Play list for labour

[Flickstar]

Hello there,

Am trying to put together a list of songs to play during labour. I'd like a real mix of upbeat and also more chilled out music too as I imagine I'm not sure what will annoy me during labour! I was just interested to know if anyone had found anything particularly motivating during their labours?

Thanks in advance.

Chariots of fire??

Seriously though, I didn't have music so can't actually be helpful.

Better than my husband's suggestion of 'Push It' by Salt n' Pepper!

Something with a good beat to breathe to.
I sang "big cook little cook" in my head to get my breaths even.
So many inappropriate songs spring to mind though:
Bat out of hell
Easy like Sunday Morning
Always look on the bright side of life
All that she wants (is another baby)
Horny (all night long)
Greased lightning

I agree about the rhythm thing. Really helpful for breathing. For me, Bach did it (not everyone's cup of tea, I know). Just perfect for encouraging long, slow breaths.

I found it useful to have music that I strongly associated with being relaxed. I did pregnancy yoga and we listened to the same music every week - I then listened to that music for about 10 hours during labour and it really helped. Think it drove my poor DP a bit nuts though.

I spent hours creating my playlist and I really appreciated it in labour. It basically consisted of tracks I love as those are the ones that produce the feelgood hormones you need during labour. In other words, it is a totally personal thing.

I built a track list called 'songs that aren't annoying' which for me has a fair bit of acoustic stuff. But during my short, fast labour I refused any music or radio and asked people not to talk too much . I was concentrating on some of the hypno birthing stuff and didn't want to be distracted!

Hi Flickstar, I am also currently compiling a playlist for labour. I'm planning to use hypnobirthing techniques, but think I'll need more than just the hypnobirthing CD's to get me through. They'll become a bit samey after a while. So far I've got:

Martha?s Harbour - All About Eve
Sweet Harmony - The Beloved
Wonderful - Adam Ant
The Blower?s Daughter - Damien Rice
Iris- Goo Goo Dolls
Lullaby - The Cure
Love Song for a Vampire- Annie Lennox
This Woman?s Work - Kate Bush
The Man with the Child in his Eyes - Kate Bush
Everybody Knows That I LOve You - Divine Comedy
Songs of Love - Divine Comedy
You?ve Got Her in Your Pocket - The White Stripes
Father to Son - Cat Stevens
Wild World - Cat Stevens
Perfect Day - Lou Reed
Something Changed - Pulp
La Folie - The Stranglers
Cinnamon Road - Tangerine Dream
Hyperborea _ Tangerine Dream
Dreams are all we Have - Inspiral Carpets
Street Spirit- Radiohead
Time after Time - Cyndi Lauper


This is a work still in progress :) I've also compiled a lot of relaxing classical mixes that will hopefully do the job.

I paced the corridors to Lynyrd Skynrd's Free Bird on a constant loop. It's a song I associate with being really upbeat, happy, relaxed and energised all at the same time. It's also a good hip-swayer and is LOUD so it drowned out my mental "I-can't-do-this-I-can't-do-this". It must have worked as DD was born in 20 minutes!

I figured getting my music-obsessed DH to do a playlist for a labour would be a great way to get him involved, the midwives commented on the good tunes... until Take That's patience came on, mid-contraction... I did ask him to skip through that one

Comfortably Numb if you have an epidural?

Patience is on my list blondieminx as I thought it might make me laugh. It could also make me want to punch someone...

I had a full bag full of cds carefully planned out - Dido, this etc. Never listened to a single one! A little too busy coping with the contractions - face like this [bublush]

I had a good few random songs on the iPod but this was especially comforting and beautiful during my vbac.

www.amazon.co.uk/Love-The-Way-Eddi-Reader/dp/B001KVW59M/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1334063483&sr=1-1

Whilst giving birth I had the radio on - I was too high on gas and air to notice much of it, but did take the mouth piece out an manage the word 'tune!' when Queen 'Don't stop me now' came on. I remember thinking it was pretty apt as I was about 9cm dilated at the time!

As has been said, choose what is really uplifting for you. I had loads of fun going down memory lane and putting mine together.
I only listened to mine a bit on my ipod in the first stage until about 9cm, but it was all stuff I had used to relax at night to every night for weeks, and it had strong associations of relaxation too.