Thread: Dancing after becoming a mom...

Hi!

I'm experienced dancer and mom to a beautiful 22 month old girl.
After having my baby I've realized that is almost impossible to keep up with my dancing career, I used to teach in lots of places and I used to have shows at least 2 times a week.
Now I just participate in events every once in a while cause I don't have family near by to help me with my baby. Don't get me wrong I really like my new life and taking care of my husband and baby, I just don't feel like giving up dancing but how do you do both??? ..c::
I have a different body which makes me feel depressed at times cause I used to be really skinny and now my costumes don't fit quite the same. Some parts are better heehee but I don't like being so curvy.
Now each time I have a show I take my baby with me, and everybody is surprised about it, like I shouldn't be dancing anymore now that I'm a wife and a mom.
Are there other dancers in this forum with babies? Where you able to get back in the shape you were before?
Please tell me about your experience.

After having my little girl, I went straight back to dancing. My pregnancy was very difficult and I could barely move without getting quesy. I did my first show three months after having Nadia. This was a much given thanks to my mentor and teacher Amaya who always seems to believe in me. I also did a couple of small shows in the summer and started teaching again and now dancing a little more everyday. I use to dance at a resturaunt and am hoping to do that again. I have 6 pounds to go and it's hard but I was 165 and now 126. I'm a little fuller so I adjusted and bought new costumes. My husband helps a lot. I think people are probably in awe of your dancing while having a kid. I bring my little girl to all my shows. She is starting to dance too! She does hip circles like Dina HE HE! I get depressed too so that is normal. You should start a mommy and me class! Keep your dreams and ambitions!

Ammoura, I can relate to your situation and although my baby is not exactly a baby anymore (5 years old now) it's still very difficult to fit dance into my family life. I tend to go into phases, I would dance through the fall and totally neglect my family, then take a break for a few month and dedicate all of my time to them. Last year I took on 5 classes a week and performances on Friday and Saturday. It was extremely difficult to have energy for my son when I got home every day, so I dropped most of my teaching.

It is also hard to compete with other dancers in the area who are single and available to dancer any time. Plus going away for a few months makes it difficult to come back.


I would say, hang in there and don't worry about being judged by people. I think it's extrodinary that you still trying to dance being a mother and a wife. Getting in shape may take a little extra effort, like waking up to work out while your husband is getting ready for work in the morning, or turning on Fit TV when your baby is taking a nap. It's easy once you make it a routine.

I just thought of bringing this thread back up again. I'm sure plenty of bellydancing mom could relate to this; and probably has a lot of things to share to newbie moms like us.

I also have a hyperactive one year old baby. And I agree, it's extremely hard to find time to do things for myself, much less dance. It seems like all my energy for the day is just enough to take care of him, carry and chase him around. I do love being a full-time mom to him; but sometimes I just wish I could get a day off from motherhood. ..l;, The only self-pampering time I have is getting a massage whenever my upper body can barely move caused by body pains due to exhaustion! (not exaggerating this one)

Now, the restaurant I used to dance in is inviting me back. Apparently, the dancer who replaced me when I got pregnant has moved to the US. For some reasons, I'm a bit hesitant to accept their invitation. It doesn't bother me that my tummy doesn't look as good as it used to after a c-section, and definitely not that I may not have the time and energy to practice and perform. To be perfectly honest, my worry is for my baby. Both of us are kind of having a hard time dealing with separation anxiety. Baby has it; and worse, mom has it too!..l;,

Anyway, my question for other bellymoms is that how do you balance your time with work, baby and dancing? And probably even with your honey?

oof..babies. Mine is nearing 19 months and we are just now starting to have a normal sleep schedule again..I think the first year is so busy making sure they are clean and dry and fed, I really applaud women who go back to working full time and have it all together.

I was lucky and was able to keep up with akai business (scaled back a bit) and stay home with Zachary. But it was just recently that he started sleeping ok at night..in bed at 7 and up at 6, he fusses still but we don't pick him up, and he can put himself back to sleep after oh a year of training him. Problem is I'm a night owl and can't fall asleep til around 11pm so being up early with him is tough.

If you don't get enough sleep its easy for eating habits to get out of whack and when you dont eat and sleep properly, everything else goes to hell. We used to be in the water sometimes twice a day, gym, dance practice, walked all over waikiki, but once we had the baby it was all we could do to just do the daily routine

Not sure how easy your baby is? but I'd say it takes time just to have a bit of normalcy again. Then again 've known some dancers who danced all the way during pregnancy and hardly missed a drum beat and went right back to it. I think of nine months I was maybe sick eight of them..and tired alllllll the time.

enjoy the babies, though, pretty soon they will be insolent teenagers who don't need you

as badly as I want to be back in dance, am enjoying the summer with Zack since he'll be in preschool waaaay too soon

also do you have parents nearby? we are on our own over here, I'm too cheap to pay for daycare just so i can dance. When we move back to Arizona i'm looking forward to parking Z at my moms house overnight so I can go to Ava Flemings class

Well I danced almost the whole pregnancy with my both children and started dancing 3-4 months after giving birth to them. My daughter is now 2 and my son almost 8. I have been teaching 2-3 classes/week, have a daytime job fulltime and also practice with a troupe.

How do I do it?? Well I have a totally supportive husband. He is very involved in raising our kids and lets me have my dance life.

As for getting our old body back, it takes time and a lot of discipline. As Jesennia said, the first months with a baby can be a bit crazy and it´s easy to forget eating, eating whatever whenever you get a chance. So for me it was important to have very regular eating habits, breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2-3 snacks, even if the baby took almost all of my time.