10.12.2010

Music for Labor and Birth

As a doula, I try to be careful of suggesting things that seemed to work for me, personally, in my own labors and deliveries... mostly because it's not my place to share with clients what I did, etc. It's about that woman, that baby, that family and what works for her, for them... and as a doula, I want to respect that and to have a trust there.
I do want to share though, something that I found helpful and very integral in the labors and births of my two daughters. Music. 
I put together play lists on my iPod for both births... and it played a role in both. With my first labor, I remember having the play list on repeat once I was at the hospital and labored through the night. I remember coming in and out of consciousness as contractions came and went, and certain songs being played that I'd be able to focus on. With my second daughter, most of my labor was at home, and I remember laboring and listening and focusing and letting the songs carry me through my contractions. The songs I chose were already special to me, in that they were among my favorites... but after going through labor with these songs, they became all the more special and meaningful to me. From time to time, I'll come back to both play lists and find them so calming and soothing as I listen to the music compiled on them.
I'm sharing my play lists below... some of the songs are repeated on both, but there are different ones as well.

ARA's Labor Play list
Hem: The Fire Thief, Lucky, Redwing, Hollow, The Beautiful Sea, Reservoir, Half Acre, Leave Me Here
Watermark: Holy Roar, Who Am I?, The Purest Place, Grace Flows Down
Sara Groves: Jesus, You're Beautiful, You Cannot Lose My Love, Every Minute
Enya: To Go Beyond (I) & (II), Portrait, Caribbean Blue, No Holly for Miss Quinn, Watermark
George Winston: Joy, Northern Plains, Sleep, Baby Mine, Longing/ Love, Variations of Kanon by Pachelbel
Once Soundtrack: Falling Slowly
Hillsongs: Let the Peace of God Reign
Jill Phillips: O God of Love
Something Like Silas: Spirit Waltz
Passion: Knowing You
Steven Curtis Chapman: Be Still & Know
Switchfoot: Learning to Breathe
Vineyard Music: Your Love Reaches Me
Norah Jones: Sunrise, Humble Me
Chris Rice: Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners

EMA's Labor Play list
Hem: The Fire Thief, Redwing, The Beautiful Sea, Reservoir, Half Acre
Watermark: Holy Roar, The Purest Place
Sara Groves: Jesus, You're Beautiful, You Cannot Lose My Love
Enya: To Go Beyond (I) & (II) Portrait, No Holly for Miss Quinn, Watermark, Shepherd Moons
George Winston: Northern Plains, Sleep, Baby Mine
Jon Foreman: House of God Forever, Your Love is Strong, White as Snow
Jill Phillips: O God of Love
Steven Curtis Chapman: Be Still & Know
Sting: Fields of Gold
Coldplay: Life in Technicolor
Alison Krauss: Baby Mine
Brooke Frasier: Hymn
Tim Hughes: Everything
Chris Rice: Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners, For the Beauty, Like a River Glorious, This is My Father's World, Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us, How Great Thou Art, Great is Thy Faithfulness
Mindy Smith: It's Amazing

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