"Musick has Charms to sooth a savage Breast, / To soften Rocks, or bend a knotted Oak." So wrote William Congreve, in The Mourning Bride, way back in 1697. Turns out the guy knew what he was talking about. Researchers in Taiwan studied pregnant women and found those who listened to lullabies and classical music over a two-week period lowered their levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

About half the women in the study were given four CD's and told to listen to at least one of them every day for two weeks. Each woman got a CD of classical music, one of lullabies, one of nature sounds, and one with new age versions of children's songs. "Pregnancy is a unique and stressful period for many expectant mothers and they suffer anxiety and depression because of the long time period involved," explained Professor Chung-Hey Chen of Kaohsiung Medical University, who led the study. "Our study shows that listening to suitable music provides a simple, cost-effective and non-invasive way of reducing stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy."

This comes as no surprise to me; I've known for a long time that a little Vivaldi, Ray Lynch, or Beethoven before a trip to the dentist makes a huge difference. It's good to see the idea put to use making pregnancy a little easier.