Belly Dance as Childbirth Class

Belly-dancing was brought to the United States in the 1980's when a belly dancer was brought to the Chicago World's Fair. To appeal to the fair audience, the dance was embellished with elements of stripteasing and sex appeal, so the belly dance has certain unsavory reputation in the United States.

Shakira has brought this type of dance into popular attention in the past 7 or 8 years. Her potent mix of belly dance, vocals, and songwriting have turned her into one of the most successful artists of this new century.

But belly dancing is gaining a new reputation in the United States, and where you'd least expect it. Women looking for a more natural, less medicated labor and delivery experience are using hypnotherapy, waterbirthing and even belly dancing.

According to sociologists and belly dancers, this dance was originally a woman's dance, designed to celebrate womanhood and prepare a woman for childbirth. The fact that the years have sexualized and even vulgarized this dance is no reason to keep it from helping the pregnant woman today attain a natural birth.

Many of the movements in belly dance are similar to movements and techniques taught in childbirth class. For instance, the belly roll in typical belly dancing is similar to the pattern of breathing progression women are taught to practice during labor: lower abdominal breaths, to more shallow chest breathing, and to the popular panting breath.

The pelvic rock that most childbirth preparation classes teach is to stretch and strengthen the pelvic muscles; allow the baby to attain a better position in the pelvis; and to ease the strain on the laboring mother's back. These hip and pelvic movements are synonymous with the hip circles, figure eights, and hip lifts of belly dancing.

Some people have expressed a concern that the rolling hip motions of belly dancing that mimic childbirth can cause premature labor. There have been no indications that this is true.