Music ideas for labour

[Bathsheba]

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!