Dancing class helps pregnant women get ready for childbirth
Stephanie Larson went into labor with her first child two decades ago at a freestanding birthing center in New York City. The midwives told her to do whatever felt good to deal with the labor pains. So she decided to dance. And nothing has been the same for her since.
“It was a birth that was ecstatic and powerful and empowering,” said Larson, now a mom of four, living in St. Louis, Mo. “From that point forward I was thinking about babies, mothers and birth.” Larson
She became a certified doula and eventually created Dancing for Birth classes, which bring together dancing and birthing education. She’s been teaching classes and training Dancing for Birth instructors across the United States and 19 countries in four continents.
In Orlando, the classes have been offered at Florida Hospital since June and caught Amy Johnson’s eye recently when she was searching for classes online. Gwen Graham and a supporter embrace after conceding the primary to Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum on Aug. 28.
“I know I can't control much of this labor process but the little bit that I can, I want to be at least educated,” said Johnson, 36, who's pregnant with her first baby. “And I really liked the curriculum. It's relaxing, stretching, dancing, but also talking about labor.”
Johnson attended her first Dancing for Birth session on a recent evening at Florida Hospital Orlando, where Kristin Bunnett and Naida Halligan, both Florida Hospital nurses and certified Dancing for Birth educators, taught the class.
The 90-minute class started with picking out belly dancing hip scarves adorned with gold coins out of a basket full of colorful dancewear. Johnson picked out a light blue one. The group of four then sat in a circle and got to know each other.
It was Johnson's fifth pregnancy, but the others ended in miscarriages. The other woman, Devon Hoernschemeyer, 38, was expecting her first baby, too.
“I do Zumba weekly anyway, and I thought this might give me an opportunity to learn more about what the birth process looks like in the course of movement,” said Hoernschemeyer during a break. “Maybe I can dance this baby out,” she said.
Both women are due Christmas Day.
The class then moved onto reading affirmation cards to help turn off negative chatter in the mind. That was followed by guided meditated and then a mat and exercise ball workout. Soothing music played in the background.
Bunnett told the women how certain positions can help the baby find its best position in the womb. She showed the expecting moms exercises that relieved stress on the back.
And then she amped up the music to start the gentle belly dancing movements. The instructors have the freedom to choose music and dances from different on parts of the world.
Bunnett showed the women how to move their hips side to side, back and forth.
“Asymmetry helps the baby turn and navigate the space in the womb,” she said as the women danced to the beat of the music. She showed them how to do hip knocks and do a move called “mother's milkshake.”
“It's just like what sounds,” Bunnett joked.
More than a decade ago, when Larson started putting together a curriculum for her Dancing for Birth classes, she learned about prenatal yoga and other classes for couples who were preparing for the arrival of their baby. But she wanted something more.
“What I felt was needed was another option, where women could gather and dig a little deeper and also have fitness that was specialized for pregnancy and involved fluid movements,” said Larson.
She also found studies that showed that it's safe for pregnant women to continue to exercise during pregnancy.
“There's a myth out there that pregnant women are fragile, but actually, pregnant women are strong and it's in their best interest and their baby's interest to stay active,” said Larson.
She also came across a small study, which showed that women who danced during labor had significantly it lower pain scores and higher levels of satisfaction.
“I've certainly been seeing that since I started teaching, but it's nice to have this scientific data,” said Larson.
Bunnett and Halligan, along with several of their colleagues at Florida Hospital, got their certificates in February, when Larson visited Florida Hospital's Winter Park Memorial Hospital. They've been teaching the weekly class since June.
The classes are open to women, regardless of where they're planning to give birth. They are for women who are planning to have a baby, are pregnant, or have a baby under age 1. The cost is $10 per session.
“They can wear their babies and dance with their babies,” said Bunnett of Florida Hospital. “It's building a community of support through the journey or pregnancy and motherhood.”
Larson holds a reunion every year in Bali and Bunnett is planning to attend the one coming up in March.
“This feels so good. Spiritually. Emotionally. Physically. It just felt good and right, so I was like I'm going to Bali,” she said.