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Belly Dance and Pregnancy

   

Exercise physiologists point out that many women work vigorously up until the time of child birth, with little apparent effect on the infant. So pregnancy should not be viewed as medical condition but rather as a totally natural event and of course exercise will concur major benefits.

However a few things need to be kept in mind. The following are the physiological changes during pregnancy that are relevant regarding movement and dance. 

A hormone called relaxin is released which softens the ligaments to make the skeletal structures of the hips and pelvis extensible for carrying an infant. This increases the hypermobility of joints (effectively the person becomes more flexible). This would become an issue if certain drastic stretches were being done that could put undue strain on joints. The stretches that we do are all quite gentle and involve only large well used muscle groups. The pregnant person would need to be careful with large moves as the joints may be put under undue strain owing to the greater flexibility this hormone will create.

Increased breast size may lead to fibrous tissue breakdown which is irreversible. Therefore adequate breast support during movement is essential. (ie a decent bra) 

During the later stages of pregnancy, the increased weight of the infant with fluid shifts the centre of gravity well forward putting a strain on the lower back. Also uterine ligaments are under a greater strain as the stomach enlarges. So jogging and jarring movements should be done with caution. The pregnant women may require to rest the lower back and to this end a chair with lower back support and a mat so that she may lay on that, raise the knees and gently roll from side to side are items that the teacher can provide and encourage to be used in an add lib fashion during the class.

Extremely intensive aerobic activity may divert too much blood flow away from the infant in the later stages of pregnancy, so a heavily pregnant woman should not work on the pulse raising section to more than around 70% of Maximal heart rate, ie not greater than moderate panting or the heart going at a brisk pace. I have never noticed people getting anywhere near that point in our classes. 

There are a huge number of recommendations for Fitness Instructors and pregnant women but most of these points don't apply to belly dance. Thus it can be safely concluded that belly dance is the ideal form of pre natal form of exercise.

But do bear in mind that individual pregnancies do vary so much so the advise would be "Check with your doctor first and do come to belly dance classes as it is ideal pre natal exercise." The reason for checking with the doctor is to reveal any individual circumstances that may require attention. 

 

 

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