Pole dance while pregnant. Can we...?

Have you seen how many pole stars got pregnant during lockdowns? While seeing pregnant women pole dancing is nothing new, it seemed to me that there has been a boom in births in the pole world these past couple of years...

...And social media has been populated with controversy.

Some say it can harm the baby and some have continued to pole until the very end without a problem, some have preferred to do something else and some have been forced to do something else.

But what advice to follow if you feel like pole dancing in pregnancy?

Foreword: this post do not in any way replace professional, medical advice.

As a first step, contact your doctor or midwife. Most doctors advise you to continue with your life if there are no particular problems and advise you to avoid contact sports or where there is a risk of falling. The latter may be one of the warnings (assuming your doctor knows what pole dancing is (LOL)). Then you can always describe to them the movements and exertion you put your body through in your usual workouts and create some sort of schedule as the weeks progress.

Also make sure to let your instructors know about your pregnancy so they can give you the proper modifications.

There are women who suffer from morning sickness in the first trimester or have more nausea so spinning exercises should be avoided. If you feel very tired, take plenty of breaks during class. You may need to stop at this stage and resume later. If you feel fine, however avoid back bends or anything that strains the abdominal region.

In the second trimester, most women feel much better and stronger, but the growing belly prevents you from making certain movements, both because of the increased sensitivity on the abdomen, and because of the pressure of some pullovers and hangs. It also changes the balance, so at some point, inverting becomes impossible.

The third trimester, things get tougher and although some women feel good to continue, others decide to stop, sometimes due to lower back pain. If your case is the first, you can do only choreo and simple movements just to stay fit and strong and enjoy the last moments you will have completely alone for some time. Try air walks, reverse grabs and soft dance moves.

In general, giving yourself rules helps during the whole period. It can be: don't do tricks that you are not sure to do successfully and confidently, avoid everything that can make you fall, don't push yourself and don't try to learn a new trick or combo.

You might just enroll in a lower level class.

Remember, as always the main advice is to listen to your body and not overdo. Your body doesn't necessarily behave like a pregnant pole star's!

Although you'll have to switch up your routine, be sure you are properly warm before ever touching the pole and stay hydrated.

You will see that your body naturally refrains from certain things as they become more difficult so it may be a good time to do some light stretching or just dance to the sound of your favorite music.

In the center of the pic, our dear Giada, from Milan base