Big Belly Hoopin'
Hooping with a burgeoning pregnant belly, you might think, is no easy task. Throughout nine months, the axis around which my hoop turned changed daily in size and shape. It took a little extra effort, granted. But it was another valuable step in my (r)evolving relationship with my body.
Although I didn't know it yet, I was pregnant during my hooping trip to Anguilla in mid-December. By Christmas, I was puking during my early morning run. I was proud to think I'd hoop through all three trimesters. I'm a Superhooper, right? But it wasn't until my belly got harder and all my internal organs had finished rearranging themselves that hooping felt right.
Well, it didn't feel right, really. I had no waist, of course. And even if I could have seen my hips, they were aching. And hooping is all muscle memory. My muscles didn't have any idea, much less a memory, of how to move for two! I was terrified I would fall. Just walking was a challenge -- how was I going to spin? Still, after several months, hooping was possible again, even if it felt like I was dancing with someone else's body. And the look on people's faces seeing a very pregnant woman hoop was priceless. Few people saw our picture in the paper in April, fire hooping at five months along, but I am giddy to have the coolest memento ever for my little one's baby book.
Looking back, I wish I hadn't indulged my frustrations as much as I did. I wish that I had spent less time annoyed at the tricks I couldn't do and more time playing with this new and changing space. But there were truly beautiful moments. I felt strong and powerful. I imagined what my little girl was feeling in the womb as it rocked in circles. I thought about how hooping was keeping me in top shape for labor and how one day my little hooper and I would dance together to this very song.
The day before my little girl arrived was the most fun I had hooping pregnant. For the first time, moving in and out of my hoop felt effortless. We danced together for more than an hour and when we stopped, I felt the first hints that she was on her way.
Now that she's here, my body is changing again. I don't fit into my flashy, fun, costumes yet. But I'm finding my groove again. And I'm one sexy hooping momma.
