My instructor did not want me to do shimmies; however, I think that is a bit conservative! Women around the world do manual labor while very pregnant!

I would encourage you to dance as often and as long as your body can. When you are pregnant, your blood volume increases and your joints relax a bit, and you may tire a bit sooner than you are used to. Don't worry - if you listen to your body, it will tell you when to cool it.

14 weeks into my pregnancy and I couldn't get down to the floor and back up again. Then again I was pregnant with triplets. You will find some in-shape ladies on this site that probably did exactly the same things they always did right up to delivery.

You should check with your doctor. Mine told me to keep doing anything I was doing but not to suddenly decide to add in a bunch of new stuff (i.e., don't suddenly go from one bellydance class a week to three).

There is a woman is one of my classes who is coming up on 5 months along, we are doing Bhangra fusion at the moment, and she keeps right up with us.

I didn't stop doing any movements until it was just to hard or uncomfortable to do. Like floorwork. I just listened to my body. I really watched my hydration and MADE myself drink. You need to watch your heart rate and keep it around or below 140 bpm. I danced, did cardio, lifted weights and did pilates while pregnant with both of my kids. If something did feel right I stopped and adjusted.

When in doubt always check with your doctor. Each woman experiences different body changes during pregnancy and different complications. What may be all right for one person may not be so great for another. You can ask you OBGYN once you become pregnant about what exercise you should and should do and understand that there will be things you can do in the first trimester that you probably won't be able to do by the third. If your doctor is not familiar with bellydance movements you may want to bring a DVD of a style that is similar to the way you dance so they can get a better idea of what you plan on attempting.

I by no means wish to disrespect Sarita, and I think she has some valid points-- straining yourself during pregnancy and the "I can do anything during pregnancy" attitude can be dangerous for both the mother and the infant.

On the opposite side of the fence, though, I know my friend and fellow troupemate teaches a prenatal bellydance class and was recently featured on Good Morning America: abcnews.go.com/GMA/TurningPoints/story

I think it's all a matter of being cautious. I think certain bellydance movements can help build strength in the muscles used for the delivery. Dance cautiously and don't do what is uncomfortable or difficult. I don't claim to be an expert, I just wanted to present an opposing viewpoint.

no Turkish Drops... =-)


I think if you have already been dancing.. anything will be fine as long as your doctor oks....

www.ishimmy.com/Columns/Ce...er__Alimah/ a very pregnant..Alimah

I wouldn't want to encourage any risky actions while being pregnant, but I guess you feel what you can do, and what is extreme and therefore is to be avoided also depends on what is normal for you. I know several professional flamenco dancers that have taught almost until the last moment. That means, what they did, their body was perfectly used to it and able to cope with it, so it was regular for them, not extra. It really depends on your habits and also on a way of listening to what is happening inside you. When there is stress for the baby, you will feel it first because you are more sensitive.

found it www.worlddancenewyork.com/product.php

Well, hopefully I can add a useful 2 cents as I danced all through my first pregnancy (including performing in five 30-minute shows a day on weekends at 7 months pregnant), and am now about 6 months through my second pregnancy and teaching (beginner class, mind you).
That said, I need to add the disclaimer that I am *not* a medical professional and you should always follow the advice of your doctor/midwife.

Like the others are saying (for the most part), it is entirely dependent on your body and how your particular pregnancy is (when you get pregnant, lol). I find that I have to take things a little easier with this pregnancy than the last one, because I'm carrying differently this time, and I imagine because some stuff is already "stretched out" from the first one. :)

Everything depends on how experienced a dancer you are. If you're at least an intermediate level dancer and have been dancing for more than a couple of years (regularly) - you can do most stuff through the first half of pregnancy (depending on your body condition, of course) other than hard hopping, Turkish drops (obviously), hard shimmying (most regular shimmying is really okay, especially if your shimmying technique is not initiated by knee-pumping), and I notice for me (the larger I get), movements that are hard twists, like "agitators" (we call them that anyway...think the rapid, twisty Tunisian style movements). Also be careful to not spin or do too much fast turning, as your balance changes *every* day when you are pregnant as you get larger, and even in the first trimester, rapid hormone changes create balance problems.

Another point...Because the joints soften as you go along in pregnancy, and when the baby sits low in the abdomen especially, you'll find that you have to take a wider stance than normal. The joint softening also means that levels can be a no-no later on (also because of again, changing center of gravity and just plain gaining weight, lol). Be very very careful with your knees and ankles; it gets much easier to twist and sprain joints when you're pregnant.

Hip work...omis/interior hip circles feel absolutely wonderful as you go along (helps stretch the lower back), and isolated belly rolls/undulations are not advisable in the last trimester, because it mimics the exact pushing action that you do when you are birthing the baby in the last phase of delivery. That said, if you are not pregnant yet, drill those bad-boys all you can because the better you can isolate the roll and the stronger it is while you are able to keep the rest of the body relaxed. I spent all of 15 minutes pushing when my daughter was born. Most women tend to tense up their buttocks as well as their abdomen when told to push, and this actually hinders the baby's movement through the birth canal (I'm told). So if you can push while leaving your butt out of it, all the better. But like I said, *don't* do it in those last few months of pregnancy. :)

Sit-ups are a no-no - there are modified crunches you can do if you absolutely must however (see a maternity professional for the proper form). I really wouldn't worry too much about crunches or sit ups in general though, unless you are an acrobat or similar professional that absolutely must get back into form soon after having the baby. Get them nice and strong now, before you are preggers, and then it won't be hard to get them toned back up after baby's born. And if you develop diastasia (sp?...it's a separation of the abdominals along the center line), just don't even take the chance by doing abdominal work.

Ummm, what else? Oh, the pregnant spine has an exaggerated curve in the lower back (because of the belly in front pulling forward), so it is more difficult to maintain proper posture. However, paying close attention to your posture and maintaining it is great exercise in and of itself and will result in less back discomfort for you.

Cardio - keep it under 140 bpm. Generally that means not raising your arms above your head for more than a couple moments while dancing, as that tends to raise the heart rate very quickly.

Always take the time to find you center of gravity *every* time you dance, your center changes daily (no joke), and you don't want to take a spill.

It sounds like a lot you *can't* do, but really you can still dance quite a bit, just take it *easy*, don't do anything that causes you discomfort, and don't do the particular movements stated already (believe me, you'll know you can't do them, too. You won't forget!). If you're not a professional performer, don't start now. Don't try to learn new stuff or a new style now. Stick with what you've already done at a level lower than what you do now (starting at the second trimester...usually first trimester is fine, unless you have bad morning sickness, in which case you won't want to, lol!). If you go to classes regularly, I would recommend going to a lower level class while pregnant, so you don't push yourself harder than you should. Too many of us do this trying to keep up. I agree with the other (sorry I can't recall who said it at the moment) teacher that doesn't allow pregnant students in her class (I would add with the caveat that I would if they were one of my advanced students and I knew them well), for the reasons she stated.

If you find yourself unable to attend a class, there are at least a couple of prenatal videos out there (I do not have them so can't comment on their quality), and you can always just dance at home (better, I think). If you are very fit and already do a lot of working out and dancing, there are two videos I like and am using right now..."The Perfect Pregnancy Workout" by Karyn Steben (she was/is an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil) which is a general strengthening workout and will give you a little cardio as well (warning - you *will* sweat!). She demonstrates levels of each exercise as well, which I really like. I can adjust to how I feel on a particular day. If you practice yoga, Jennifer Wolfe has two prenatal videos..."Prenatal Vinyasa Yoga: Short Forms", and one other one, which I don't have at the moment. The Short Forms video is good because she gives a 15 min, a 30 min, and a 45 min option (and they are three different forms, not just shortened versions of the long one). Again, if you haven't done yoga, DO NOT start with this video, as it will be too strenuous and requires some familiarity with proper yoga alignment to begin with.

I can't recommend any beginner prenatal exercise vids, because I don't have any and can't say whether they're any good or not.

That's all I can think of that might help you! Good luck getting pregnant and just remember that the most important thing is that you need to listen to your body, mind your doctor/midwife, and understand that your abilities and energy will vary daily, so always take stock of how you feel very carefully before dancing/exercising each day.

:)

I danced all the way through two pregnancies (twins both times), 8 years apart. I avoided leaning back while doing floor work, because frankly I'd have been stuck tipped over like a flipped turtle! Otherwise I did pretty much everything else, unless something specifically felt uncomfortable. My body made it pretty clear when I needed to make a movement more gentle or take it easy. It felt good to be stretching and strengthening otherwise unhappy muscles, and I feel that shimmies and isolations not only helped me manage labor, but helped me get back on my feet quickly afterwards. I also know several other dancers who danced all the way through their pregnancies. I had different doctors with each pregnancy, and neither of them had any concerns regarding my dancing, and twin pregnancies are considered "high risk".