Besides my hypnobirth relaxation and meditative music my doula has offered to create a playlist of my favorite songs. I like up tempo stuff, but I'm not sure if I'm singing and bopping along that I will really become relaxed.
Did you play music when you gave birth? What was a must have song on your playlist?
papaya / 10570 posts
Good question! I put some songs on my phone last time but didn't listen to them. This time, I think I might try this.
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: What relaxation resources are you using?
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Cherrybee: she's also bringing aromatherapy! The one I know for sure she will play is called Rainbow Relaxation, which is part of the HypnoBirth program.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
Nope. I tend to be very sensitive to sound when I'm anxious or in pain so I think music would have really irritated me. My husband and I watched a marathon of old Law & Order episodes while I labored all day with #2. I made him keep the volume super low.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
I watched a Packers game on tv while in labor, haha. I'm not even a Packers fan (don't have a team!) but I don't remember who they played. Pre hospital I watched news. Focusing on relaxing makes me probably more stressed so I just try to distract myself. When I had an epi but it wasn't working well (half worked and during transition, about an hour) I did nothing but watch the clock and watch the countdown to pressing the button for more meds in my epi. 
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Mrs. Champagne: that's typically me too! Unless I'm rocking out to music I prefer silence.
coconut / 8483 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: me too. And when I'm trying to focus or annoyed I really do not like noise. Haha
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Nope, I had grand plans of listening to music. Our hospital even has iPod docks in all the birthing rooms. But I had back labor and had no interest in sitting still. I wanted to be moving around. I just was in no mood for music!
hostess / papaya / 10219 posts
When I was being induced and I wasn't i. Terrible pain, I could've listened to music, but I watched Stand By Me on TV. Then once it got painful, music would've pissed me off. With my first, I was in so much pain from the moment I got to the hospital that music was not even a consideration.
cherry / 160 posts
Music soothes some people but I was in the zone and blocking out everyone to focus on contractions. A mantra or prayer always helped me. Positive attitude and taking the awesome experience for what it is really helps keep you upbeat and motivated too. Good luck!
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
Music would've annoyed me. DH and I watched a baseball game instead
cherry / 100 posts
I created two playlists, a "chill" playlist for labor, and an "energy" playlist for when it came time to push. The chill playlist had van Morrison, cat Stevens, phish, cold play, and some of my favorite songs that are low key. We listened to the chill playlist at home, and it definitely set a calm tone and helped me relax - I think it worked because I was able to labor at home until I was 8cm! The energy playlist had Florence and the machine, milky chance, the killers and tv on the radio, and more of my favorite high energy songs. This playlist came in handy after an hour of pushing when I was getting tired. It gave me a mood booster. I found the music super helpful for each phase of labor and delivery!
persimmon / 1436 posts
No music either time. I watched a little TV then slept through most of it with DD1. The TV was broken with DD2 and my labor was pretty fast (up until the baby got stuck and I had to have a C-section).
pineapple / 12053 posts
@AprilFool: yes!
Snow patrol and the fray for start of labor, then hypnobirthing and Mumford and sons for active labor.
I only remember the hypnobirthing track. And definitely only hypnobirthing for DD2.
watermelon / 14467 posts
Nothing. Normally, I love background music, but it really annoyed me during labor and I wanted it to be silent while I was contracting.
grapefruit / 4085 posts
I'm pretty sure Access Hollywood was on - I remember my dr commenting on the Kardashians as she was stitching me up!
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Nothing! I watched movies on my i-pad. That helps me relax/distracts me better than movies.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Cherrybee: last class the instructor provided the name of music on our Hypno CD. It's Steven Halpern's Comfort Zone if you want to download it.
nectarine / 2115 posts
I didn't end up using it last time, because I forgot! This time I hope to use my playlist, though. Everything on it is songs that make me happy. Most of them are not that up-tempo, although a few are. Some songs from our wedding, some of my favorites from college (mostly indie stuff), a few instrumental things... but everything on there is something that gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
persimmon / 1196 posts
I listened to my iPod some up until transition. It just so happened that I was in the middle of one of the Call the Midwife audio books - ha!
pomegranate / 3392 posts
Music would have annoyed the crap out of me. I wanted everyone to be quiet. But in early labor, DH and I watched a bunch of Arrested Development in the hospital room, haha!
pomegranate / 3658 posts
One of my absolute best decisions from labor prep was creating a playlist that brought me happy and calm feelings. And stroked my ego when the midwives and nurses complimented my musical taste. 
Artists include:
Beirut
Avett brothers
Civil Wars
Damien Rice
Ed Sheeran
Eddie Vedder ("Rise")
Feist
Frightened Rabbit
Fun
Glen Hansard
Iron & Wine (LOTS of them)
Jamie Cullum
The Jealous Sound
Joe Pug
Joni Mitchell
K'naan
Lana del Rey
Matt & Kim
Mountain Goats
Patty Griffin
Passion Pit
REM
Sara Bareilles
Say Anything
The Shins
Stars
The Streets
TV On The Radio
The xx
Zero 7
I listened to this list again and again during my early struggles with nursing, and it really helped me feel peace and to bond with LO.
cantaloupe / 6634 posts
The only thing I remember listening to was some guided meditation (one was about giving birth and the other about being in a lavender field. I was in so much pain that music would have just angered/annoyed/overwhelmed me.
nectarine / 2784 posts
I had three sublists. One was happy/calm similar to pawprints' list, and some tongue in cheek tracks like "here comes my baby." One was more like workout music. And one was classical- Mendelssohn (A midsummer nights dream), Tchaikovsky (Romeo and Juliet) and some others. I listened mostly to the happy and classical lists. I labored mostly at home and spent a lot of time listening to it with headphones while bouncing on my exercise ball.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
Yeah I should clarify, I had a precipitous labor so I was not really aware of music (or anything other than pain) during my labor. It was so fast that I had plenty of my playlist left to go after baby arrived though, so it was nice during repair and the first hours with LO. And the next days and weeks.
nectarine / 2951 posts
I think my husband made a playlist, but I really don't remember paying any attention to it. I was very much in a moaning / breathing zone and my priority was to just get into that tub! I'm sure he chose peaceful music, but I really don't remember the music, which is strange in hindsight since music is an important part of my life!
papaya / 10570 posts
@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Great, thank you. I need to download something like this for breastfeeding, because we think my let down was inhibited (read: prevented) by anxiety. I'm going to use allllll the drugs for labour but they frown on you staying in that state for the following 12 months, haha!
pomegranate / 3601 posts
Ain't nobody got time for that.
My labors were to quick to listen to music. Although I remember listening to Johnny Cash on the way to the hospital with my first.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
@Cherrybee: ha, at some point you have to let go and just feeeel, right? Lol
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