thread: Playlist for labour?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Dec 2009
    Perth
    1,916

    Playlist for labour?

    Sorry if this is in the wrong section or if there's already been a thread on this... I've just been thinking about making a playlist for my iPod to play while in labour. I wondered if anyone had any good ideas and whether particular types of music work better for different stages etc... Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Mar 2011
    Brisbane's Southside
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  3. #3
    Registered User

    Oct 2009
    Bonbeach, Melbourne
    7,177

    No advice here as I didn't have one, although all through my pregnancy I always thought I would have one, made it up, envisioned it etc. When I came to it though, I'm so glad we forgot it as music would have driven me up the wall

  4. #4
    You were RAK'ed in 2015.
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    May 2008
    with the fairies and butterflies
    2,535

    My advice is to put on there a bit of everything. Pick your favourites that you play to put you in good moods, relax you, motivate you. But get a range wide enough on your Ipod that will cover every mood. Make sure your favourite stuff is on there too and your comfort stuff.
    At least if you have a wide range of stuff you are likely to cover every emotion and mood you are likely to face whilst in labour.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    A Pirate Ship
    3,627

    I think it's pretty personal really. I love new world music and had about 20 hours worth. Didn't need anywhere near that much as when I arrived at the hospital ds was born 2 hours later! I had it broken down into early labour, mid labour, late labour and extra music. I had things like Oliver Shanti, Sacred Earth, Deep Forest, Oka, mitten & Premal.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Dec 2009
    Perth
    1,916

    My advice is to put on there a bit of everything. Pick your favourites that you play to put you in good moods, relax you, motivate you. But get a range wide enough on your Ipod that will cover every mood. Make sure your favourite stuff is on there too and your comfort stuff. At least if you have a wide range of stuff you are likely to cover every emotion and mood you are likely to face whilst in labour.
    What, even negative, depressing stuff?

  7. #7
    You were RAK'ed in 2015.
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    May 2008
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    I took everything with me, labour is a emotional and physical roller coaster ride. You wont know what you 'need' to listen to until you get there. I would rather have it on there just in case.

    Depends on what you call depressing too?

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Dec 2009
    Perth
    1,916

    BTW I am a singer... I love singing and can't help singing whenever I know the words to a song (which is pretty much 100% of the time), so I'll probably drive the midwives crazy by singing along... except when I'm trying to breathe, lol

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Dec 2009
    Perth
    1,916

    I took everything with me, labour is a emotional and physical roller coaster ride. You wont know what you 'need' to listen to until you get there. I would rather have it on there just in case.

    Depends on what you call depressing too?
    I dunno, I guess just songs that get me down and don't seem to really fit with the joyous occasion of birth.

  10. #10
    Registered User

    Dec 2006
    Melbourne
    3,041

    I had songs on my iPod to pump me up and ones that really "touch" me.

    I spent a couple of months researching & downloading, then I didn't even use it. I just listened to my calmbirth tracks

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Jul 2005
    Sydney
    7,896

    I meant to do this and somehow never got around to it. I had in mind an album of beautiful Celtic lullabies that I love and a few others.

    In the end, my labour wasn't long enough, I was happy just to talk in between contractions and the only noise was what I was making!

    If it had have been longer, I would have had one of my poor birth support team trawling through the iPod to find what I wanted, so definitely better to be prepared.

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Jan 2011
    Perth
    3,268

    Phe this has been on my mind too.
    I'm thinking on mine I'll have a mix of really relaxing music and upbeat 'I can take on anything' music.

  13. #13
    You were RAK'ed in 2015.
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    May 2008
    with the fairies and butterflies
    2,535

    I dunno, I guess just songs that get me down and don't seem to really fit with the joyous occasion of birth.
    We have all our music on our Ipod, and Dh and I can have some very different tastes in music. Some of his stuff I find quite depressing, other bits I cannot stand. In labour, I listened to it all. I scanned through everything and was surprised as to what I needed to listen to to get me through. (music genres covered on our Ipod: rock, alternative, protest music, heavy metal, metal, pop, and more)

  14. #14
    2014 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
    Add Sunny Love on Facebook

    Apr 2009
    In a place where Love is what we breathe!
    1,070

    I don't have, and probably will never own an Ipod. Im all radio and CD's, I kick it old-school

    For both of my births I had Triple J radio on.
    DD was born in 2010 to Muse' 'Violence in your Heart' and DS was born in 2011 to Birds of Tokyo's 'Plans'.

    Very special songs to us now, and both recorded on video as my babes breathed their first breathe

    xx

  15. #15
    Registered User

    Jan 2011
    Brisbane
    375

    How funny Phe, I was jumping on today to ask this exact same question! I didn't have music first time round, was watching telly after my epidural whilst waiting to see if my cervix would cooperate and dilate, then when i was ready to go the telly went off and DS got stuck, i had a very difficult time trying to get him out - i was fully focused on pushing (he was failed vacuum, forceps delivery in the end). I wouldn't even have heard the music

    However I'm hoping it will be a smoother ride this time so hoping to incorporate music. I suppose it depends on how long your labour is too. My DH has heaps of music on his ipod so i think i'll just make sure he's got my favourite albums on there and get him to choose music for me as we go (and i can just scream and yell at him when its not 'right')

    It'll be interesting to see what happens when the time comes...

  16. #16
    Registered User

    Aug 2008
    Ouiinslano
    5,303

    We had 5 different CDs, some stuff I found uplifting, some stuff that I found really calming, and others that just gave me strength. So a bit of a mix, and told hubby which ones to put on, or he just chose. It was pretty good, and I remember listening at various stages.

  17. #17
    Registered User

    Sep 2007
    Melbourne
    506

    my playlist is 18hours of random music...
    R.E.M.
    Deep Forest
    Enya
    Bon Jovi
    Newton Faulkner
    Barry White
    Matchbox 20
    Imogen Heap
    Melissa Etheridge
    Kiss
    The Eagles
    Chris Issac

    Basically anyone who i never get sick of but isn't too out there or offensive. I didn't have music for DD1's labor but had the radio for DD2 "white noise" by the living end came on at some point and i never really liked the song but with every contraction i was singing/chanting it lol DP thought i was nuts but it was a nice distraction

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Nov 2005
    Where the heart is
    4,360

    I'm a singer, too, and really loved having a stack of Deva Premal on my playlist, so that I could hum tunefully in transition and have the deep breathing going at the same time I had some other yoga-type music - mantra music, as well. Not exactly whale music, just deep, rhythmic, melodic and instinctual music to complement my hypnobirthing background and the waterbirth.