Prenatal Yoga Pays Off

You can prepare birthing muscles with yoga poses.

Practicing yoga while you're expecting can help ease aches and annoyances, from swollen ankles to stress. But even if your pregnancy has been relatively comfortable, mastering yoga techniques might pay off on D-day. In a study of moms-to-be in Thailand, those who took yoga classes had a shorter and less painful labor and were more comfortable afterward than women who didn't. To try a yoga routine at any point during pregnancy, visit fitpregnancy.com/yoga.