A new study, recently published in the UK-based Journal of Clinical Nursing suggests that music can help relieve stress during pregnancy. The study, done by researchers from the College of Nursing at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, was performed on a group of 236 pregnant women. Out of that number, 116 women listened to 30 minutes of music daily while the others did not.

The conclusion? Preliminary evidence suggests that two weeks of music therapy during pregnancy provides psychological benefits. In other words, the women who listened to classical music, lullabies or nature sounds were less stressed than those who didn't listen to music.

Janet Wooldridge, mother of three from Hayes, Va., isn't surprised by the results of the study. During her second pregnancy, stress and anxiety forced Wooldridge to take time off from work, causing her doctor to worry about the health of her unborn child. "I was at the point where too much harsh noise jarred my nerves, or even disturbing language and news could set me off on a crying jag," she says. "After being a rock and roll fan forever, I found that I could not listen to my usual stations in the car. I have listened to classical music in the past but not regularly. I found that those stations not only gave me relaxing music but the DJs and commercials were also easier to listen to."

Wooldridge discovered that listening to soothing music helped to calm her down during times of stress. "There was less discord, which meant less noise on the nerves," she says. "But I also think it had something to do with the lack of lyrics. Though there is a lot of positive music available, many songs can be depressing or even angry. Also, the times I turned to classical were generally when other stressors, like traffic, were affecting me."

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