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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Music for labour. What's your choice?

27 replies

moominsmummy · 09/01/2008 19:55

Am thinking about what music to take with me for labour - do I go for chilled out serene music or something really motivating?

What did you choose? Did you arrive with lots of classical stuff then decide you wanted Metallica??

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

ROSEgarden · 09/01/2008 19:56

me and dp made a mixed tape..all our fave songs and some new ones with nice lyrics..we atill ahve it and i still love them, dp gets very emotional to gabrielle-sunshine..as it was playing just before dd was born..cant remember there was any music on TBH!...but i remember demanding they brought the blaster in

pyjamagirl · 09/01/2008 19:57

Honestly you wont care whats playing

good luck

notnowbernard · 09/01/2008 19:59

I don't think anything would ahve annoyed me more, actually... I just wanted silence. Had to tell dp and the midwife to stop waffling on to each other a few times

BirthdayBabe · 09/01/2008 19:59

Loud rock helped me keep on top on the serious contractions! It helped me focus on the pain. It was in the car on the way to the hospital mind you, i'm not sure they would have tolerated that amount of decibels in the ward

tassisssss · 09/01/2008 20:00

my lovely dh made me a tape for ds being born and there was no way I wanted it on!

I can't bear noice (or touch) when I'm in labour!

RIELOVESBACARDI · 09/01/2008 20:00

twisted fire starter

Original poster

moominsmummy · 09/01/2008 20:03

lol at notnowbernard's dh waffling - better than mine last time who announced he was bored!

OP posts:

cheechymunchy · 09/01/2008 20:03

Didn't have music during labour but as I was in theatre afterwards being "reconstructed" (wince), the hospital radio happened to start playing John Lennon's Beautiful Boy. Entirely apt and capped off the rush of emotions perfectly. The nurse pointed out it was playing, and to this day, 3 years on, I still get teary when I hear it.

ROSEgarden · 09/01/2008 20:07

my dp kept saying he was hungry!!!...i had been 'nil by mouth' since the previous night as i had to be induced..they wouldnt even let me suck on a mint and said if i wasnted water i had to "suck it from a sponge"??!!!...like a triangular make up type.bleurgh!, everytime she left the room dp brought the glass of water over!...and even once id had dd and wheeled back to ward, the food had stopped and i was given one triangle of cold hard unbutered toast!!!...needless to say dp came in at 9am following morn with mars bars, red bull, crisps pre packed prawn sandwhiches..everything id wanted and hadnt been able to eat

notnowbernard · 09/01/2008 20:09

I think I lost it when they started discussing self-build projects.

(DP also had a sleep on a campbed during earlier part of labour! )

dillinger · 09/01/2008 20:10

I dont think I couldve concentrated on getting through each contraction with music on. I remember labouring through the night in my warm lounge with just dp and the midwife, it was calm and lovely and I really think the silence helped me.

MicrowaveOnly · 09/01/2008 20:13

I think this is one of those weird Midwife things..like a birthing pln - you spend hours thinking about it before hand but its all a load of b*cks on the day!

Music is just a distraction when every ounce of my being was concentrating on GETTING IT OUT without screaming like a banshee!!!

Habbibu · 09/01/2008 20:15

TV was on when I gave birth. Consultant and DH both happily watching Deal or No Deal as I was pushing. I do hope that Noel isn't the first thing poor little babyHab ever saw.

NatalieJane · 09/01/2008 20:17

I think you should ask your midwife

Think mine would have given anything to be able to listen to something other than my swearing shouting mooing screaming and schreeching chilled out labour noises

notnowbernard · 09/01/2008 20:18

Yes, dp described me as like a herd of lowing cattle

MicrowaveOnly · 09/01/2008 20:27

yeah its such a weird sound..really low and primal. I don't think women make that sound at any other time in their lives, do they?

MaeWest · 09/01/2008 20:28

A little to admit that I had a 'relaxing' birth music CD that came with a Hynobirthing CD.

It didn't distract that much from all the moo-ing, and one track in particular had waves crashing on a beach, accompanied by seagulls. We had it on a loop.

As I lay sprawled on my living room floor, having successfully delivered our precious first born, almost my first utterance was 'Would someone please turn off those fecking gulls'.

The CD has been given away.

Next time I may try Radio 4

notnowbernard · 09/01/2008 20:38

very primal.

I went from moo-ing (endstage to transition) to growling and then full on roaring (pushing)

Didn't want to hold back in any way

Martha200 · 10/01/2008 09:20

I had been listening to Tre Lunar by Mike Oldfied before my labour and I took that cd and a Swedish cd with me. The midwives couldn't stand the swedish music (only because they couldn't understand but highly recommend Tre lunar cd.

Once ds had been born, as he had heard it played a lot in the womb, he would fall asleep really easily to it :-)

Go for anything you want..

NatalieJane · 10/01/2008 09:25

LOL Notnowbernard, the midwife was saying "Natalie you've got to be quiet so you can hear me" I'm led there thinking 'I can hear you, you silly old boot, but there is a load of racket coming from somewhere'

The racket was me

lulumama · 10/01/2008 09:30

didn;t have music for either of mine, didn;t want any distraction

when i was getting entonox mouthpiece for a client recently, i noticed a small CD player and a mariah carey album on the cupboard

all that hight pitched emoting would send the baby right back in, i should think !

SeaShells · 10/01/2008 09:31

DP requested a radio from the midwifes while I was in labour the 3rd time and after about an hour of it, I SCREAMED for someone to shut up that bloody noise. I couldn't even tell you what songs were on TBH. Last thing I wanted was any music at all, I prefer silence, you sort of go into your own little place as a way of copeing with the pain and don't want distraction from that. Also got annoyed at the midwives/DP talking to me.

Notyummy · 10/01/2008 09:40

We went in with a whole load of cds and I quite enjoyed some of them at first...later on I was out of my face on gas and air/pain and there could have been a live concert going on in the room and I wouldn't have noticed. I didn't find it distracting. We took in a whole mixture, from ACDC to classical. I clearly remember Jack Johnson being on at one point. DH kept on bringing over the CD holder thingy, going 'which one now?' just as a contraction was starting....Grr 'Shall I trying slamming your nuts in the door whilst asking about music choices and get a sensible answer?'

wb · 10/01/2008 12:34

We also took a selection of CDs, all definately at the 'motivating' end of the spectrum. I enjoyed them until I got stuck at 9.5 cm and again later (after epidural). Changing them also gave dh something to do (other than having me slowly wring life out his hand) which was quite useful as he found the whole experience as an onlooker v. traumatic.

kerala · 10/01/2008 12:36

Took Abba as wanted to move around.

Though now cannot stand to listen to any Abba song as takes me right back to that pain. Be prepared that even if you take your favorite music it wont necessarily stay that way afterwards if you associate it with labour pains...

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