Mother and Baby

How to belly dance your way to an easier birth

Hands up, who loves a boogie around the living room? Dancing boosts your happy hormones, improves your fitness – and best of all – it’s fun! But there’s one dancing style in particular that can help you have an easier pregnancy and labour: belly dancing. ‘There’s a long tradition of women belly-dancing throughout their pregnancies in the Middle East,’ says Dancing for Birth teacher, Tessa Venuti Sanderson. ‘It helps strengthen the key muscles in your body that are specifically used in pregnancy and birth, such as your abdominals, lower back, hip and pelvic floor muscles. It also allows you to tune into your body and discover comfortable ways to move and exercise while pregnant.

'Women also use belly dancing during labour: a woman would call for the female friends and family members she wanted to support her, and they would form a circle around her, undulating their bodies and creating wave-like movements that mimic a contraction.’

So, grab a hip scarf and let’s get wiggling!

WATCH: How to belly dance your way to an easier birth 

Find more resources from teacher Tessa at 


