I have a good friend who teaches Belly Dancing and one day he told me that I was very happy because I was going to start teaching pregnant women. I was a bit perplexed because I didn't know that pregnant women, with their bellies, did belly dancing.
I asked him about it and he was explaining the subject for a while. In the end I concluded that, Not only can belly dancing be done while pregnant, but it can even be recommended.
Physical benefits of belly dance
When a woman becomes pregnant, it is clear that the body will begin to change. The kilos begin to increase, physical discomfort can arrive and agility can (usually) be lost. For this reason it is recommended that every pregnant woman do some exercise, so that she gains strength and endurance and so that, in general, she is better.
Belly dance is one more way to exercise gently, with the advantage that strengthens the muscles involved in the support of the baby during pregnancy and also those that start at the time of delivery. Without going any further, it is said that it is one of the oldest dances practiced by pregnant women in order to achieve a less painful birth and, when giving birth, in some tribes, some women surrounded the woman who was giving birth and they danced belly dance, so that she made the same movements in a reflex way and thus reduce the pain of her contractions.
Psychological benefits of belly dance
Exercising helps to disconnect from many things, eliminate stress and feel better about ourselves (in this case with each one). Dancing, in addition, is to include music and feeling in the exercise, making it also more lively, more rhythmic and enjoyable.
If you add to this that there you can find other women in the same situation as you, or simply non-pregnant women but outside your usual circle of friends, it opens the possibility of meeting other people, of sharing your pregnancy, of have a good time and create that little corner of time that you dedicate to yourself, music, your body and your baby.
I say "your baby", because he will also dance, in a way. Your movements will affect him also moving to the rhythm of the music, rocking him in there while mom enjoying the moment.
Know each one's body and its limitations
If the belly dance class is aimed at pregnant women there will not be too much trouble because the teacher will take it into account when developing the exercises. If instead it is a class open to all women, the monitor should know that you are pregnant to adapt some movements, if deemed necessary, to your state of gestation.
On the other hand, although belly dancing is a fairly quiet dance, one must know its limitations and its own body to know when it is necessary to stop. If at some point fatigue or fatigue appears it is better to slow down or directly stop. There will be days to continue enjoying it.
