take into consideration the increased elasticity of your ligaments – you’ll be more flexible but you may not have enough strength and control (which can lead to damage).
• If it hurts – stop.

 

[~Diana~]

I have a few friends who danced and practiced all teh way though their pregnancy however they always checke with their dr first.

 

[atisheh]

any advanced students/teachers have any recommendations for dancing in the different aspects of pregnancy?

Okay, a few disconnected thoughts from an amateur dancer. I am a doctor, but not the medical kind, so keep that in mind.

1. Yes, of course, the first thing is to talk to your ob/gyn. It's not just pregnancy in general, but you might have specific issues you need to keep in mind.

2. I think it matters what level of fitness you're coming from. Pregnancy is not the time to start a new sport or seriously try to increase one's level of fitness in an area. But often, if you've been jogging you can keep doing it, and if you've been dancing, you can keep doing that. It follows that a pro dancer might be able to do more even in advanced pregnancy than a non-pro.

3. Some moves, like shimmies, are not ideal for pregnancy. That said, a lot of the advice I read in pregnancy books about the kinds of movements you should do during pregnancy mirrored things we do in bellydance. So based on that and personal experience, I think bellydance and yoga are about the best things you can do for yourself when pregnant.

4. Again, my personal experience: I loved doing gentle dance during my pregnancy. It was great for my soul and for my back. I really don't go in for the Ur-Mother-Goddess stuff, but both bellydance and pregnancy affected my relationship to my own womanhood, femininity, what have you, and so they really fit together for me.

5. I did bellydance moves throughout most of my extremely long and unusual labour, and they really were very good for dealing with the pain. I think someone who wants to go without meds and is lucky enough to have a pretty normal labour should think about drawing on bellydance. Maha al Musa's DVD for bellydance in pregnancy actually has a video of her in labour, doing the movements, and then giving birth at home in a portable pool, so you can get an idea of the whole thing.

6. When I was pregnant and had a lot of time on my hands, I did and reviewed quite a few prenatal workout videos, including every bellydance one I could get my hands on. You can find them on my blog at atisheh: dance and fitness views and reviews: prenatal if you want to check them out. Of these, if memory serves me correctly, Naia's was constructed with some medical consultation. It's very gentle and basic. Sera Solstice's is the most like real dancing, and Maha al Musa and Amira have longer programs that will give you a full body stretch and relaxation.

 

[Munniko]

I know that some people can, like one of the participants in one of the intermediate classes was I believe 8 months pregnant and still dancing to the best of her ability, but I think because she had been dancing for awhile.