What’s in a labor playlist?
While everyone has their own preferences and tastes when it comes to music, we love to encourage our clients to build a few playlists as an act of preparation for labor. It can be a really great way to slow down, imagine yourself in labor focusing on your breath and what would bring you comfort or a helpful distraction.
I’ll share a few things to think about while building your dream labor/birth playlist and then share mine too!
My goal with this post is to help you view your upcoming labor as peaceful and something to look forward to. Building these positive moments into your birth perspective and spending time with them in the months and weeks leading up to labor will help you feel more prepared.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath, envision your birth space. What does is look like, feel like, and sound like?
What kind of vibe do you want? Music with words or no words? Upbeat? Quiet?
If you’re not sure, that’s okay! Then it might be helpful to make more than one playlist (I did) so you have options ready to go when you’re in the moment.
Consider having an early labor/distraction playlist and an active labor/focus playlist too. These can be the similar vibes, or wildly different.
Remember that dancing in labor can be a fun way to get your pelvis moving and your partner involved.
When it comes to length, I think aiming for 8-12 hours of music without it repeating itself is ideal. Even longer is great too!
Think about what what words and songs feed your heart and soul. What makes you feel gushy and brings on the oxytocin? Your wedding song? Songs with babies name in them?
Have a favorite getting into the mood song or playlist? Add it!! Tap into your Marvin Gaye. Leaning into whatever makes you feel sexy while in labor is fantastic, the more happy hormones the better!
Share your playlist with your partner and with your birth team, so we can keep the good tunes flowing without you worrying about it.
My favorite thing to suggest is to make your playlist early, or curate it through your whole pregnancy and listen to it often. Especially when you’re doing happy things around the house like prepping the nursery or baking cookies or whatever you LOVE. Associating these tunes even more with oxytocin and good vibes!
Our minds and subconscious associations are so much more powerful than we give them credit for, lean into it. It’s all helpful prep!
Want to nerd out about that more? Look into mood-dependent memory to learn more about how cool your brain is!
Curious about hypnobirthing? There are several playlists for guided birth meditations too! These are really helpful leading up to your labor day too, to practice focusing on your breath. I know I sound like a broken record, but you really can’t practice breath work too much!
So to summarize, first add songs you already have a soothing oxytocin supporting response to and any new songs you want to relate to your birth and new baby, then listen to it as often as you can when you’re in those calm or oxytocin filled moments leading up to birth. So that when you hear those songs while in labor you’re bringing a part of that prep straight into your birth space.
The oxytocin support options are endless!
