Music ideas for labour

Skye, A GF of mine has had her Dad make up a DVD with both those songs on it, to pics of their daughter, who was born 10 weeks prem.....I watched it with them just after they finally came home from the hospital.......bawled my eyes out....!

My music was the soundtrack to the documentry "Travelling Birds" & an old Harry Connick Jr cd called "Red light, Blue Light" they were both absolutely perfect.

The soundtrack is amazing & incidently, the track that was playing the moment Hunter was born, Jill by Harry, was the song I walked down the aile too & the song that DH & I were listening too when we first said "I love you" that was just a fluke (or not) (not relavent to this thread but a beautiful memory)

Lucy one of the girls from my MG had the same thing done with photos of her 11wk prem daughter - she had Delta Goodrem Born To Try on hers though.

DH made a film of Dylan's first week, and we used Creed "Arms Wide Open" and Billy Joel "Lullaby"

Most hospitals will let you have music on I think.

I've noticed a few people mentioning listening to music during labour. My midwives also talked about it during antenatal classes. Have people found this to be beneficial?? Any ideas are greatly appreciated as I want a drug free birth if this is possibly going to help I'm willing to try it :)

I didn't have music with DD, but I have noticed that I tend to perk up when I hear a good song and it puts a smile on my face so I'm willing to try anything.

Also when I was in labour with DD, the way I got through it was to focus on something else during contractions so I figure I'll give music a go. With DD I focused on the rattle of the gas tube thing.

I found it helped when I was in the early stages of labour. I believe music really affects the mood you are in and some nice calming music really helps. It is good for focussing on too while waiting out a contraction!

I found it helpful in the early stages of labour too, but after that, music was the last thing I was interested in. I couldn't hear much at all actually, too focused on the contractions etc..

Candy the midwife in my class this week talked about music during labour too, I think i will burn a few cd's i have (just incase gets lost at hosp!) and give it a try. cant hurt giving it a go, then if you find the music is annoying you, not calming you or you just don't want to hear it, it can just be turned off.

I looooved my music before transition, after that I didnt notice it. The twins it was the carpenters, and everytime I hear their music it brings back their birth. With Dion it was Kenny Rogers, and Celine Dion, and again their music brings back memories. I found it good to focus on, and sway in time to.

I couldn't stand the though of music, but I did like to have the TV on for background noise, but everyone would keep turning it off on me.

Hello there

I did a tour of the birth suites yesterday afternoon and most of suites have CD players. I think I am going to put a CD together for when I am in labour. I just have a couple of questions. For those who played music whilst in labour, did you find it at all helpful? And what on earth should I put on my CD?? Any suggestions?
I was thinking songs with a story so I could concentrate on the story? I’ve never been in labour before so I don’t know if its possible to really concentrate on music whilst having contractions.

Thanx everyone

Renee
XOXOX

Renee, Ill be using music too (hopefully) and im going to get some relaxation/meditation CD's as they can be quite soothing and take you to another place.

BOL

Lisa

I thought I'd want music during my labour, but when the time came I completely forgot about it, was the last thing on my mind. I think it would have annoyed me actually.

But good idea to have it ready in case you do want it!

I have a doula this time and she suggested not having things with actual words because if you are trying to relax it can be distracting. She finds that nature cd's with birds and animal sounds are great.

hmmm so Led Zeppelin is out of the picture LOL :)

I had a relaxatiion cd on in my labour suite... I remember hearing it for a short while, but then I started to go into my own world and didnt hear the music any more.

i had Triple J playing and that song Forever Young was playing when Brodie was born - i will always remember it - Ironic thing was I went deaf in labour and the only things I could hear were DH, 1 midwife and the stereo - the body does crazy things, especially in labour - if you want Zeppelin then go for it ;)

hiya Renee
i had planned to use music and have dh massage me etc, but when the time came, i didn't want any noise (the tv was on 'bold and the beautiful' but i had the sound down - found myself just staring at it lol) and i didn't want DH massaging me!!!

Id have to agree with willow. I also wanted music playing, but seriously i didn't want anything like that when it actually came down to it. I couldn't even handle listening to DF talk to me LOL

I suggest you have a whole heap of different stuff to try - music, oil burners, meditation rocks, whatever - you won't know what you want/need till you're there. On the up side, you won't miss what you don't have - you'll be so focused when the time comes :)

I had the radio playing while in labour, and found it quite entertaining..during a contraction "Hurt so good" by john mellancamp came on, and I was PMSL. Poor DH thought I had lost it!

Nic

Nic, PMSL!! Come to think of it, in the car on the way to the hospital I was singing "only the lonely" by Roy Orbison. But I sang "only the mothers, know the way I feel to-night" LOL!!

Music was definately out for me. I love music, but I found during my labours, even though they were quite short, that I wanted complete silence - no talking, no noise, nothing, because it interferred with my concentration.

Nic & Roryrory - Maybe I could have 'Push it" - by Salt'n'peppa haha :)

I had music during both of my labours and I really, really liked it.
Helped me zone off into my own little world :)
To this day whenever I listen to Jeff Buckley or Tori Amos it reminds me of my labours :)
It's hard to know what exactly you'll want to listen to - I took a really broad mix of CD's and DH was in charge of the CD player and he just put on whatever took our fancy at the time. Mostly we listened to fairly mellow stuff. Particularly for DD, I laboured right through the night with her and started pushing at 4am so we listened to fairly quiet stuff. I say take it, at least it's there even if you end up not wanting it.

I took a selection of music into the hospital with me and DH and my friend Cathy (other support person) made sure something was always playing. I wasn't always aware when it was on but was keenly aware when it would stop.
I took things like Enya, classical music, and some praise and worship CD's as well. I don't remember what all I ended up listening to, but the midwives commented on how nice it was occasionally. Take a range of stuff would be my suggestion and then you are ready for anything.

Check out this archived thread......

Okay so far I have got these songs down

Jack Johnson – Better Together
Pearl Jam – Indifference
Ben Harper – Sexual Healing
Led Zeppelin – All of my love
Dave Matthews Band – Crash into me
John Mayer – Your body is a wonderland (acoustic)
Jack Johnson – Banana Pancakes
U2 – One love
Adam Sandler – I wanna grow old with you
'Israel kamakawiwo'ole - Somewhere over the rainbow
John Mayer – Why Georgia
Cold Chisel – When the war is over
Counting Crows - Good Time
Lior - This old love

There is no real theme here. But I love these songs to death and they really relax me for some reason. Kind of like comfort food, I have comfort music. A few of these tracks I remember from when I was younger & my mum + dad played them when they had mates around, such a fun & loving enviroment.

Ill Probably add some Xavier Rudd too :)

PMSL @ Salt n Pepper's Push It! :lol:

Nic

I had my CD's ready to go (relaxation CD's) but when DH went to put one on I told him not to bother. I was that far along with labour that I wanted him not to be anywhere other than next to me and I also liked the song which was on the radio...then like some others have said..I actually ended up not hearing the radio cos of deep concentration and focus.

Hey girls, thanks for bringing up this topic. I was wondering myself. I'm not too keen on the idea of meditation or nature sound CDs and was thinking more along the lines of nice slow ballads that I really like. But I wasn't sure if that's appropriate.
Sarah, thanks for the link to the archived thread. It actually brought tears to my eyes. But then again, anything makes me bawl these days. Damn pregnancy hormones :D

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.

Hey Fionas - great taste in music - sounds like it could turn into a party ;)

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.

Everyone is different though!

how funny emily, it was the only time i snapped too! poor dh got his head bitten off....."turn that freaking music off!" PMSL!

Oh, well, since Led Zep is out ....

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!

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