Dancing in the delivery room
 COLUMBIA, Mo. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- When they're pregnant, many women take lamaze classes to help prepare for the big day. But a new kind of class is helping women deliver faster and easier.
Belly dancing is an age-old art. Shakira's made millions by shaking her hips. But now, there's a lot more belly! Midwife Deedee Farris-Folkerts began belly dancing after her first pregnancy. It was then she noticed women make the same hip movements she was learning in her class ... During labor. "I saw them -- these women -- just moving in certain ways, breathing in certain ways, really able to connect with their bodies during their labor and birth process," Farris-Folkerts said.
"A woman who can rotate her pelvis in little circles and knows how to isolate the muscles of the pelvis can more easily move to help her baby rotate," said Farris-Folkerts.
Doctors say moderate exercise is safe and healthy for most pregnant women. The risks of belly dancing? "For healthy women who are experiencing low-risk pregnancy, there aren't any," said Farris-Folkerts. If you would like more information, please contact: |
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October 12, 2008
- Roseburg, Oregon
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But her MotherHip class is more than fun ... It's practical! "She was turned around in an awkward position with her head kind of tilted and I was able to do some hip moves and rocking," new mother, Jaime Farris, told Ivanhoe. 
Speeding-up labor and even helping ease pain. Three-week-old brewer danced his way out of the womb! "More than coming naturally, it felt really comfortable when I was laboring with him to do some of the movements," Brewer's mom, Darah Oxford, told Ivanhoe. Oxford says brewer's labor was far shorter than her first -- a difference she credits to belly dancing! "During his labor, I used some of the moves and techniques that DeeDee taught me in the MotherHip class to help bring him down into position and to speed my labor up," said Oxford.
