“Here’s to Never Growing Up” by Avril Lavigne.“Got to Get You Into My Life” by The Beatles.“Gonna Make You Sweat” by C & C Music Factory.“Fruits of my Labor” by Lucinda Williams.“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” by David Lee Murphy & Kenny Chesney.“Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” by Bryan Adams.“Do You Believe in Magic” by The Lovin’ Spoonful.“Best Day Of Your Life” by Katie Herzig.“Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” by John Lennon.Here’s a list of popular labor and delivery songs collected from music and motherhood resources: You may want to have different styles for different phases of labor: music you simply enjoy during early labor, relaxing music during active labor, high-energy music for pushing, and celebratory and joy-filled music for after the birth. People who have used music during delivery recommend a mix of different types of songs: some slow, some upbeat, and some meditative. The tempo, harmony, rhythm, instruments, melody, voices, and pitch all comprise what makes music beautiful, but a person’s familiarity with music is a key determinant of whether she will find it relaxing. But, what to choose? Some data have been gathered and women are remarkably consistent regarding what type of music is considered most relaxing, but, truly, the best music for labor is the music you want to listen to. The ideal labor and delivery playlist should include around 5 to 10 hours of music. (Check out these other ideas about natural ways to reduce pain and anxiety during labor.) In clinical studies, women who listened to music reported lower anxiety and less pain during labor. With these effects, listening to music can activate mental processes that make experiences more or less comfortable, and music can be an important tool to reduce stress and anxiety during labor and delivery. And, simply, music provides a positive distraction. Music acts through the parts of the brain that are associated with memories and emotions, and music stimulates the release of endorphins and serotonin (transmitters in your brain) that control mood and pain.
Who doesn’t remember the ballad that played during her first slow dance, the movie theme song that was popular during elementary school, or the band whose lyrics defined your adolescence? Music gives life to everything around us, so what better tool than music to help bring life into the world?