Musical tastes are so personal! And labor is so personal--and intense (but in a good way).

My advice is to have a mix CD with a variety of stuff on it, or maybe two CDs, one that tends to the calming and one that tends to the energetic--unless you already know that you'd prefer one of these over the others.

I hope it's a *wonderful* experience. It can be, you know. You can end up feeling like you're on the top of Mt. Everest; you've just done this HUGE THING, and here is this new person in the world.

I had a Fernando Ortega CD for the first time around... and.. I don't remember anything for the other two. By that point, I guess music wasn't that important to me. I wanted to have the baby and go home. :D

I have a Best of Enya CD, and that's what I play when I'm in the bath and need music for relaxing.

- D

I'd go for heavy metal, but you know that's just me, and maybe I'm strange, but it certainly puts me in a good and a 'I can do anything!' mood :)

*hugs*

Good choice :)

In my first birth I listened to the Hypnobirthing affirmations and then Eitan put on a CD of instrumental music with the sound of ocean waves. That was all there was time for...

My second birth was on the Sabbath, meaning no electronic devices unless I felt it was critical for my well-being, which I didn't. I provided my own soundtrack, and sang instead. ;)

I did prepare a soundtrack on my computer. It included the Hypnobirthing stuff, some quiet spiritual Jewish music, miscellaneous other quiet songs I felt were appropriate (like Become by the Goo Goo Dolls) and a few appropriate songs by Noa. This one in particular, which she wrote a few days before giving birth to her son. (It's a beautiful album, and her first one, Blue Touches Blue, is even better.)

During my first pregnancy I did yoga to One Cello X 16: Natoma by Zoe Keating and I brought it with me in the birth bag but there wasn't time to listen to it.

Good luck :)

~D

How about Skid Row's 18 and Life? ("Eighteen and life, you got it... 18 and life to go... your crime your time, now it's 18.. and ..life... to gooooo!")

But seriously, I couldn't even begin to think of music that would work. Anything jumpy would be too jumpy, and anything soothing, I'd imagine, would be as annoying as hell once you're in the thick of it.

Well, I listen to rap when I work out... :P

Calming feel-good vibes, though, hm. I'm not sure about calming, but Blackmore's Night is cheery and upbeat with a fun fantasy flavor. I have their Shadow of the Moon album (what geek wouldn't want a song called Renaissance Faire?).

Let us know if you find anything good. Good luck in there!

Haha, yes, it's me.

I'm not a big LJ fan, but I know a lot of writers are, and I got tired of commenting anonymously (or not at all if they don't allow anon comments!).

~Lindsay