During your pregnancy, you’ve made all kinds of decisions and preparations: attending prenatal appointments, getting acquainted with your birthing location, practicing everything you learned in your birthing class, and shopping for the gear and outfits for when you bring your baby home.

During the actual birthing process, there are still so many details to plan and so many potential outcomes to prepare for. The phrase “expect the unexpected” means you have to be in the mindset to handle whatever comes your way. Your body will undergo significant and rapid changes, and while those are intuitive and involuntary, they are also unfamiliar and possibly uncomfortable. Your mind and body may need relaxation and calm, or motivation and stimulation. An ideal way to set the right mood at any moment is with thoughtfully chosen music with a birth playlist.

Why is a birth playlist important?

Music has direct effects on the brain and is proven to create emotional responses and prompt physical reactions. When you listen to relaxing music, your body releases dopamine, the hormone that reduces stress, and that’s exactly what you want during labor. Music also elicits a physical response, encouraging your body (even your heartbeat) to get in sync with the rhythm. This can be beneficial as your heart rate increases during contractions, and you want to help slow it back down again. Listening to music shifts our perception of time can also reduce stress from waiting for labor to progress. Studies even suggest that music can reduce pain and anxiety levels during the labor process.

Birth Playlist Songs for Early and Active Labor

In early and active labor, you’ll get the most benefit from relaxing and calming music, especially music that helps bring your brain to a theta frequency. This will keep your muscles and mind at ease and give the illusion of time passing much faster. You can choose any song with a soft, pleasant melody and slower tempo, especially classical music. Other good options include instrumental music, chants, meditations, affirmations, naturescapes, and spiritual songs. This soothing playlist offers nearly ten hours of calming sounds from a variety of genres.

Ambient and Instrumental Music

• “Relaxing 4-7 Hz Theta Waves” – Catalyst University
• “Sound Bath for Releasing Anxiety & Tension” – Healing Vibrations
• “Fantasia on a Theme By Thomas Tallis” – Ralph Vaughan Williams
• “Pavane, Op. 50” – Gabriel Fauré
• “Claire de Lune” – Claude Debussy
• “Moonlight Sonata” – Beethoven
• “Cello Suites” – Bach & Yo-Yo Ma
• “Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastoral’” – Beethoven
• “Piano Sonata No. 16” – Mozart
• “Nocturne” – Chopin
• “The English Patient: Main Title Theme” – Gabriel Yared
• “My Father’s Favorite” – Patrick Doyle
• “Fortuna” – Kaki King
• “Chariots of Fire” – Vangelis

Meditations and Long Songs

• “Hypnobirthing to help with labor” – Emma Kenny
• “Gayatri Mantra” – Deva Premal
• “Vespers, Op. 37” – Sergei Rachmaninoff
• “Ebudae” – Enya
• “Angeles” – Enya
• “Full Circle” – Loreena McKennitt
• “Cold Little Heart” – Michael Kiwanuka
• “Festival” – Sugar Rós

Vocal Songs

• “Nightswimming” – R.E.M.
• “Your Protector” – Fleet Foxes
• “Follow the Sun” – Xavier Rudd
• “Hallelujah” – Jeff Buckley
• “Hold Me While You Wait” – Lewis Capaldi
• “Light” – Sleeping At Last
• “Golden Slumber” – The Beatles (sung by Jennifer Hudson)
• “Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
• “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young
• “Blackbird” – The Beatles
• “Passenger Seat” – Deathcab for Cuties
• “Naked as I Came” – Iron & Wine
• “Stubborn Love” – The Lumineers
• “The Great Unknown” – Mighty Oaks
• “I Want More” – KALEO
• “Just Breathe” – Pearl Jam
• “River” – Leon Bridges
• “Such A Simple Thing” – Ray LaMontagne
• “Only Love” – Ben Howard
• “Here Right Now” – Joshua Radin
• “I Won’t Give Up” – Jason Mraz
• “Forever” – Ben Harper
• “Stay With You” – John Legend
• “Bittersweet Symphony” – The Verve
• “Is This Love” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
• “Stay” – Rihanna, Mikky Ekko
• “Trust In You” – Lauren Daigle
• “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele
• “Young and Beautiful” – Lana Del Ray
• “Best Part” – Daniel Caesar & H.E.R.
• “Heaven” – Julia Michaels
• “Sunrise” – Nora Jones
• “Nightflyer” – Allison Russell
• “Feels Like Home” – Edwina Hayes
• “When You Say Nothing At All” – Alison Krauss
• “My Silver Lining” – First Aid Kit
• “Just Breathe” – Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
• “Always and Forever” – Cory Morrow
• “I Am Light” – India.Arie
• “When I look at you.” – Rosie Carney

Birth Playlist Songs for Pushing

When it’s time to push, you’ll want to go with your body’s surges, you want to be alert and engaged, and you want your energy to rise to meet the demands on your body. Here is a high-energy playlist with strong beats for rhythmic swaying or breathing, similar to a running or workout playlist. If you have a favorite artist or genre, choose songs that are a little more up-tempo with a definite rhythm. This is also a time for celebration, so feel free to add songs that make you feel like a champion — because you are!

The ‘90s and Beyond

• “Hand Clap” – Fitz and The Tantrums
• “One Foot” – WALK THE MOON
• “Feel It Still” – Portugal. The Man
• “Don’t Kill My Vibe” – Sigrid, Gryffin
• “Go Big or Go Home” – American Authors
• “I Will Wait” – Mumford & Sons
• “Starlight” – Muse
• “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – David Lee Murphy, Kenny Chesney
• “Life Is a Highway” – Tom Cochrane
• “Sing” – Pentatonix
• “Helpless” – Ashanti, Ja Rule
• “Brave” – Sara Bareilles
• “Rolling in the Deep” – Adele
• “Roundtable Rival” – Lindsey Sterling
• “Stronger” – Kelly Clarkson
• “Walk Me Home” – P!nk
• “Get the Party Started” – P!nk
• “Your Love Is My Drug” – Kesha
• “Roar” – Katy Perry
• “Run the World” – Beyoncé
• “Girl on Fire” – Alicia Keys
• “Survivor” – Destiny’s Child
• “Born This Way” – Lady Gaga
• “Good As Hell” – Lizzo
• “Worship” – Lizzo
• “I Gotta Feeling” – Black Eyed Peas
• “Dynamite” – Taio Cruz
• “Happy” – Pharrell Williams
• “CAN’T STOP THE FEELING!” – Justin Timberlake
• “Beautiful Day” – U2
• “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
• “Get Ready for This” – 2 Unlimited
• “Hot In Herre” – Nelly
• “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee
• “Lucy” – Destra

The ‘80s and Earlier

• “I’m Coming Out” – Diana Ross
• “What I Like About You” – The Romantics
• “I’m a Believer” – The Monkees
• “9 to 5” – Dolly Parton
• “Do You Believe in Magic” – The Lovin’ Spoonful
• “Jump In The Line” – Harry Belafonte
• “Push It” – Salt-N-Pepa
• “Walking On Sunshine” – Katrina & The Waves
• “Start Me Up” – The Rolling Stones
• “Under Pressure” – Queen, David Bowie
• “Jump” – Van Halen
• “A Hard Day’s Night” – The Beatles
• “I’m Still Standing” – Elton John
• “Danger Zone” – Kenny Loggins
• “Don’t Stop Believin’” – Journey
• “Dancing In the Dark” – Bruce Springsteen
• “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
• “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses
• “Celebration” – Kool & The Gang

I encourage you to browse through these recommendations and curate a birth playlist that suits your personal preferences. Then share your expectations for music in your birthing plan with your birthing partner. And because you never know what to expect, be willing to request silence so you can listen to your own intuition. Be sure to have your device fully charged, a charging cable handy, and access to a wifi network for streaming content. Also, plan to continue enjoying music with your newborn by listening, singing, and dancing long after the memories of labor have faded away.