So I'm putting together a collection of CDs to take to the hospital - a combination of calming music and more upbeat stuff to distract me. What are you taking? what have you used before?

And before you ask, I haven't included Salt 'n' Pepa "push it" ....

what about queen dont stop me now

All I had access to was a radio stuck on the local station. 2 births running we got the same 'guess the year' (DH won both times) and Kung Fu Fighting

DH spent hours compiling a CD of my favourite songs only for me to bark at him mid-labour 'turn that feckin' noise off'. I am aware this doesn't help you.

Make it very loud to drown out the swearing, grunts and yells. Like a bat out of hell springs to mind, but may not give the occasion quite the flavour you want.

I listened to the entire soundtrack to Miss Saigon - not dh's (or the midwifes) first choice but i loved it.

Feelin' Good by Nina Simone.

I took it for ironic reasons, but played it just after dd was born and blubbed

"it's a new day it's a new life"

Took my Ipod + speakers, but delivery room had a pool in, so no visible sockets available for the punters. However, became the last thing on my mind tbh.

hehe to distract you, honey nothings going to distract you once you're in full blown labour let me tell you. better to let your partner choose, they'll be the one listening to it

Feelin' Good by Nina Simone was my wedding entrance music!

Pheebe - I know you are right! but it gives me something to do on maternity leave and the illusion of control...

and Gooseyloosey - Bat out of Hell sounds v apt..

I did exactly the same. The CD didn't make it out of the case.

'I gotta get outta this place
If it's the last thing I ever do'

I took a few different cds into the delivery room, including Abba's greatest hits . All I can remember is 'Waterloo' playing - it seemed to play over and over again.
I remember asking DP to change the cd at one point, and he asked me which one I wanted to listen to. I was mid-contraction, and could barely concentrate on breathing & fiddling with the TENS machine let alone what music I wanted to listen to. I just remember thinking 'If I've got to listen to Waterloo again I'm going to throw that cd player out the window'.
Whatever music you take, take an ipod or something with a huge compilation of songs on, then you won't have to listen to the same one again and again, which will drive you up the wall.
I could vomit when I hear Waterloo now...

dh made me a tape (man it was only 5 years ago but that was the available technolgy in the midsife unit at the time!) for ds and it was the last thing in th eworld I wanted to listen to

i'm of the "don't talk to me, don't touch me" brigade when in labour

Salt 'n' Pepa's "Push It".

Doh! <mental note to read OP before posting!>

I meant to take hubbys ipod but forgot, after a long labour I ended up in theatre having an emergency c section, Amy Winehouse was on and the surgeons & nurses were discussing their favourite tracks whilst prepping me for op. It was really surreal.

I took in 3 CDs for dd1

one labelled ANGRY
one HAPPY and one SAD as you can imagine I was trying to cover all moods lol

didn't listen to any of them, was too busy watching countdown and trying to ignore the consultant

I had Frank Sinatra, Rat Pack and other similar toons - it was Christmas time so worked quite well! DD was born to 'That's Life'....

Think about what you might want to listen to after the drama of the birth is over. Most babies are very sleepy the day or so after they're born so you should have time to rest up and slip your ipod on. I found it really hard to wind down afterwards and as both my dcs were born in wee small hours I had to be quiet once we were on the ward and would have given anything for my james blunt album or my favourite country music cd (Brad Paisley mmmm). Would also have helped to block out the other snoring mums You know its a myth that maternity wards are full of screaming babies, its the mums that make all the noise

I never thought it would happen
with me and the girl from Clapham

I had a DJ friend do a mix especially for my labour but, d'you know, when it came to it, I didn't want anything. Just me braying like a donkey then breathing again.