Is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, right? Can dancing or twerking really bring on labour?

Hannah Dahlen For The Conversation

Sydney: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is back in the news this week in a podcast discussing her viral “baby mama” video.

The video was made four years ago when she gave birth to daughter Lilibet, but only released recently. It shows the duchess in hospital, heavily pregnant, dancing and twerking to bring on labour. Her husband, Prince Harry, dances too.

She wrote on Instagram: "Both of our children were a week past their due dates […] so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn’t work – there was only one thing left to do!" The video follows the trend of other celebrities sharing similar videos of themselves dancing while heavily pregnant.

So does the Duchess of Sussex have a point? Can dancing really bring on labour? First, how about dancing during pregnancy? Exercise is recommended during pregnancy, and while some higher-impact exercises may need to be moderated, it carries minimal risk for healthy women and their babies.

In fact, evidence shows regular exercise during pregnancy is associated with a variety of benefits.

Exercise can lead to a lower risk of gestational diabetes, caesarean section, the use of forceps and vacuum during birth and perinatal mental health problems, as well as quicker postpartum recovery.

While pregnant women might more often gravitate towards a brisk walk, some laps in the pool, or a group exercise class, dancing is a good option too.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has even listed dance as one of the forms of exercise found to be safe and beneficial during pregnancy.

The movements of dance involve the hips and pelvic area (especially twerking) which may help the baby get into a more optimal position and tone the pelvic floor, though the evidence for this is lacking.

Choose any form of dancing you like – even belly dancing. In a small qualitative study with two pregnant women, belly dancing was found to be joyful and empowering, boosting feelings of wellbeing.

You can dance any time during pregnancy but you may need to adapt your dance moves as the pregnancy advances and your growing belly gets in the way.

If you have risk factors such as bleeding it’s best to be cautious and discuss any planned dancing with your health-care provider.

Music can also play an important role in mental health, as well as reducing pain, blood pressure and heart rate. So the combination of exercise with music, in the form of dance, could have added benefits.

What about dancing to induce labour, and during labour? Meghan is not the first woman to report dancing to induce their labour, but this is all anecdotal. There’s no scientific evidence to show dancing is an effective way to bring on labour.

There is perhaps slightly more evidence suggesting benefits once labour has started.

Many women seek non-pharmacological options (not involving medications) during labour. Especially early in labour, dancing may decrease the intensity of pain and lead women to feel more satisfied and in control of their labour.

In one study, 60 women were randomly allocated to either dance during labour, or not. The dancing group had significantly lower pain scores and higher satisfaction than the control group.

And again, music can lower levels of pain in early labour. So combining relaxing music with some movement could be a good thing.

Dancing to your comfort levels during labour could be helpful due to the combination of pelvic movements, being upright, moving the body rhythmically and changing the position of the body frequently.

Evidence shows being upright and moving during labour is beneficial as it enables the pelvis to open up fully to let the baby through and reduces the length of labour.

Being upright and moving could also help transfer some pressure from the baby’s head onto the cervix, which can stimulate prostaglandin, a key chemical involved in progressing labour.

It’s been suggested dancing during labour could help get the baby into a better position for delivery and therefore help labour to proceed more smoothly and quickly. But ultimately we don’t have reliable evidence to substantiate these hypotheses.

So, did Meghan induce her labour with dance? It’s unclear if dancing helped to induce the duchess’ labour as she was in hospital and may have later had a medical or surgical induction.

Labour can be medically induced with hormones, by using a balloon-shaped catheter placed in the woman’s cervix to open it up, or by breaking the bag of water around the baby.

Alternatively, Meghan’s labour may have eventually begun naturally without her dancing having played a role if she chose to wait another few days.

However, the joy on her face and connection and support of her husband Prince Harry is a good way to increase oxytocin, a hormone that stimulates contractions. This could have helped too.

Meghan may have been on the right track, but we need more research before we can confidently recommend dancing to bring on or during labour.

In the meantime, while there’s no evidence to show dancing is effective for inducing labour, it’s highly unlikely to have any downsides – and it may contribute to a more positive childbirth experience. So, if you feel inclined, I say dance away.

The author is Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University.