I'm a music Nazi (I have been known to carry around a Party CD in my bag just in case I'm at a gathering where the music's rubbish) and just about the only thing in my birth plan will be "don't touch the music".
Best laid plans always come asunder but this is what I'm thinking: either classical or reasonably ambient dance/house (Air, DJ Shadow, Groove Armada) for early stages of labour to help calm me down but also give me something to concentrate on. (Sounds of the Windforest type stuff just bores me to tears so I know I would find that annoying and have the opposite of the desired effect).
When things get really yeuky, painful, I'll want music that makes me feel like I can conquer the world and push that sucker out. So some really upbeat rocky stuff like Jet, Dandy Warhols, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and I must say my personal favourite given the circumstances "Take Me Out" (particularly if c-section) by Franz Ferdinand.
Am also thinking about printing out the song lyrics for my own mini karaoke session, but I think I'm just getting completely ridiculous now!
I guess the answer is decide what you'll need: maybe a mix of calming and inspirational and then choose stuff that you like, not what you think you should take.
I thought I would really want music......we arrived at the delivery suite, DH put it on, all was well until I had a contraction! I absolutely couldn't stand the noise during contractions, so the music was very quickly turned off!
Same thing happened to me sezjm! I had about 4 CDs picked out - ones that I really liked - DH put one on and I listened to it for a while (Play by Moby I think - was trying to be upbeat!) but then the noise just got to me!
I think the only time I was a bit snappish is when I realised it was annoying me and I said 'TURN THE MUSIC OFF!'
if anything it took my focus away from what I was doing as opposed to giving me something to focus in IYKWIM.
Seems like your birthin' brain (IYKWIM) likes symbolism. I found music really evocative. I made up a collection of songs that has special significance for us. You get to a stage in labour when you just tune it out (along with nearly everything else!) but until then it really set the mood for me and when our babe was born, it was still playing because no one had had a chance to turn it off or change it ... so she was born to "Listening to Rain Music" (which is what we called our compliation of personal favourites) ... the same music she was conceived to ... he he
Another time my kind friend had this lovely serene elevator music playing for me .... haaaated it, that got turned off pretty smartly. I wanted something a bit more intense and interesting!
Last edited by Julie Doula; May 15th, 2007 at 09:40 AM.
I reall dont know whether i am going to take music with me i have a very strange variety of music i like...i love older songs like from dirty dancing etc then i love jack johnson, foo fighters, country music...looove garth brooks, dixie chicks then i love andrea boccelli his voice is just amazing!!
Dixie chicks have an absoultely beautiful song called 'Godspeed' which was written for the lead singers son and it makes me teary just listening to it.
I just think take what really chills you out and relaxes you...how hard is it to turn a cd off if it gets too annoying lol
Hi ladys im just wanting some ideas on music for labour... As i normally listen to trance, dance stuff i dont think this would be to good for labour.. If anyone can give me some suggestions that would be great
What about "Enya"? it's quite inspiring, empowering yet relaxing at the same time...
At those $2 dollar stores you can buy cheap CD's with relaxation music on them like listening to birds/rainforests/ocean that's nice i think i would use that for my labour...
Yeah I agree... Listen to your normal music, Iam going to as it will be more soothing that some annoying music I dont liusten to but bought coz I thought it would be calming... Water trickling would do my head in as would a bird chirping!!!
But I plan to take in some Reggae & also my Lauryn Hill Cd with the Zion song on it for my baby boy!!!
thanks girl
i just didnt think all da bass and thumping would be good through labour but like jooleshere said other music mite annoy me i didnt think of that......
I reckon take what you like and what you are used to, other music would drive me nuts. I've just tried to put together a selection of CD's with a mix of funk, acid jazz, and 70's stuff (Cat Stevens for example) so there's some get up and move stuff along with some slower stuff. But all things I am familiar with, so I can get lost in the music.
My midwife said that she attended a labour and birth where they played Led Zeppelin the whole time! Said she was a bit sick of stairway to heaven for the seventh time (!!) but recommended to bring in music that is to your tastes - can help you get into the zone and maybe even birth quicker!
Im with the other girls, take stuff that you normally listen to. I have a mix CD with techno, Creed, Powderfinger and Hooverphonic. My Doula gave me a whole heap of Nature sound CDs to listen from and I just cant stand them. But we decided to take them along as well just in case.
Do you have iTunes? You can listen to a sample of each song before you buy it to see if you like it.
Me, I'm into pretty girly music, so I'm taking my iPod which has Brooke Fraser, Missy Higgins, Sarah Blasko, those kind of girls on it. I also sleep to relaxation music at night, so have that as well.
I do agree with the other girls though, go with what is familiar to you - because your bub is familiar with it too!
There's some excellent trancey/world stuff out there that probably's got enough beat in it to keep you happy but a bit more mellow to help you zone out there. Here are a few suggestions (some of my faves)
Steam (Hamam) - Soundtrack (this has got a heap of stuff in it built around Sufi trance rhythms, it's the most amazing thing)
Baraka - Soundtrack
Anything of the CDs by Dead can Dance or Lisa Gerrard's later albums
There are a lot of 'coming down' collections with really mellow grooves (ie I've got a Sunday morning coming down compilation)
I've used music to good and bad effect in my labours.
With my first labour I thought that it would be appropriate to listen to relaxing rainforest music with water trickling and birds chirping etc. I thought that trying to stay clam would be my main aim. When the day came and I was in labour I tolerated it for about 2 songs then demanded that the bloody thing be turned off!!! LOL It was so annoying because it was going against the grain of what labour is all about! I was moving around in active labour and it was hard work... it wasn't time to rest! Imagine doing something really hard physically like pushing your broken down car uphill... would you like to have someone beside you saying "relaaaax... be calm.... just rest" ??? No way!!! You'd rather Bono from U2 start shouting "In the name of looove!" encouraging you to keep on pushing... that you could do it! etc. The soothing forest music was lovely however AFTER the birth when I had my little one curled in my arms and I needed to mentally wind down...
Ok... so armed with this new knowledge I chose more carefully for my third labour. (During my second labour I didn't have any music at all). I used my portable MP3 player and listened to Kate Bush with ear plugs. This was brilliant. I could quickly flip between high energy songs to calm songs depending on what stage i was at. When the pain was great I lost myself in faster music and during transition... when everything kinda stopped for a while I switched over to her softer ballads.
I personally don't like heavy metal... but during painful active labour I would definatley listen to that then slow soft lilting music! LOL
Oh and during the final scary stage of my last labour I decided that I didn't want to wear earplugs anymore... because I wanted to tune back into what the doctor and my DH were telling me... however someone switched on a radio... I can't remember if I asked for it or not... but GOLD 104 was playing really bad 80's music... and weirdly I kinda felt secure listening to that... it was like a reminder that the world was still turning... that the near-death experience I was enduring would soon pass and that all would be well. Finally, after listening to a song i didn't like, Footloose came on... and I thought to myself "oh God, this will do!" (the baby had been stuck for quite a while at this point) and pushed him out just incase something even worse came on afterwards! LOL
Moral of the story: have a variety of songs/styles on hand... you never know what will hit the spot at each particular stage... a good bet is to have music that touches your heart-strings... that says something deeply profound and encouraging to you. Also, even in labour, laughter can also be the best medicine... consider that as well
ETA: I agree with marydean... trance could work very very well! Familiar is good!
Last edited by Bathsheba; June 16th, 2007 at 10:02 AM.
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