Thread: Pregnancy and The Dancer's Body

Forgive me, I know this has probably been discussed in the past. But I'm not sure, so I thought I'd ask myself. I'm planning on getting pregnant in the not-too-distant future, and I'm having jitters that have absolutely nothing to do with loss of free and work/training time, sleepless nights, a temporarily shrunken brain, and nine months of no wine drinking. My jitters come, I must shame-facedly admit, from pure vanity. I've never had the body of an athlete, and part of me is just afraid that I'll turn into the Blob of Brooklyn once my little muffin is out of the oven. I can't believe I'm thinking of this when I haven't even gotten knocked up yet. But my dance life is just starting to be what I want it to be, and I finally have my physical health back after years of battling thyroid issues. So, er, moms out there...what happened to you guys physically after having kid/s, and how long did it take you to get back into fighting shape? What did you do during and after pregnancy to keep yourselves fit and energetic? There's a lot of information out there, but most of it seems designed to sell me something, and I'd really prefer honest answers from people.

God, I feel like such a dork worrying about this. But I would really appreciate the input of those wiser than myself! Thanks in advance.

- Leela

Well, I ate for two when I was pregnant, two elephants maybe, and so it took me a long time to get the weight off. I think I would have done much better if I would have kept in mind that I really didn't need all that many extra calories. No permanent damage in spite of myself.

Originally Posted by flimflamgirl

Forgive me, I know this has probably been discussed in the past. But I'm not sure, so I thought I'd ask myself. I'm planning on getting pregnant in the not-too-distant future, and I'm having jitters that have absolutely nothing to do with loss of free and work/training time, sleepless nights, a temporarily shrunken brain, and nine months of no wine drinking. My jitters come, I must shame-facedly admit, from pure vanity. I've never had the body of an athlete, and part of me is just afraid that I'll turn into the Blob of Brooklyn once my little muffin is out of the oven. I can't believe I'm thinking of this when I haven't even gotten knocked up yet. But my dance life is just starting to be what I want it to be, and I finally have my physical health back after years of battling thyroid issues. So, er, moms out there...what happened to you guys physically after having kid/s, and how long did it take you to get back into fighting shape? What did you do during and after pregnancy to keep yourselves fit and energetic? There's a lot of information out there, but most of it seems designed to sell me something, and I'd really prefer honest answers from people.

God, I feel like such a dork worrying about this. But I would really appreciate the input of those wiser than myself! Thanks in advance.

- Leela

I had my daughter two years ago. I gained 65 pounds (way too much) and had 45 to lose after my daughter was born. I would first say don't 'eat for two'. There aren't two of you. Eat healthy and follow your doctor's guidelines (don't be obsessed, though, treat yourself once in a while). What helped me get back to my size 6 was breastfeeding and bellydance. I was back to my size 6 within 6 months. For me, the skin on my belly was like a deflated balloon. That went away after about 8 or 9 months (and, really, it didn't totally go away). I think if I would have focused on toning my stomach muscles it would've totally went away. But, instead, I got pregnant again. I am currently 8 months pregnant and plan on being back into shape within 4-6 months and this time I'm going to add some weight training to my regime.

I hope this helped.

You can keep dancing, check out my troupe mate's phases of the moon dance... She's a vegan and a yoga instructor and bounced back from her fourth pregnancy in about a minute. (hope this link works)
[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=3TWfAGBWing]YouTube - Amaris - Moon Bellydance[/ame]

I can't offer much personal advice as I myself am not a mom (at least not yet) so any info I have is second hand....

...But I can say this...you're not a dork. It's fair, legitimate, and perfectly normal to have concerns and considerations about your body. MOST women--including non-dancers and even those women who don't want to admit it--*do* have some worry/concerns about the physical side. And when you do what we do (practice an artform that relies so heavily on fine muscle control, and in which physical appearance can affect your employment prospects)...yeah, of COURSE you're going to think/wonder/worry about how pregnancy will affect your body. Add to that the fact you've dealt with health issues to get where you are (so may you have concerns about setting yourself back somehow in terms of how you feel/how your health is generally...?)

So...give yourself a bit of a break. And don't let other people making you feel bad or "vain" for thinking about it either. If someone gives you a hard time about that...often she's just trying to make herself feel better. Congrats to you for making a choice about having a baby and for deciding you want to find out all you can from other moms--good, bad, tips and tricks. Pregnancy is different for everyone, but having support and frank talk, even from relative strangers can be helpful (from what my mommy friends tell me...:-)

Wishing you all the best! ..g.:

don't feel like a dork. I'm considering the same thing and I worry about the same thing. I'm at the point where it won't change my mind about what I'm going to do, but I'm worried enough about it that I plan to do everything I can to prevent long-term damage.

Of course the other worry is that "having children will derail my bellydance career". Then I remind myself that I don't have a bellydance career and if I WAS going to be a Bellydance Superstar (or equivalent), I'd be 10 times younger and 10 times better already. So if I'm realistic about my potential, children won't make much of a difference because there are many dancers I know that have babies and they still get to do as much "dance stuff" as I like to do.

I was not exactly an athlete to start with... but I was very active throughout my pregnancy. I danced 2 or 3 nights a week, I walked 3 miles every day after work ( was doing this before I got preggo too), and I was careful with what I ate. I didn't deny myself, I just ate sensibly and had small treats. I was within one pound of my pre-pregnancy weight the day after I gave birth ( I only gained 18 pounds). but my shape wasn't quite the same. I did a lot of kegels to regain pelvic floor control. I haven't quite gotten my tummy muscles back in shape, and here I am 2 months pregnant, so I am getting bigger faster this time... but you can have a baby without becoming the blob, and you can spring back quickly *if* you work at it.. you will never be exactly the same, but it won't be bad. I was actually smaller, but wider in the hips...

I continued with yoga and my cardio routine for most of my pregnancy, took Mira Betz's class until 7 1/2 months and performed at tribal fest at 8 months. I gained about 5 pounds more than I wanted, and that is what I am working on now. I'm almost back to my size 6, but I plateaued until I finished breastfeeding. Everybody loses (or doesn't lose) the weight differently. The thing that is odd, is my body is a very different shape. I'm working on getting the muscle tone in my abs back, that is the hardest. I say eat sensibly and keep up with the exercise, especially yoga -- that helped a lot. And do Kegels! Without too much TMI, I'm the only one of my friends that didn't have long term, ahem, potty trouble after the birth. Good luck!

my baby is 14 month old now... and I was full of the same scary thoughts about possible changes to my body and bellydance career as you are. But everything turned out pretty well. I did get too much weight (50 pounds) but then as mentioned by others breastfeeding and bellydance helped to get rid of it quite fast. At 2.5 month after I gave birth I got a job at the restaurant, and by six month I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight...
You can't really start dieting when breastfeeding, but I did control what and how much I eat to loose weight as soon as possible and at the same time not to hurt my milk supply. That was difficult...but it worked.

Leela, it's OK to worry about body issues, but don't let it change your mind or push getting pregnant far back.
My son is almost four now. I too was worried that I'll never look the same after pregnancy but I think I like the way my body looks now much better. My waist is thinner and my hips are wider which gives me that nice curvy look I never had before the pregnancy. One body part I am not crazy about though is not my tummy, it's my breast. They deflated and I litterally have to tape them in place for performances for less jiggle.

I haven't had a baby yet, but I'm a second generation belly dancer, and my Mom said she only gained about 17 pounds with my sister, and the same with me, she simply ate like she normally did and didn't get into that "eating for 2" mentallity because the 2nd person is the size of a a bean to start. So as long as you keep active and don't use the pregnancy as an excuse to overeat and gain weight you should be fine. I know I've struggled with the same thing, I want to get pregnant and worry how it will affect my body and dance career, that's a normal fear, you will be just fine!! You can always exercise, diet, have a tummy tuck, whatever, nothing is permanent and set in stone! Other than the baby, that's the one life long committment, and a good one at that!

I gained double what my doctor expected for my size...I gained 50 lbs...but all in the last 3 months it seemed. I worked until 6 1/2 months....just a bit of an expanded waist...and then BOOM..it hit me! But I wasn't worried...pregnancy is a time not to worry...and relax...
my mom gained only 15 pounds with me while she was teaching dance..nobody even knew she was expecting...but it was so different for myself and my sister! You never know.
All my weight came off quickly (16 years ago!!)...and I am happy that I wasn't overly concerned about my career at the time and could have fun with my baby! Walking everywhere (I lived in FLorida) took all the weight off before I knew it!

I want another baby...and I am sure it will be way different...but if it happens...I still won't worry... it isn't good for you!!

Leela, you're no dork. i worry about the same thing!
]

Thanks so much, everyone...I feel much better now. I'm definitely not going to wait much longer; I'm at the point where it's pretty much time to get started. Plus, my husband is starting to gaze longingly at other peoples' kids (unprecedented for him). Too bad he can't be the one to get pregnant, while I keep dancing and going to the gym. He has the metabolism of Jughead. He'd be just fine.

The advice about not getting into the "eating for two" mindset is especially helpful. You're right - the kid's the size of a shrimp for a long time! I have seen people kinda use it as an excuse. I've had health-nut habits drilled into me for so long now that I think I'll probably be OK, and wouldn't suddenly start eating cases of Ho-Hos. But it's good to see the range of weight that people gain or lose, and to see that I'm not alone in my concerns.

Yeah, I had some concerns about health setbacks. My thyroid issues caused me to be 30 lbs. overweight for years, despite my strenuously healthy lifestyle, and I'm finally somewhat back to normal (for me) after *years* of tears, hormones, and Ayurvedic medicine. So I'm terrified of going back. Sometimes I wonder if I'd still have these feelings if I hadn't become a dancer (which I only did in recent years; before that I was just an illustrator). Dunno. This dance is very good for us, but can also kinda mess with one's mind, no?

I gotta say, the more I learn about pregnancy the scarier it sounds, so I'm going to stop reading about it and just do it. I'm a researcher by nature, but it's obvious that if you actually think too much about the realities of pregnancy, you'll be totally scared away! Even my own mother, while telling me last week to get going, said "No one in their right mind would actually get pregnant if they thought about it!". Um...yes, Mom. That's true.

- Leela

Hi Leela,
I think every dancer wonders how pregnancy will affect her body. I gained 30 lbs., which was about right for me - I'm 5'8". Limiting your weight gain could also help in the stretch mark department too. I ate well, danced and walked a lot throughout the pregnancy and felt really good. My last class was on a Friday night and I had baby on Sunday. I was back on stage in six weeks, but wearing a dress to cover the deflated balloon. :) Breastfeeding helps a lot with the weight loss, and I would put baby in the stroller and hit the park too, when I was on maternity leave. All in all I'd say I was back to my body about a year later, but I wasn't very stringent about diet/exercise. I did notice that my balance on releve was wonky for about six months, which I didn't expect.
Another thing - I had one basic book on pregnancy to reference, and made a conscious decision to not get caught up in the flood of books, magazines, forums, etc. out there. If something specific concerned me, I'd look it up and talk to my doctor, but it's easy to get freaked out over all the could-would-should information. Also, a bit off topic, but I was surprised to see how commercialized the whole baby thing is - you honestly don't need about 90% of the stuff flogged out there - IMO. :)
Best of luck to you,
Christine

I don't know how old you are, Flimflamgirl, but the younger you are, the easier it is to get back to the original body. I had my eldest at age 26 and was worried about the same thing, but discovered the issue turned out to be much less about the body than simply having the time. Babies are very time consuming and as a new mother you'll probably have a tough time even leaving him/her with anybody else while you dance.

The changes my body went through were .... larger breasts with breast-feeding and thicker waist (which didn't go down until I stopped breast-feeding). But I have to say, the larger breasts seemed to go over well and the thicker waist wasn't even noticed! I was lucky enough not to get stretchmarks.

I notice you mentioned thyroid problems. I had them when I had my second child and was breastfeeding. She developed collick when she was a week or more old and I never could discover the reason. I changed my diet and tried everything I could. Since that time, I've heard that thyroid medicine can go through the milk and affect the baby Even though I was a LLL member, I guess no-one would have thought to question that possibility as a reason for the problem. So keep that in mind incase you come across a similar problem.

Believe me, once you have that baby you'll wonder how in the world you could ever have hesitated ... body changes or not!

i'm in my 8th month right now and i have never felt so good about my body before in my life. I'm not a pro dancer and i only intend to dance at student events and fundraisers...i did my first solo performance at 3 months preggo and my second solo at 6 months... i also just danced at a fundraiser at the end of my 7th month with my troupe. I have NEVER felt so empowered or in touch with my body....i have finally made friends with it and i love the changes that are occuring. It's amazing to let go of all the BS that i had associated with myself for so long...like my hips were too big and my breasts were too big....i wish i were thinner or whatever...all of that is gone and i really appreciate my shape and where i am. i realized that this was my body and that i needed to approach it as something of value and beauty not something that i constantly had to change and feel negative about. I've been eating in a really healthy way with the occasional whoopie pie or something sweet because i refuse to be in food prison and 2 whoopie pies over 9 months won't kill me I don't know how i will feel about my body when i'm holding the baby in my arms and not in my belly but pregnancy has been a gift to my state of mind...it's good to make peace with what you have.

I'm going to pipe in because I just had my first baby and she's only 6 months old.

It is hard, so don't fantasize that everything goes back to normal right away. I gained 50lbs, but lost 35lbs in the first month. As soon as the bleeding stopped I started walking. Belly dance just isn't enough to hope back into shape. I also breastfeed which melts away pounds. I now have 6lbs to go. The hardest thing to deal with for me wasn't the weight; it was the weird, flabby, blob-like belly that I had right after delivery. It lasted for about two months; but lo-and-behold it's gone!

All those horror stories people tell you are just women finding an outlet for their happenings. Lots of horrific things can and do happen to you while your pregnant, but when it's done and over you'd do it again. I hope you enjoy trying to get pregnant and being pregnant when it happens. It's an experience you only have for 9 months :D

This was me exercising while pregnant:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxOOTLFbj0]YouTube - Malia at Kalia 4/01/07[/ame]

Hi!
I think it's pretty natural to be concerned about the impact of motherhood on your body. I think it may be more intense with a first pregnancy. Honestly, it took me 6 years to get my "baby" weight off. Right when I hit goal last August, I got pregnant again. Yay!! So ideally I'll manage my weight well. Realistically, I'll enjoy my pregnancy, not put a lot of pressure on myself and eventually get my figure back. I personally think that little pooch you get after you've become a mom is sexy. When you look at your baby, it's so totally worth it!
Hugs,
Beth

I had the same worries when I was pregnant. Not that I had an athletic built either. I taught up until my 8th month, performed into my 6th month and did a lot of walking. I gained just 25 pounds. Most of that came off within a couple of months since I was nursing. I nursed for over a year which really helped additional weight come off. And believe it or not "the ladies" are still looking up and not at the floor.
Another thing that made a difference is that I decided to give up my corporate job and stay home with baby. Those early months were the most wonderful intro to being a mom and the most boring (and financially limiting). So in between feedings and diaper changes I reduced my stress by working out and started teaching again when baby was about 6 months old.
One thing I will suggest - moisturize all over -a lot -especially with vitamin E it helps the skin keep it's elasticity.
HTH

[QUOTE=maliam;116450]I'm going to pipe in because I just had my first baby and she's only 6 months old.

It is hard, so don't fantasize that everything goes back to normal right away. I gained 50lbs, but lost 35lbs in the first month. As soon as the bleeding stopped I started walking. Belly dance just isn't enough to hope back into shape. I also breastfeed which melts away pounds. I now have 6lbs to go. The hardest thing to deal with for me wasn't the weight; it was the weird, flabby, blob-like belly that I had right after delivery. It lasted for about two months; but lo-and-behold it's gone!

All those horror stories people tell you are just women finding an outlet for their happenings. Lots of horrific things can and do happen to you while your pregnant, but when it's done and over you'd do it again. I hope you enjoy trying to get pregnant and being pregnant when it happens. It's an experience you only have for 9 months :D



i LOVE that you posted your dancing pregnant...i have watched that clip a million times and found it totally inspiring.

The "eating or two" mentality usually is out of your control! I wanted to eat all the time...not necessarily for 2...but for ME! My cravings were out of control! haha!

I started gaining weight from the very first month I was pregnant. About 4 pounds every month till the end, also I tried not eating for two. Had 44 pounds more in the end.
I still had gigs till end of 5th month and was practicing till end of 7th but reduced a bit on both.

After birth I lost half of the extra weight immediately (well within 1 week).
Now 2 1/2 month later there are still 17 pounds of extra weight left.

I gained lots of weight and was really worried if I was ever going to loose it. The owners of 2 clubs called 2 months after I gave birth asking: "When are you starting". The men loved my voloptuous figure and thought I looked really sexy. I sometimes overheard some women in a group saying to eachother or to their male company that I had a belly or that I was fat. I never heard that comment back from a man, they told me I looked great. I just gradually danced the weight off.

Wow, that video of you dancing is gorgeous, Malia! Both videos are so inspiring. It's really powerful to see what a pregnant woman's body can do while dancing. Thank you.

The through-line here and among people I know seems to be that most of the weight melts off if you breastfeed and exercise when ready...and something I hear over and over again is that the belly will firm up again if one works at it. OK! Not hard at all. I live near Olmsted's masterpiece park in Brooklyn, and...confession time. My name is Leela, and I occasionally use cheesy workout videos.

Thanks so much, everyone, for the inspiration and for sharing your experiences. It means a lot.

- Leela

hi Leela, I popped my Zack out a little over four months ago and I still look like an unidentifiable pale blob. There's a lot of pressure to get back in shape but those of us who work full time..it's really tough to find the time. The baby will take a lot of time you never knew you had and the rest of the time you may want to just sleep. I was back in the water again after about four weeks postpartum but i'm nowhere near the lean mean machine i (almost) was before pregnancy. It does , truthfully, do a number on your body.

But at my ripe age of 36, the vanity part doesn't matter as much. Maybe it's because I'm so in love with Zack..and I partied plenty before having him. It's not that i dont want to look good..it just isn't as much of a priority anymore if that makes sense.

It can take a while before you get your pre-pregnancy bod back but try not to sweat it , their first year goes by SO quickly that i decided i wanted to spend time with the baby, and still work my job, than worry about getting into a bikini. Exercise is great and you should do that..but don't worry so much about the battle scars. Having a baby is well worth it.

I should add the only thing preventing me from getting knocked up again right now is I'm scared of the morning sickness and body pain. By the time Zack was full term I had hemorrhoids growing out my butt that were so big, I cried when i sat down. He's teething right now and i just raise an eyebrow like ...pffft kid that aint nothin. Childbirth was easy after hemmies let me tell you.

Originally Posted by jesennia

By the time Zack was full term I had hemorrhoids growing out my butt that were so big, I cried when i sat down. He's teething right now and i just raise an eyebrow like ...pffft kid that aint nothin. Childbirth was easy after hemmies let me tell you.

.w.:
Boy, you're sure not doing much to allay the fears of we non-mommies with suspicions that pregnancy = alien invasion! Scaring us with gigantic hemroids of doom stories--what kind of baby mafia representative are you?!

Oh damn, don't remind me of that!

When I gave birth to my little one I ended up with:
- episiotomy
- a bruise of the tailbone that's 2 1/2 month later still hurting when I sit unconfortable
- two hemorrhoids as large as ping-pong-balls

Yep, those nasty bum buggers were something not many people warn you about. Drink LOTS of water, eat fiber like you'll never have it again, and keep Tucks pads handy (you'll need them after the birth anyway). Also be aware that vaginal hemmorhoids exist as well. If you experience immense pain in the last trimester, it could be due to one.

Oy vey iz mir!