Labor Playlist

As we prepare ourselves for the day that we will bring Liam into the world, Bryan and I both feel strongly about being very intentional with the environment we want to create as I labor. We’re trying to educate ourselves through classes about different positions for laboring, breathing exercises, ways he can massage me to offer support and comfort, etc. Of course we don’t know what our actual delivery will look like. There are certain factors which are out of our control, so we will have to roll with the punches when the time comes. That said, we do feel confident that we are arming ourselves with the tools which will help us go into that day feeling as prepared as we can. We want to create an environment that will feel familiar and comforting and will help us connect as partners so that I know I can lean on him for support, and that he knows that he is the irreplaceable person I need by my side to coach and love me. We’ll be toting our big birthing ball to the hospital with us, a microwaveable heating pad, a number of back massagers, some essential oils, and last but not least- a speaker.

Growing up in my home, there was always music. There was music during dinner, music during chores, music during yard work, and music in the car. Maybe it’s the fact that I have a drummer for a dad, but I don’t remember any time when there was just quiet. To this day, if we’re all hanging out, someone will say “Can we get some music going?” or “Where’s the music?” In order for me to truly wind down, or to connect with a certain mood or memory, I’ve got to have the right soundtrack going.

So naturally, heading into this experience, I had to create a labor playlist! Some songs have special meaning for Bryan and me, some songs take me back to riding in the back seat of my parents car when I was little, and some are recent favorites that I’ve reflected more on as we prepare to become parents. But all of them make me feel thankful or peaceful or calm in some way, and I hope that having this music softly playing in the background will help us to create a space where we both feel comforted and confident.

Side Note: Bryan keeps trying to get me to add “Push It” by Salt-N-Peppa, but I continue to hold out on that one.

Liam’s Playlist:

1. Do You Remember, Jack Johnson
2. Something Beautiful, Needtobreathe
3. Danny’s Song, Loggins & Messina
4. This Is Heaven To Me, Madeleine Peyroux
5. Washed By The Water, Needtobreathe
6. Everything, Michael Buble
7. Feels Like Home, Chantal Kreviazuk
8. Garden, Needtobreathe
9. Blackbird, The Beatles
10. Home, Phillip Phillips
11. La Vie En Rose, Louis Armstrong
12. Michicant, Bon Iver
13. Moon River, Audrey Hepburn
14. New Slang, The Shins
15. Re: Stacks, Bon Iver
16. ‘S Wonderful, Joao Gilberto
17. Sunrise, Norah Jones
18. This Years Love, David Gray
19. Warm Love, Van Morrison
20. What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
21. Corcovado, Joao Gilberto
22. You and Me, Dave Matthews Band
23. Fields of Gold, Sting
24. God of Wonders, Caedmon’s Call
25. Crazy Love, Van Morrison
26. Harvest Moon, Neil Young
27. For Those Below, Mumford & Sons
28. I Know, Meaghan Smith
29. Mandolin Rain, Bruce Hornsby & The Range
30. So em teus bracos, Joao Gilberto
31. Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
32. Better Together, Jack Johnson
33. Gypsy, Fleetwood Mac
34. Something, The Beatles
35. Paradise, Coldplay
36. Fields of Gray, Bruce Hornsby
37. The Luckiest, Ben Folds
38. Here Comes the Sun, The Beatles
39. I and Love and You, The Avett Brothers
40. Little Martha, The Allman Brothers Band
41. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy), John Lennon