Go-to Music during Labor

At the lovely clinic where I will give birth, I know there are no birthing balls, bath tubs or suites where you can go through the labor in low-lit silence.

Labor will most likely take place in a shared room with another patient who is also going through labor or has recently. Or, like in my case 2 years ago with Ailin, much of the labor took place in the corridor on a chair with a donut shaped bottom. It was the middle of the night and my "roommate" who I never actually saw or met was trying to sleep. The room was the furthest from the bathroom, and in order for me to make a trip to the bathroom, it took 45 minutes each way due to contractions. After one trip to the bathroom, I refused to go back to my room, so I stayed in the corridor.

My "birthing partner" was the nurse-midwife who became my temporary best friend. They had sent my husband home immediately after arriving at the hospital with all our gear - extra pillows and all. I didn't see him again til the morning when they called him and told him to rush over since I was about ready to push.

This time, I expect the same things, but who knows if I will be lucky enough to go into labor in the middle of the night when the corridor is most quiet and low-lit? Who knows if I will indeed vomit my way through each contraction? Who knows if my husband will even be able to take me to the hospital, much less stay with me during the labor and birth?

What will be different now is that I know what to expect. I know it's not scary. I now own an ipod, so I can program the music and hypno-music I like. I know that I don't actually need the extra pilllows, the birthing ball and the bath tub. I just need a bathroom that is close by and a good nurse-midwife to attend to me. I don't even care if my husband is there or not. I know I can get through it.

So, here I am prepping my ipod for its big job - to entertain and relax me while in labor and during my stay at the hospital. Shannon told me that she listened to Cowboy Junkies over and over on her ipod while in labor with Cooper. I found that to be quite interesting. She liked them for a while in college, but she has not listened to them in years. It was her go-to music. I started to wonder what my go-to music is, and I hope I figure it out and load it into my ipod soon!

What would Yusuke listen to repeatedly if he was in labor?
Probably Natalie Merchant & Sarah McLachlan.

What would I listen to?
This is tough for me to answer.

John Mellencamp?
No.

Peter Gabriel?
Maybe...he got me through some tough times in the past, and his music is quite soothing and hypnotic, esp since you have NO CLUE what he is going on about.

Rascal Flatts?
Okay, I love them, but his voice can grate on you after a while. It might be too obvious. Needs to be soothing.

George Winston?
I love his piano music, but I will never forget the time I saw him in concert and had to listen to his explanations between songs. He is the most boring, monotone guy ever. I haven't listened to him since.

P!nk
Uh, no.

So, there you have it. It looks like I should load some Peter Gabriel into the old ipod, just in case I get in inkling for him.