Try a prenatal yoga class near you! Take a few different classes with various teachers until you find a fit. Your class may offer both a challenge and relaxation; see which style feels right to you.

Note: We suggest a prenatal-specific yoga class, not a core strength class with prenatal modifications. A prenatal class should never be heated.

Prefer to practice on your own time? You’ll get a great introduction to prenatal yoga with Sarah Longacre on our Spinning Babies^® and Blooma® Daily Essentials video, available via streaming or DVD.

Now is also a great time to learn and begin a yoga pose called downward-facing dog. Moderate your early months of learning downward-facing dog by softening your knees. You can rest on your elbows if your wrists get tender in pregnancy. (Stop downward-facing dog for the six weeks after birth.) Downward-facing dog is strengthening and adds a full-body stretch for better circulation.

Baby likely weighs a full ounce or more by now and measures 4 to 4.5 inches long. The facial muscles are developing, too. Baby’s liver begins to secrete bile to help later digest fats, while the pancreas begins producing insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

Within the next week, all 16 distinct movement patterns are happening, though you may not feel them yet. These movements include startle, hiccup, isolated arm or leg movements, jaw movements, sucking and swallowing, hand-to-face contact, stretching, yawning, and more. [1]

The above facts create some fancies of imagination. Eating low-sugar (but not artificially sweetened food or drinks like diet soda) may help baby’s body build cell structures ready for better long-term health. Delight your week with fun movement. Can you find 16 ways of stretching your body? Play some nice music and stretch out! Baby feels your moves!