When you hear the term “belly dancing,” you might imagine a seductive dance performed by scantily clad women in flowing outfits for the pleasure of men. But the roots of these traditional dances are far removed from this purpose.

Across time and cultures, young women at puberty learned about birth through dance (as well as by observing other women labor!). The practiced movements of the birth dances would then be used naturally during the woman’s own labor and birth for mom’s comfort and baby’s progress.

Women are meant to stay active during labor – research shows that movement helps open the pelvis and move the baby down. When allowed to find their own comfort during labor, women typically sway, squat, shift, and dance. If a laboring mom relaxes into her birth dance, her muscles (and her emotions) are loose and open, allowing birth to happen.

Labor is itself depicted in the progression of the movements of belly dancing. Labor starts with the woman as relaxed as possible. Then contractions become more intense – longer, stronger and closer together – until, at the climax, the woman is unaware of the outside world and the baby is born. So too with belly dancing – the dance starts relaxed and the dancer isolates muscles one at a time, moving in tempo. The dance builds, much as the contractions do, and finally at the crescendo of the dance, the dancer is lost in movement and music.

Renowned author and childbirth educator Sheila Kitzinger once wrote, “A Bedouin Arab girl learns a pelvic dance during the puberty…and will belly dance, when she is in labour. The belly dance represents the power of women to produce life.” The benefits of dancing and using your womanly power include:

• Improved posture, flexibility, balance and co-ordination: As your belly grows, you may become less-than-graceful. Your center of gravity is changed, pulling your lower back forward. Your body is releasing hormones that relax your ligaments, which may make your pelvis (and everything else) ache. Many of the movements of belly dancing – such as hip rolls, circles and figure-8s – are useful for relieving back and pelvic pain during pregnancy and labor. Those movements may even help baby move into a favorable position for birth when used during labor.
• Maintaining general fitness: Doctors recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily during pregnancy. The non-jarring, non-contact nature of belly dancing fits the bill. In addition, through its connection with deep abdominal muscles, belly dancing helps to maintain the pelvic floor. Try belly dancing instead of doing Kegels! Belly dancing also improves physical endurance, which will be necessary during labor.
• Better breathing: The movements of belly dancing integrate different types of breathing. Labor requires changes from lower abdominal breathing to chest breathing to panting – and if you’re already used to these changes in dance, you’ll be more prepared in labor.
• Relaxation: Tension is released when you move your wrists, shoulders, ankles, hips, and spine in circles, all movements familiar to those who practice belly dancing.
• Improved focus: When belly dancing, you often focus on moving only one body part in isolation. This focus can be especially helpful during contractions and when pushing your baby into the world.

As with any exercise program, check with your healthcare provider before you begin to be sure there are no reasons you should avoid certain movements. Avoid back bends and sudden movements, as well as any exercises on your back after the first trimester. Keep your pelvis in a neutral position to avoid strain. Start with a warm up and end with a cool down. Avoid overheating, and stay hydrated before, during and after exercise. If you develop pain, bleeding, shortness of breath, headache, faintness, nausea, contractions, or fluid leakage from the vagina, stop exercising and check with your healthcare provider.

Learning belly dancing while you’re pregnant can be a fun way to meet other pregnant moms while you prepare for birth. Check with your healthcare provider or childbirth class instructor to see if there are any prenatal belly dancing classes in your area. Or consider online videos or DVDs that will allow you to learn in the comfort of your own home.

Have you danced for birth?

Written by Michelle, childbirth instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

For 9 months, your baby is kept at a toasty temperature, comfortably protected all around by amniotic fluid, hearing your voice and the metronome of your heartbeat. At birth, this all changes and your baby needs to quickly adapt to the outside world: from weightlessness to gravity, from the warmth of your body temperature to the cooler room temperature, from the constant contact with you to the openness of the world.

One of the most important plans you can make for your birth is arranging to spend the first hour or so after birth skin-to-skin with your newborn. Research shows that babies kept skin-to-skin have a steadier heart rate and temperature, better respiration, normal blood sugar levels, and less crying.

Experts have also found that newborns display a distinct progression of behaviors in the first hour after birth that facilitate adaptation to the outside world, as well as initiation of breastfeeding.

According to Widström and colleagues, here are the 9 stages you can expect when a baby is placed skin-to-skin with mom after birth:

1. The Birth Cry occurs immediately after birth, as your baby’s lungs expand.

2. Relaxation comes quickly in a baby skin-to-skin with mom as the baby reorients. This is a brief period of no mouth or hand movements from baby.

3. Awakening occurs about 3 minutes after birth, when baby will begin to thrust head and shoulder, open his eyes and start making small mouth movements.

4. More Activity starts about 8 minutes after birth with an increase in mouth and suckling movements, including a more pronounced rooting reflex. Baby’s eyes will be open; he will be searching visually and may look at the breast. You may notice him moving his mouth from side to side on mom’s skin, rubbing his cheek against mom, salivating, and sticking his tongue out. He may move his hand to his mouth and even to mom’s breast and back to his mouth. He may massage the breast with both hands, and may lift part of his body off of mom in an effort to get closer to the breast.

5. Periods of Rest typically follow periods of activity throughout the first hour.

6. Crawling motions start about 35 minutes after birth. Baby may use his legs and arms to propel himself toward the breast – this might include leaping, sliding, or crawling.

7. About 45 minutes after birth, a stage of Familiarization starts where baby might lick the nipple, touch or massage the breast, look at mom, or move his hands from mouth to breast and back. This stage might last for as long as 20 minutes.

8. About an hour after birth, the baby begins Suckling – self attaches and suckles at the breast.

9. Finally, baby starts recovery with a period of Sleep. This may start 1 ½ to 2 hours after birth.

Babies will complete these stages at their own individual pace, and shouldn’t be forced or rushed. Mom may need to provide some support so baby doesn’t flop off of her body, and she can guide the breast when baby is ready to begin suckling. If you have used pain medications during labor, it may take your baby longer to complete the stages and start to suckle. If you have had a cesarean birth, this first hour skin-to-skin is still possible, but may take more preparation before the birth to get everyone onboard and a plan in place.

If the facility where you plan to give birth does not routinely practice skin-to-skin at birth, you may need to make arrangements ahead of time. Your time skin-to-skin will work best if:

• Baby is placed belly-down, directly on your chest or abdomen, right after he is born.
• Baby is dried while skin-to-skin. Both of you can then be covered with a blanket, if necessary.
• Baby’s hands are not b wiped, and your breasts are not washed or wiped before feeding.
• Newborn assessments (such as APGAR scoring) are completed with the baby skin-to-skin with mom.
• Complete interventions (such as suctioning) while baby is skin to-skin or can be delayed until after the first breastfeeding has taken place, barring any emergency situations.
• Raise the head to the bed or giving mom extra pillows may help with visual contact between mom and baby and with supporting her as baby begins to move.
• You continue skin-to-skin contact until the first breastfeeding has taken place.

Have you planned for spending time skin-to-skin with your baby?

Written by Michelle, childbirth instructor, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

Imagine trying to be intimate with your partner in a bright, sterile room with strangers walking in and out. How do you think that might go? Now imagine intimacy in a warm, candlelit bedroom with the door locked. Which scenario is more likely to lead to the best outcome? The same aspects can affect your birth.

One of the most significant factors in your labor and birth is how you react to your environment. Experts in childbirth know when a laboring woman feels safe, secure, private and relaxed, she will progress well toward birth. But a mom who feels threatened will release hormones that can slow labor.

Privacy and safety are the keys for creating an environment conducive to birth. What will it take to make you feel protected, comfortable, supported and relaxed? As you write your birth plan, imagine how you can use all of your senses to create an atmosphere that will help you to feel these attributes, so your body can do the work it needs to do to birth your baby.

Sight: Women do best during childbirth with dim lights, which create a sense of seclusion. Consider the room you are laboring in: do you need to close the blinds or turn the lights off to achieve the privacy you need? In addition, having something to focus your attention visually can help you maintain your attention during contractions, or even in between. Make it something that creates a sense of serenity for you – a piece of artwork, a photograph of your favorite vacation spot, a sonogram picture, a labyrinth or maze, etc.

Smell: Did you ever notice how connected your olfaction is to your emotions? Scents may remind you of certain people or situations – both positive and negative. And when you catch a whiff, you may have a very physical reaction – changes in breathing, heart rate, hormone production, etc. Aromatherapy can reduce anxiety, boost energy, and reduce pain. And there are no side effects that could affect your baby or your labor. What are your favorite scents? Are there ones that relax you, like lavender? Or others that energize you? Will the antiseptic hospital smells bother you? Will you need to find a way to mask them?

Hearing: If you are in the hospital, the sounds of staff coming and going in the hallway, as well as announcements on the public address system, can be distracting. How can you minimize these? If you’re at home, will there be noises from outside that will intrude on your ability to relax? Music, headphones, and closed doors all help to block unwanted noise. If you’re planning to use music to help you through labor, remember that it doesn’t all need to be slow and relaxing. You may have points in your labor where you want something fast and energizing.

Taste: While this may not have to do directly with a secure, private setting, you may want to have gum or candy on hand throughout labor. These will keep you from getting a dry mouth, which can be distracting. Staying hydrated is extremely important, too. Your favorite soothing tea might serve the purpose – keeping you relaxed and keeping all of your muscles (including your uterus) working well.

Touch: Massage, gentle stroking, even a hand lightly on your shoulder – all can ground you and help you feel safe in the unknowns of childbirth. Skin is your largest organ, and all of those nerve fibers underneath can provide a direct route to pain management during labor. Remember to add some type of lubrication for any massage (maybe your favorite scented oil or lotion) so that you’re not bothered by friction (which can work against your labor progress!). Water – whether raining down on you in the shower or surrounding you in a bath – can also provide tactile stimulation that will help you relax (and the tub or shower can be very private!).

Keep in mind one method won’t work for your entire labor, so have a “goody bag” of supplies, or at least a mental list of methods, to try. Create a setting that feels good – in which you feel protected and secure – so you can relax and ease your baby into the world. Plan your childbirth comfort measures with all of your senses in mind.

Written by Michelle, childbirth educator, lactation consultant, and mother to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

If you’re hoping to have a natural birth, it’s a good idea to plan in advance how you want to manage the pain of labor. While these methods won’t rid you of the discomfort of contractions, they will help you get through. And that’s really all you need to do – get through one contraction at a time.

Try a new way of breathing – take a deep breath in through your nose and blow it out your mouth, relaxing your muscles on the outbreath. Focus on your breathing, not your contractions. Try counting as you breathe in and breathe out to the same number or imagine the air coming in as one color and going out as another, more relaxing, color. At the peak of a contraction, it might be necessary to change the pace of your breathing (not many people can maintain slow, deep breaths through pain). To practice this, start by placing your hands on your abdomen and breathe in as if the air is going the whole way to your hands, then breath out again. Now place your hands on your chest, and imagine the breaths in only going to that level – this is the level of breathing you might need at the hardest part of each contraction. Once the peak has passed, you can go back to the abdominal breaths.

Get a hand massage – let your birth partner support your hand and focus on his or her touch. He or she can make small circles all over your palm, stroke from wrist to fingertips, massage each finger separately, or squeeze your whole hand tightly. Use some massage oil to improve the effectiveness of the movements, and to keep your skin from getting chapped. Choose scented oil for the additional value of aromatherapy.

Follow the maze – consider placing a maze or labyrinth image on the wall, and as the contraction starts, work your way through it visually. If you’re laboring at home, you can even set up a labyrinth to walk if you have enough space inside or outside.

Color away your tension – coloring books aren’t just for kids! Find a book of mandalas or patterns, choose colored pencils or felt tipped pens, and color to your heart’s content. Coloring allows you to enter a meditative state, and can ease stress and help you maintain focus. You may even be able to find a book meant just for the purpose of childbirth.

Shake your booty – dance through your contractions. Put on some energizing music and sway your hips or put on some slow jams and dance closely with your partner. The movement will help baby move into a favorable position for birth, and will help you lessen the pain of each contraction.

No one method will work throughout labor, so plan to use more than one. What other methods can you think of to help get you through one contraction at a time?

Written by Michelle, lactation consultant, Lamaze instructor, writer and editor, and mom to 4 busy kids

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

You may have noticed that since becoming pregnant, your personal life has become public property. Your mother-in-law, work colleagues and strangers at bus stops are now only too happy to give you (unsolicited) advice.

Many women complain that the worst part of this (yes, even worse than strangers grabbing at your bump), is the childbirth stories – especially horror stories. Where the sight of a pregnant woman should cause people to refrain from sharing horror stories, in fact it seems to have the opposite effect. People seem to go out of their way to casually drop into conversations the terrible birth experience of their friend.

Why do people like telling not-so-helpful childbirth stories?

You shouldn’t assume the entire world is out to get you. The people telling you the stories probably aren’t giving much thought to your feelings – they’re just excited to tell that reaction-invoking story again. Some may even think they’re doing you a favour by preparing you for what could happen.

Ignorance is bliss

Some people like to know all the facts, and know every possible outcome, before an event so that they feel prepared. Pregnant women that fit into this category probably do like to know about interventions and complications, so they can feel prepared for any eventuality. It’s important to remember, however, that not all pregnant women will feel that way. For some, hearing about traumatic births can make them feel terrified and unprepared for labour.

The science

Feeling scared during labour, can actually increase your risk of interventions. Grantly Dick-Read, an experienced midwife, attended to labouring women all over the world, and found that the women who suffered most during labour were those who feared it.

The science behind this is that when we’re scared, our bodies initiate the fight or flight response. During labour, this can mean blood is directed away from the uterus (where it is needed) and to the legs for running away. This redirection means the uterus is not able to contract as strongly, thus leading to a longer (and potentially more painful) labour.

There is a lot of emphasis on relaxation during labour. Hypnobirthing, water births and breathing exercises are all used as a way to keep women calm during labour. These relaxation techniques can lower your risk of medical intervention, so it’s important to stay relaxed and free from fear during labour.

How to stop the negative childbirth stories

If you can tell someone is about to launch into another horror story, stop them. Explain politely that, while you understand births can sometimes be traumatic, you would rather not hear about it. Explain that you want to approach the birth feeling positive, and that you don’t want any horror stories keeping you awake at night.

Alternatively, share this blog post with your friends and family – they’ll soon get the picture!

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.

False labor is something that happens towards the end of a pregnancy, often within days of the due date. It’s different than Braxton Hicks contractions, and is often initially mistaken for the beginning of labor. One in five first time mums will experience false labor, and it is even more common in second time mums.

How can I tell if it’s false labor?
There are a number of differences between the contractions of false labor, and those of real labor:

• False labor contractions vary in time – they do not become increasingly longer like the contractions of real labor
• False labor contractions will ease if you change position
• False labor contractions will ease if you walk around
• False labor contractions may be felt in the abdomen – active labor pains tend to be more focused in the lower back
• False labor contractions are irregular – real labor contractions happen at regular intervals

False labor often seems to occur at night. If you start experiencing contractions at night, get up and walk around. If the contractions ease off, it’s false labor. You could also try relaxing in a warm bath to ease contractions.

Does false labor do anything?

False labor is a sign that your body is starting to prepare for the birth. Your uterine muscles are practising their contractions for the main event. False labor is what happens before the first stage of labor. Before it can start dilating, your cervix must soften, shorten and shift position. False labor is believed to be part of this process.

Do not feel disheartened if what you thought was real labor turns out to be false labor. False labor is a sign that your body is preparing for labor, so you know that the birth of your baby will be soon. Get some rest, finish those last minute jobs, and enjoy your final few days before you become a mum.

When to call your healthcare provider

• If the contractions are becoming stronger, longer and occurring at regular intervals, you should contact your healthcare provider.
• If your waters have broken, or you have experienced a “show”, you should contact your healthcare provider.
• If you are feeling worried that you may be in labor, contact your healthcare provider. Don’t feel embarrassed about contacting them unnecessarily, they will want to support you through the pregnancy – and this includes the panic that ensues during a bout of false labor contractions!

Written by Fiona, proud owner of a toddler, @fiona_peacock

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.