Bellydance and the childbearing year. (Pregnancy & Birth).

A word of advice: As in any exercise program, please use common sense and introduce new movement gently to changing bodies. If in doubt, please consult your healthcare provider.

For most women, pregnancy is a healthy and vibrant process. It is the state of extreme internal creation. It can be a time of self-discovery and empowerment, to break free of old perceptions and patterns, and grow into a new role of mother-creatrix of life. The state of being with child calls us into ourselves, to sense changes, and connect deep into our bodies; to feel very much alive.

It needn't be a restrictive condition, however. Few perinatal rituals in this culture promote this state of mind. If you are looking to explore supportive alternatives, one option is the tradition of bellydance, a perfect form of exercise and expression for the body, mind, and spirit.

The type of bellydance most of us immediately conjure is actually a commercialized version of one of the oldest dance/rituals known. The term "bellydance" will be used in this article to name a form of expression that has no one direct ethnic origin, but actually shares qualities of dance from many countries. It honors fertility, the mystery of birth, motherhood, and Creation. It is a celebration of being in physical form. Though the nature of the movement is extremely feminine, it was never exclusively for women unless it was performed within a birth ritual.

The movement vocabulary associated with this sacred expression of the divine feminine includes rocking, swaying, pelvic circles, ribcage isolations, hip thrusts, descent to the ground, trembling, vibrating, and shaking. This palette of movement choices is representative of dances from the world over: The Maoris danced it, as do Africans and Polynesians. The ohelo, or hula as we know it, is a healing dance from Hawaii, sharing many of the same motions as that from the Middle East.

It is important to consider the intention of: the instructor and her particular focus of teaching when considering bellydance as a pertinent childbirth preparatory practice. Cabaret-style bellydance, which most Americans are probably most familiar with, does share its roots with birth dance, but it is glamorized for nightclub entertainment, suggesting a more external and, at times, superficial manifestation of the expression.

Spiritual bellydance can serve women as an effective way to connect to the body's mind, and, for women of childbearing age, an especially fun method to prepare for the rigors of labor, birth, recovery, postpartum. This dance form honors the divine feminine in all her many shapes and sizes. Respect and trust in our bodies will infuse us with the understanding that pregnancy and birth works, and that as a species we are capable of bringing forth life in wellness.

If we take a look at national statistics of birth trends and use of interventions in labor we get a good idea of what our culture believes about women and our ability to give birth. It basically suggests that we need a lot of medical assistance. And though we do not sit around sharing stories through song and dance, we do seem to watch a fair amount of television and movies.

Sitcoms and dramas depict pregnant women as ungainly, hysterical, and often out of control. Popular television programs depicting birth stories show the majority of women birthing on their backs, hooked up to lots of tubes and monitors because that's what we accept as common practices. Our attitudes toward women's abilities to birth as they are represented in the media will have an impact on the outcome of our births.

All the good work that childbirth educators Janet Balaskas and Elizabeth Noble have done teaches us that women who continue to move through labor--walking and changing positions--have shorter labors and less intervention; but where does the information have a chance to connect?

Today's childbirth education trends are beginning to shift. The traditional hospital curriculum is often based on the "fear-tension-pain" cycle theory, a term coined in the 1940s by English obstetrician Grantly Dick-Read. He determined that fear makes us tense, tension magnifies sensation, we perceive sensation as pain, muscle tension enhances pain, and so on.

Understanding the birth process and learning relaxation techniques can help break this vicious cycle. Yes, this is sound advice and logical theory that can be applied to labor if we can keep our heads together, so to speak. The trend I see in my area is even more cerebral, using hypnosis to reprogram our reactions to the perceived sensation of birth. Many women are very pleased with this technique.

What about emphasizing some physical preparation for the changes pregnancy makes on our bodies and the extreme work having a baby really is? It is said that giving birth requires the same stamina as climbing a mountain or running a marathon. Would we expect an athlete to perform without months of training? Likewise, why should we expect women to be fit for labor when we don't provide them with months of training?

In the classic childbirth class we may learn to relieve our pelvic floor tension by squeezing and releasing the pelvic floor musculature. We might learn about pelvic tucks to release the muscles of our lower backs and maintain spinal flexibility. Beyond those, a lot of emphasis is placed on breathing awareness and breathing techniques that can be wonderfully helpful in calling the mind's focus to an internal focus, and keeping mother and baby well oxygenated. Prenatal yoga, aquatic classes, and walking are great forms of exercise but can vary from teacher to teacher.

What makes bellydance different from other forms of exercise is its emphasis on the feminine form, on curves, graceful flow, and sensuality. And, of course, it is a lot of fun. It is fun in a way that no other form suggests. Tell a friend you're taking a bellydance class and eyebrows wiggle up and down, giggles erupt. What are they thinking? That is not the typical response that occurs if you announced instead you were taking a yoga class or a water aerobics class.

So, whatever it is that makes people blush at the suggestion of bellydance, that is why it's so good for pregnancy and preparation for birth. The very nature of this dance is an emphasis on an internal landscape--the dancer must be able to focus inside to access the source of the movement. Being capable to focus inside and make manifest the intricate movements teaches one to listen to one's self and stay connected to that internal environment. It's nice to feel strong yet fluid, no matter what phase of life the body is in.

As for some specifics in the movement vocabulary, being able to move the ribcage separately from the pelvis creates a lot more space in the torso. Ribcage isolations, sliding it side to side, around in circles, or up and down eases heartburn, relieves the overstuffed feeling women often experience in the second and third trimesters, and increases lung capacity. Abdominal isolations can keep that area supple and toned in a way that is safe and supportive to the entire body. It is also a great skill used in the second stage of labor, for pushing. Tummy flutters, for example, help relax abdominal muscles held too rigidly. Pelvic rocking, hip circles, figure eights, and shimmies are useful anytime during pregnancy, rocking the baby, stretching and strengthening the back, or moving a baby that may need to shift its position for a smoother descent. Undulations ripple through the body keeping the spine supple and suggest the rippling motions that get the baby out.

We are not a particularly communal culture and will probably not experience groups of women crowded around the hospital bed of a birthing sister. But a community can form within the classroom and a woman who has learned to bellydance will have the movements in her personal movement vocabulary and will have a powerful tool to call upon when she needs it. Bellydance may not be for everyone, but done in a supportive environment it frees the pelvis and its surrounding musculature, helps release inhibitions, and says "Yes" to the strength inherent in our bodies.

--Josie Conte is a nationally certified, state licensed massage therapist, and teaches Informed Birth and Parenting classes at Ballard House, Maine's only freestanding birth center. She is a doula who usually does not bring her finger cymbals and veil to births, though she is tempted. She teaches meditative bellydance classes and workshops throughout New England. She lives in Maine with her husband and two vibrant children.