Sorry for all the birth-related posts. I might get back to SEM at some point in the next couple of months, but you'd probably not be surprised to find out that most of my days now revolve around what to expect in the next days (please, please, please) and weeks.
I've never been in labor before, so I don't really know what to expect - what is it going to feel like, how am I going to feel, when am I going to know when I'm in labor...
One thing I do know is that I'd like to enjoy my own music, rather than rely on the NHS' version of calming and relaxing tunes. Thanks to a couple of iTunes gift certificates over the holidays, I'm well stocked with the latest (and not so latest) music to rock out (or tune out) to during labor. Again, I've not done this before, so I thought I'd completely geek out and put together three playlists depending on my mood. The last thing I want to do is throw my iPhone across the room in a fit of painful rage if the music isn't doing it for me.
Happy Music
A bit of an eclectic mix, ranging from James Taylor (Carolina on My Mind), Bubba Sparxxx (Deliverance, Comin' Round), Matisyahu (Jerusalem, One Day), The Doobie Brothers (Minute By Minute), Great Big Sea (Ordinary Day) and Journey (Don't Stop Believin'). I've got 51 songs on the list - iTunes tells me it's 3.3 hours long, so hopefully it'll be enough to go through most of labor (all you women are laughing like Nelson from the Simpsons right now, right?). Whatever, it's a pretty good all-star playlist of my favorite songs, even if Yedid Nefesh is mixed with Ghetto Superstar.
Laid Back
It might be that I need this to relax and ride through a contraction, or chill out after I get some pain relief. It's a much shorter playlist (only 26 songs and 1.7 hours), but I think it keeps the theme of blissing out quite tight. Artists that I've included are Sarah McLachlan (Blackbird, Homeless), Van Morrison (Behind the Ritual, Into the Mystic), Moshav (Shuva Hashem), Rickie Lee Jones (Running from Mercy) and Vonda Shepard (Maryland).
Pumped Up
I'm into rap. A lot. You're surprised. I know most of the lyrics from N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton album, and believe that Ice-T's O.G. is the definitive gangsta rap track for its generation. If I need a shot of "get through this", I'm treating this like a workout at the gym and putting on the best music to get my head around pushing myself through a wall. Dr. Dre (Still D.R.E., Forgot About Dre), Outkast (Rosa Parks, B.O.B., ATLiens), Jay-Z (Big Pimpin') and Jermaine Dupri (Money Ain't A Thang) are going to help me out if I need it. I've also included songs from Green Day (Basket Case), The Offspring (Pretty Fly) and Eve 6 (Inside Out) for a little late-90s inspiration. Again, it's my list and the NHS can politely accept that this is my idea of pain relief.
You're supposed to choose music that makes you happy, so I've tried to make a comprehensive list of endorphin-releasing tracks (even if that does mean mixing Y-Love with Eiffel 65). If all else fails, let's go for some coloratura soprano screams...
