Baby Making Music

Hi, my name is Carly and I have control issues.  Basically, I'm a control freak.  I like to plan everything out to the very tiniest detail and I have a hard time adjusting if it doesn't go this way.  I may seem like I'm a totally go-with-the-flow kinda gal... but that's all part of the act; I'm using my self-control to make sure you don't notice that inside I'm silently freaking out, thinking "Oh my god, we're running 8 and a half minutes late."

When planning my birth, I made several baskets of cookies for the nurses at the hospital and my midwife. In the nurses' baskets, I included a copy of my birth plan.  One of the items on that lists of do's, don'ts, won'ts, and wants was music. I made three birth playlists on our iPod:  Totally serene music, calm with an upbeat tempo music, and let's push this baby out music.

Here's a sample of the songs from each, in case you find yourself preparing for labor anytime soon:



Totally Serene - "Early Labor"

• Bron-Yr-Aur, Led Zeppelin
• Harvest Moon, Van Morrison
• Prototype, Outkast
• Heart of Gold, Neil Young
• Natural Mystic, Bob Marley
• Fade into You, Mazzy Star
• Acid Tongue, Jenny Lewis
• If It Comes Around, Ryan Montbleau
• Either Way, Wilco

...  Word to the wise, I asked to skip all the Tori Amos and Billie Holiday songs.  I am so in love with both of those ladies, but their voices cut through me like a dull razor blade while in labor.  I guess you can't plan for everything.



Calm with an Upbeat Tempo - "Mid Labor"

• Tennessee, Arrested Development
• Glory of True Love, John Prine
• Hey Love, Stevie Wonder
• Each Year, Ra Ra Riot
• On & On, Erykah Badu
• Friend of the Devil, The Grateful Dead
• Mother and Child Reunion, Paul Simon
• Street Corner Preacher, Amos Lee
• Valerie, Amy Winehouse
• Present/Infant, Ani DiFranco

...  I was pretty in to this mix.  It kept my spirits up, but didn't make me blood rush.  I ended up leaving on the first two mixes for the full length of my delivery.  I'm pretty sure the baby was born during "Sunshine" by Atmosphere... but I was so in the moment that I don't really remember.




Let's Push This Baby Out! - "Transition and Beyond"

• One Way Out, Allman Brothers
• Rapture, Blondie
• Brooklyn We Go Hard, Jay-Z featuring Santogold
• Testify, Rage Against the Machine
• Breathe 'n Stop, Q-Tip
• Corduroy, Pearl Jam
• Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
• Is This Love, Bob Marley
• Funky Child, James Brown
• She Wants to Move, N.E.R.D.

...  as I said, I never made it to this mix.  However, I apparently had quite a sense of humor when creating it.  It also included "Push It" by Salt-n-Pepa.  True story.