Rosa Walsh started meditating several years ago to relieve work-related stress.

"It helped me so much with the stress level in my job that I started doing it with my first pregnancy," she said.

Now, she's meditating again with her second pregnancy.

"I do it every morning before I start my day… it's always good to be in touch your soul," she said.

Dr. Herbert Benson is nationally known for his work on the mind-body connection. He claims there's a real value to finding peace within.

"If the pregnant mother is under stress to the extent any symptoms are affecting her, the relaxation response is an appropriate thing to do," said Dr. Herbert Benson, Mind-Body Institute.

Several studies show stress can take a toll on mother and baby and may have repercussions like low birth weight and attention issues later in life.

Dr. Benson says meditation during pregnancy can help prevent some of the dangerous symptoms of stress by bringing about physiologic changes.

"Decreased metabolism, decreased heart rate, decreased rate of breathing and decreased blood pressure," said Dr. Benson.

And believers say the peaceful state has another big benefit - bonding.

Think it's something you might want to try? Meditation teachers around the country claim it's very easy.

"It's as simple as just closing your eyes and just listening to the sound of your breath as you inhale and as you exhale…that's meditation," said meditation teacher Sardasimran Kaur.

Classes are offered, but not necessary, as long as you can find a quiet place to get away.

Some women wait until they're in labor to try it out, but trainers say it's much easier to learn early in the pregnancy before the contractions set in.