|
In The Belly
of the Goddess: Belly Dance for Pregnancy and Birth
By Cathy Moore, CNM. 2004.
I began belly dancing the same year that
I finished my nurse-midwifery training program. At the time, I had no idea that
there was an association between this dance form and birth. I guess you could
call it a bit of synchronicity that a midwife would find herself pointed in the
direction of studying an ancient dance form whose origins are rooted in
childbirth preparation and ritual.
I was studying belly dance with a group
of women, The Goddess Dancing, whose
mission was to explore the deep feminine power and spiritual connection inherent
in this dance form, and to share their discoveries with other women. My belly
dance teachers informed me that there was a link between belly dance and birth.
This assertion made intuitive sense to me, but it wasn’t until about a year
later that I had a personal epiphany regarding this claim.
Belly Dance and Birth
There have been a number of women, most
belly dancers themselves, who have made the correlation between this dance and
childbirth. Most often cited, is
Morocco, a NYC dancer and scholar, who in a
series of articles written in the 1970’s related her personal experiences of
being awakened to this connection, and of her experience of attending a
traditional birth ritual in the Middle East which confirmed for her that belly
dance is indeed a birth dance. Rosina-Fawzia Al-Rawi, in her book
Grandmother’s Secrets, describes birth customs still practiced in
contemporary times in Arab countries which include the laboring woman being
surrounded by her female friends and family who belly dance with her to support
the labor process. Barbara Brandt, the founding mother of The Goddess Dancing
was one of the first in the Boston area to talk and write about the belly dance
and birth connection. She collaborated with area birth professionals to
present a series of workshops exploring the link between belly dance and
childbirth. And
Delilah, a dancer from Seattle, has written about her
personal experiences as a pregnant belly dancer, and also produced a beautiful
video featuring herself dancing in her third trimester of pregnancy as she
embodies Isis, the Great Mother.
My personal realizations
I had my first personal understanding of
the connection of belly dance to birth when I was learning to shimmy. The shimmy
is a quick vibration-type movement that is done with the hips, chest, belly, and
entire body. I had struggled with the shimmy for a while, as many students do,
and when I finally “got it”, and could feel the wonderful looseness and
relaxation of the muscles of the pelvic floor, I knew instantly that this move
was intended to move a baby down the birth canal.
As a midwife, I have the great privilege
to observe human labor and birth on a regular basis. Those of us who have the
opportunity to witness birth know that this is one of the most amazing displays
of female creative power that we will ever see… The forces at work are nothing
less than awesome. In my observations of laboring woman, I began to see for
myself that the movements used in belly dance actually mimic many of the
physical and emotional manifestations of labor in a woman’s body.
In the early phases of the first stage
of labor, the mood is one of excitement, anticipation and welcoming of the onset
of labor. Many women, if left to their own instincts, choose upright positions
and naturally move their hips and pelvis in circles and crescents. These are
shapes commonly seen in the slower belly dance moves. These movements help to
disperse the pain, and are often prescribed by midwives especially when the
woman is experiencing back pain. Many midwives believe that moving the hips
also facilitates the baby finding the optimal position for entering the bony
pelvis.
As the labor progresses to the active
phase, and contractions become stronger, the woman goes deeper into herself, an
emotional turning inward. This is similar in mood to the chiftitelli, one of
the sections in a typical Turkish 5-part dance routine. Floorwork, dancing on
the floor, is often employed during the chiftitelli, and illustrates many of the
positions women assume when actually giving birth. In ancient birthing
traditions, a shallow depression would have been dug into the earth to receive
the baby, and the birthing woman would lower herself to the floor and position
herself in such a way as to gently release the baby into this hollow.
Many women, as they enter the phase of
labor known as transition – a time that is considered to be the most intense of
the entire labor, will often display an uncontrollable trembling in their limbs
and entire body. A natural shimmy, brought on by the labor itself!
Another amazing observation for me, when
I really saw it with my belly dancers eyes, is the way the woman’s abdomen
begins to spontaneously undulate with the uncontainable urge to bear down that
signals the beginning of the second stage of labor. I have seen this phenomenon
even in women who opt for epidural analgesia. She may no longer feel the urge
to push because of the numbing effect of the epidural, but her body knows that
it is time for pushing!
Belly Dance as a prenatal exercise
Some of the same women mentioned earlier
who have written about the belly dance and birth connection, have also suggested
that belly dance may have been the very first childbirth preparation exercise.
Morocco, in her research into prepared childbirth classes such as Lamaze, found
the exercises taught are similar to, and in some cases exactly the same moves
taught in belly dance classes. Barbara Brandt, in her collaborations with birth
professionals, also explored the usefulness of belly dance as a childbirth
preparation exercise.
The basic posture used for belly dance,
with the knees slightly bent, the pelvis tucked under, and the heart lifted, is
excellent for counteracting many of the common discomforts associated with the
physical changes to her body which a woman experiences during pregnancy,
especially in the last trimester as she approaches her due date.
The hip and torso movements provide
exercise to all the muscles of the abdomen and the pelvic floor involved in
birthing in terms of both strengthening and improving flexibility.
Belly dance benefits for pregnancy
From my personal observations the
potential benefits of belly dancing for a pregnant woman are many, and I will
list some of them here:
More and more, research is showing that
regular exercise in pregnancy benefits both the mother and her baby. Regular
exercisers can expect to have overall shorter labors and less need for
interventions such as C-section. Studies show placental blood flow is increased
with moderate exercise. This means the growing baby gets more oxygen and
nutrients delivered to it throughout its intra-uterine life.
Unlike many forms of fitness where the
emphasis is on muscular contraction, belly dance balances muscular contraction
with expansion or muscular lengthening, similar to yoga. This results in both
increased strength and flexibility. In our culture, many of the forms of
physical fitness in which we participate, emphasize only muscular contraction –
for example “rock hard abs” or “buns of steel”. For birthing, a woman needs
muscles that are not only strong, but that are also flexible enough to expand
and lengthen in order move the labor along, and to facilitate the birth.
Also, like Yoga, and Tai Chi, and other
forms of exercise which highlight the mind body and spirit connection, belly
dance improves body awareness helping the woman to be in tune with her changing
body and her growing baby. These are essential elements for a pregnant woman
whether she desires an un-medicated birth experience, or plans to make full use
of current modern pain management techniques such as epidural analgesia.
Healthy body image is another benefit
for women who belly dance. So many women, whether pregnant or not, have
experienced a wonderful acceptance and appreciation of their bodies, as they
re-learn these movements which are essentially natural to the female body. Any
woman who lives in our modern culture, and especially pregnant women who often
hide under tent-like clothing, can benefit from the “my body is great!”
affirming messages inherent in belly dance.
Because, at its ancient roots, belly
dance tells the story of woman’s life-giving power, it is a natural for pregnant
woman who are at the peak of their creative power. Through belly dance, a woman
celebrates her fertility, sensuality and abundance and affirms the fullness of
her being.
Pam England, a nurse midwife and author
of the book
Birthing from Within, which I recommend that all
pregnant women and birth professionals read, talks extensively about the
importance of active, creative self-expression to the birth process. She and I
both agree that belly dance is one of the many avenues for this creative
self-expression that is essential for the pregnant woman in achieving her goals
of self-discovery and “birthing-in-awareness” (England et al, 1998). Giving
birth is a rite of passage, and belly dance is one powerful tool a woman can use
to re-claim pregnancy and birth.
In summary
Belly dance is an ancient dance form
rooted in childbirth that offers many benefits for contemporary women seeking to
re-claim their power during this significant rite of passage.
* Versions
of this article appeared in
Middle Eastern Dance in New England, Sept/Oct 2004, Vol. 7, # 4
and Midwifery
Today Magazine, Spring 2005, # 73.
|
