Hello you lovely lot!

The journey of pregnancy and childbirth is an extraordinary experience filled with a huge range of emotions: anticipation, excitement, and somewhat frequently anxiety and nervousness.

Creating a birth playlist can be a beautiful way to enhance your experience and make it even more memorable (just know this is not only for vaginal birth but caesarean too).  In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of having a birth playlist and provide some tips to help you build the perfect collection of songs to accompany you during this transformative moment.

The Power of Music:

Music has the incredible ability to evoke emotions, transport us to different places, and create a sense of calm. During labour, the right songs can help set the mood, ease anxiety, and provide a soothing environment for everyone.

Research has proven that music lowers stress levels, reduces pain perception (thanks to distractions and increased endorphins), and promote relaxation (thanks lovely oxytocin!), making it a valuable tool during childbirth.

That being said, we also have to be mindful of what we chose for the fact music elicits such emotions within us.

Choosing the Right Songs:

Reflect on Your Preferences: Start with your personal taste in music. Do you prefer soothing melodies or uplifting beats? Think about the type of music that resonates with you and makes you feel at ease.

A Playlist for Each Stage: Labour can be seen as a multi-stage process, so it’s a good idea to create different birth playlists for each phase and/or mood you may like to achieve.  For example, in early labour, you may want more relaxed and mellow tunes, then during active labour, you might prefer songs with a stronger rhythm to help you focus and find strength.  Or you may want it the other way round!  Whilst in the early phase you may want to get active and dance like this fab mum did here, or sway with your birth partner/s like this. So get those beats down and just be mindful not to use ALL your energy dancing the night away 😉
However, this is why I say you may want a list per mood rather than “stage” of labour: upbeat, calming, sleep tones, strength, energy etc.

Consider Lyrics and Message: Pay attention to the lyrics and message of the songs you choose. You’ll want positive and empowering lyrics that can be motivating during childbirth.  So, get songs that inspire you and make you feel confident, strong and supported.

Experiment with Different Genres: You don’t have to limit yourself to a specific genre.  For example, if you are a lover of rock music (like I am), you may be pleasantly surprised to know you can find acoustic versions of your favourite songs.
Explore a variety of musical styles and experiment with different genres such as classical, instrumental, ambient, world music.  Remember, the key is to choose songs that resonate with YOU as an individual and create a sense of YOUR OWN tranquillity (whatever that may look like).

Include Meaningful Songs: Consider including songs that hold a special meaning to you and your partner. These could be songs that remind you of significant moments in your relationship or songs that have a sentimental value. Hearing these familiar tunes during labour can help create a distraction, sense of comfort, and connection – ultimately increase that valuable oxytocin hormone!

Music Alternatives: If you’re not hugely musically led or for some reason music is not possible at your hospital (which would really surprise me!), don’t worry!  I always recommend having people you love record themselves reciting favourite lyrics, poems, love letters, words of appreciation, favourite birth affirmations, pregnancy relaxation scripts, breathwork practices… the list goes on.  What’s important is that it comes from someone you love, and you can let the sound of their voice guide you. Just drop me a line if you need any scripts 😊
To add to this, if not musically led, it will still be worth trying to pull some nice music together otherwise you could be subjected to the hospital’s playlists – and the last thing you’ll want is Ed Sheeran singing whilst your baby is born if you don’t like his music 🫥 (sorry Ed! I’m fine with you personally and it seems hospitals REALLY like you!)

Practical Considerations:

Birth Playlist Length: Labour often varies in duration, so it’s useful to have a playlist that is long enough to last.  Although, my own experiences where my 1^st birth was 61 hours, and my 2^nd birth was 4 hours 😶 proves planning for that is hard. However, if you aim for each playlist mood to be at least a few hours in length this gives you plenty of music to enjoy during labour and anchor memories to those songs.

Geeky tech: Make sure you have a reliable sound system, portable Bluetooth speaker, sleep headphones (game changers especially in a hospital setting!), portable chargers to play your playlists.  And don’t forget to have them on your birth partner’s phone too in case you need their battery power – you can always set them up on Spotify or something like that as you can simply share your playlists with anyone!
Also! Make sure you download your lists, hospital wi-fi can be dodgy and you may get stressed if you can’t access your playlists (especially after all the thought and effort you put into creating them…)

Share with Your Team: Discuss your birth playlists with your healthcare provider and birth team in advance.  Make sure they are aware of your desire to have music during labour, and they can help you set up the sound system if necessary and pop it on the top of your birth preferences as key notes!

In glorious summary:

Creating a birth playlist is a wonderful way to infuse your birthing experience with the power of music. From the early stages of labour to the exhilarating moment of childbirth, carefully selected songs can help create a soothing and empowering atmosphere.

Remember the music you chose is personal to you, YOU are an individual so having songs with positive messages and the right heart rhythm is key and consider the preferences of your birth partner/team. Let the melodies guide you through this journey as you welcome new life into the world.

Any questions?  You can reach me here!

Nicki xx