You can also dress up in lots of sparkly things, if you want. However, for your first lesson, comfortable clothing and bare feet or soft,  ballet-type shoes will be fine. You can wear a longish, loose skirt, such as an Indian cotton skirt, or loose-fitting trousers. Be prepared to laugh a lot and enjoy yourself.

If you have a medical condition, please check with your doctor before starting.

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ABOUT HELEN

Helen has been teaching bellydance since 1994 and holds both RSA and YMCA Exercise to Music Certificates as well as a current First Aid Certificate and insurance. 
Helen is constantly updating her own knowledge of bellydance (see workshops page for the scope and variety of topics which Helen can teach) as well as finding new and innovative ways of teaching bellydance.

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BELLYDANCE AND PREGNANCY                                         
 When one of the ladies in my class announced that she was expecting her third child I was not unduly worried as she had trained as a nurse prior to starting her family and she had been dancing for a couple of years. However, I attended Mosaic's Safety Day on Pregnancy and Bellydance and I did as much research as I could on exercise during pregnancy in general and bellydance during pregnancy in particular. I offer my findings as starting point, not as a definitive answer, and would be very grateful to receive feedback and further information. 

In the minds of the general public, bellydance is associated with the glamorous world of performance but it has its origins in birth and other ritual dances. It is one of the oldest forms of dance and its roots go back to the religious rites of the Great Mother. Pregnant women can benefit from the ancient cultural tradition because it has the practical advantage of preparing the body for the stress of pregnancy and childbirth. Midwives often point out that that the body postures and movements in bellydance are similar to those in ante-natal preparation. Other dance moves can be adapted to the needs of the pregnant woman.

The association of excruciating pain and childbirth has been handed down as gospel through generations of western women who have been influenced by the teachings of their religious leaders who maintained that anything female and natural was sinful and must therefore be paid for in pain (by the woman, of course). As a result of this childbirth is approached in fear which tightens the muscles and leads to pain – a self-fulfilling prophecy. Until the introduction of anaesthetics this was the price a woman had to pay  - or even deserved to pay - for the privilege of becoming a mother. However, the anaesthetics can have an adverse effect on the newborn baby so now special training classes, such as Lamaze, or hypnotism are used to relax the mother so she can "go with the flow" of her body and make beneficial use of the contractions instead of fearing and fighting them. In this respect we are catching up with the "less advanced" societies of the world who do not have this false, exaggerated fear of childbirth. In her articles "Roots", Morocco gives an account of a birth she attended in the Middle East during which a woman was "danced" through her labour by the hypnotic effect of circles of women dancing the moves which the mother's body was making naturally. 

I doubt if your local maternity unit has room to accommodate a classful of dancers in the labour ward, but you can use the movements to help you throughout your pregnancy:

·        Bellydance benefits the muscles of the feet, legs, pelvic floor, belly, back and shoulders

·        It helps to relieve back pain and has a soothing effect

·        It mobilises and strengthens muscles which lead to a reduction of stress and tension

·        The baby is calmed by rocking, circular movements

·        Hula circles, pelvic tilts and shimmies induce restlessness. Practise them gently but don't dance them continuously. They are stimulating during the birth process.

·         Shoulder movements activate better breathing which has a positive effect

·        The improved mobility of the pelvis and strengthening of the muscles and ligaments means that the pregnant woman can adopt positions which reduce pain and facilitate birth

·        The natural birth position is vertical. Through bellydance the pregnant woman develops the necessary ability and strength of the pelvis, greater flexibility of the lumbar region and an awareness of the muscles involved in birth. This gives her confidence in herself and in her body: she feels autonomous and self-assured that she can relieve some of the discomforts of pregnancy

·        From a medical point of view, bellydance is an additional method of birth preparation, providing the pregnancy is normal and the midwife/doctor approves. Ideally it should be part of pre-pregnancy preparation. After all, you wouldn't run a marathon without some previous training.

·        The most useful movements during labour are those which focus on the hips and lower back such as circles and figure 8s

·        Balance and energy increase

·        Indigestion is usually eliminated

·        Research has shown that women learn bellyroll movements more easily when pregnant

·        If a kicking baby wakes you in the middle of the night, some soothing bellydance moves, which can be done lying down, can quieten the baby. (Of course, you might waken your husband in the process, but that is beyond the scope of this article!)

·        There is no reason why a healthy woman should be treated as a passive invalid during her pregnancy or consider herself as one. Bellydance (or any form of moderate exercise) has a beneficial effect upon both the woman and the developing baby.

·        Posture is subject to psycho-emotional influence. Dance trains the body to recognise tension and relaxation and this body awareness gives a certain amount of autonomy and control.

 Physical benefits are not the only ones which bellydance can bring to pregnant women. There are also psychological ones as well. In her article, "Birthdance",  Delilah asks the questions

"What was this invisible, social pressure upon us as women to hide away during the most creative and glorious position of our lives? What damage is being done to a society which hasn’t any images of pregnant women doing anything powerful, creative or physical? Couldn't our world benefit from such healthy images of beauty and strength of Motherhood?"

Bellydance can help to enhance a woman's self-esteem, her relationship with her baby and her sense of connection with other women. It can also help to reinforce her femininity and her trust in the functional capacity of her body. Music and dance have a psychosomatic effect, creating a sense of well-being. The power of music to alter mood is well documented: meditative music induces a serene mood; joyful music enhances self-confidence. Most of all, at a time when many women are led to believe by society that they are fat, ugly and clumsy, bellydance proves that they have the power to be graceful, sensuous and attractive. 
                                                    
The final note, however, must be one of caution: check with your medical provider at the start of your pregnancy and at any stage during it if you are concerned. Try to get hold of current advice on exercise during pregnancy: the resources listed at the end of this article are recent but will eventually be superseded by the latest research. Your local ante-natal clinic or NCT branch should be able to help.

 RESOURCES

 Internet articles

"Roots" by Moroccowww.tiac.net/users/morocco/roots.html                                          "Belly Dancing and Childbirth" by Moroccowww.tiac.net/users/morocco/bdance+childbirth.html                                      "Dancing Thru Pregnancy"www.dancingthrupregnancy.com/tips.html                            "Birthdance: a Labor of Love" by Delilahwww.visionarydance.com                                                            "Belly Dance During Pregnancy" – video review by Delilahwww.visionarydance.com                                                                                                                                  "Bellydance: Dance of the Great Mothers" by Delilahwww.isisandthestardancers.com/Pregnancy.htm

Videos

"Belly Dancing During Pregnancy" Gaby Mardshana Oeftering, Ringstrasse 42, 79108 Freiburg, Germany or from Visionary Dance                                                                                   "Dance to the Great Mother" by Delilah available from Visionary Dance                                                                                         “Y Plan Before and After Pregnancy" YMCA London

 DVDs

“Belly Dance 4 Bumps" 

Contact Stephanie on 029 204 52961 or emailinfo@stephaniebellydance.co.uk www.stephaniebellydance.co.uk  

Books                                                                                                               "Earth Dance" by Daniella Gioseffi 

"The Great Mother" by Eric Newman

"Fit for Two " YMCA            

Anything by Janet Balaskas & Sheila Kitzinger