Baby Your Back

One stretch is all it takes to relieve the mother of all back pains

Show us a new mom and we’ll show you some out of whack backs. "A lot of new mothers come to us because they're tired, sore, and stressed out from baby care," says Sarah Perron, cofounder of New York City's Baby Om yoga. "Yoga is wonderful because it relieves that physical and mental tension." Perron devised the stretch below for moms to do with their infants, but anyone with lower back pain can try it-no baby required.

1. Sit on the floor, feet together and knees apart, and place your baby between your legs so your feet cradle his head. If you feel as if you're falling backward in this position, sit on a pillow or a folded blanket.
2. Extend through your spine and stretch forward, lengthening your torso out from your hips. Try to place your palms on the floor in front of you, walking your fingertips as far as you can. Keep your spine long.
3. Take three deep breaths, exhaling through your mouth, stretching a little further with each breath. "Make eye contact with your baby, play peekaboo, or just enjoy being with him," Perron says.