It's the fitness craze that’s swept the nation.

With its Latin beats, party atmosphere and high-energy dance workout, Zumba is one of the most popular classes.

And now midwives, health experts at Oxford Brookes University and an Zumba instructor have teamed up to offer a version for pregnant women.

Zumba Bump — adapted from the Zumba Gold workout by instructor George Martini — was launched last month with free Monday morning classes at Brookes’ Headington campus. It was the brainchild of health lecturer and researcher Dr Lesley Smith and midwife Ethel Burns.

Dr Smith said: “We both go to Zumba and love it and we wanted to develop an exercise class people could do while they were pregnant.

“A lot of women feel unclear about exercise and many just aren’t active enough.

“We thought something like Zumba might keep pregnant women engaged and motivated.”

Organisers are particularly hoping to attract pregnant women from Barton, Littlemore, Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys and Wood Farm and are promoting the class through the community midwives.

To help break the ice, Dr Smith and the midwives all join in and are on hand to answer questions. Ms Burns said: “It’s a huge boost to the women. Some are isolated.”

Jessica King, 19, from Headington, is 28 weeks pregnant and said other than walking, she had not previously been doing a great deal of exercise.

She said: “It was great fun.

“The fact it was just for pregnant women was one of the things that brought me to it, and I liked the way it was so upbeat.”

Antonia Liverini, 23, from Longwall Street, Oxford, is 34 weeks pregnant.

She said: “I had just been doing walking and it wasn’t quite enough so I thought maybe something more energetic would get me going.

“It was lots of fun and I want to do it up to the end of the pregnancy.”

The class runs from 10am to 11.30am at the Oxford Brookes Centre for Sport in Cheney Lane.