Dancing Pregnant WomanDonna Massari was in her studio, rehearsing for an upcoming dance performance, when her water broke.
“I thought I had just lost control of my bladder but, by the time I realized it, I was having contractions,” says Massari, a former professional ballet dancer who opened her still-active dance studio in the late 1970s. “I was moving and dancing up to the time I gave birth.”
That was 35 years ago and Massari is still dancing. And she’s a big believer that dancing was an asset throughout her pregnancy.
Dancing is not only a good exercise, it’s good for the body and mind during pregnancy, according to Dancing for Birth, a global organization founded in 2001. The premise is that it’s easier for a woman to give birth in a vertical position and dancing ideally readies the body for the process.
According to dancingforbirth.com, dancing while pregnant is the perfect time to connect with your body and your baby through movement and awareness. It helps reduce stress and tension, increases the flow of the pain-relieving hormone oxytocin and provides exercise to loosen hips, which helps lubricate, stretch and widen the pelvic girdle for ease of delivering, the group says.