There are many benefits of dancing for pregnant women. Besides being able to reduce stress and improve mood, dancing can also nourish the body, strengthen muscles, and maintain body fitness during pregnancy. This is the reason pregnant women can try dancing as a form of exercise during pregnancy.
Not only exercise that can be done by pregnant women, dancing is also a recommended sport. The ideal type of dance for pregnant women is belly dance, jazz, samba, or salsa. These dance movements are good for maintaining physical fitness, especially in early pregnancy.
Various Benefits of Dancing for Pregnant Women
Here are some of the benefits of dancing for pregnant women that are important to know:
1. Help reduce back pain
One of the benefits of dancing for pregnant women is to help reduce back pain or pain. Regular physical activity and exercise, such as dancing, are beneficial for strengthening and toning the muscles of the back, buttocks, and thighs, as well as the joints of the body.
With strong and toned muscles and joints, the pregnant woman's body will become stronger and more energetic, less tired and less likely to experience back pain during pregnancy.
2. Keep your weight safe
Exercising regularly and regularly also plays a role in preventing excessive weight gain during pregnancy. This is important, because pregnant women who gain excess weight are at risk for health problems and pregnancy complications, including obesity.
Normally, the recommended weight gain during single pregnancy is around 11–15 kg, while for twins it is around 15–24 kg.
3. Train and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles
Dancing can also be useful for maintaining the strength and flexibility of the pelvic floor muscles and the birth canal for pregnant women, you know. The benefits of dancing on this one can make it easier for pregnant women to push during childbirth and help push the fetus out of the womb, so delivery can be smoother and faster.
4. Overcoming stress during pregnancy
Listening to the music used to accompany the dance can have an entertaining effect on pregnant women and improve mood. This activity is also good for forming endorphins, which are the body's natural hormones that function to repair body fat mood, reduce stress, and reduce pain.
5. Help improve sleep patternsr
Some pregnant women may often experience difficulty sleeping, especially when the gestational age is getting older. Well, pregnant women can overcome this complaint by exercising regularly and reducing stress, for example by dancing. This activity can help improve sleep quality, so pregnant women can sleep more soundly.
6. Supports the process of fetal growth and development
Several studies have found that regular exercise during pregnancy plays an important role in supporting the process of fetal growth and development and increasing fetal weight. One good choice of exercise for pregnant women and fun is dancing.
Apart from dancing, pregnant women can also do other sports, such as leisurely walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, or pregnancy exercises. In order to get these benefits, pregnant women are recommended to exercise regularly for at least 20-30 minutes every day or at least 3 times a week.
Apart from exercising regularly and regularly, pregnant women also need to eat nutritious food, reduce stress, and stay away from cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, to support fetal growth and development.
Tips for dancing according to gestational age
Although classified as a safe sport, pregnant women still have to be careful when dancing. Here are some tips that pregnant women can do when they want to dance according to gestational age:
First trimester
Some things to consider when dancing in the first trimester of pregnancy are:
- Do not make jumps. Instead, do relaxing movements.
- Do the movement as best you can and don't push yourself.
- If you find it difficult to have a comfortable conversation while dancing, this is a signal that you should slow down or reduce the speed of your body movements and take a break.
Second and third trimester
When entering the second and third trimesters, pay attention to the following:
- When the stomach is getting bigger, the balance of body movements must be increasingly considered.
- Avoid moving too fast, moving too much, or jumping.
- Also avoid jerking movements and arching the spine back.
Apart from that, there are also some important points that pregnant women should pay attention to when dancing, namely:
- Always warm up before exercising and dancing and then cool down after. This is important to prevent injury.
- Be careful when dancing and don't let this activity make pregnant women too tired.
- Make sure to drink enough water before, during, and after dancing.
- Don't forget to eat snacks before dancing or other sports to meet the body's energy needs.
To be safer, pregnant women are advised to dance accompanied by an instructor or take special dance classes for pregnant women. Make sure to get a competent instructor, so pregnant women can dance safely and avoid injury.
In addition, before starting dancing or trying other sports, it is also important for pregnant women to consult a doctor first, especially if pregnant women are experiencing certain complaints, such as pelvic pain, back pain, or have certain health problems during pregnancy.
