Singing for labor

[Triniity]

Hi everybody, 

I just saw this amazing video by a woman singing while giving birth, and I really loved it. I do love singing, I am not much of a singer though. 

Now I am looking for songs to sing while labouring, I think that might really help. singing does calm me and makes me happy, and I don´t care about the ones who have to listen to me 

Would you suggest songs to me, uplifting, nice and fairly easy to sing? 

Thank you! 

[BroodyWoodsgal]

Ooooh,, link to video please!

I think it depends upon your preference...there are things I find beautiful, simple and uplifting that you may think are wretched to sign!! Do like the old spirituals and hymns? Many of them are not super "gody" and speak of love and patience and other virtues and might be uplifting for you...many of them are very simple to sing, too. A personal favorite of mine is Alison Krauss signing Down in the River to Pray. I'll find  a link. Songs like that are so easy to sign...I'm not a very (christian wise) religious person, but am deeply spiritual and these types of songs really lift me up and make me fill up with love. I also like them because a lot of them are very "loopy" in that they are repetitive and could be looped over again when finished.

What kind of stuff do you like??

BTW, here is the song I'm talking about....I love this song. So beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgVL-rBq9Fw

Another of hers that I sing al lthe time with my daughter...just a beautiful song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BPoMIQHwpo&feature=related

But yeah....I sign a lot and like a lot of different kinds of music....tell me more about what you like and I'll try to help you, I think this idea ROCKS!

[Triniity]

Hi,

thank you for your links.
Here is the link to the video. Isn´t it great? She is a singer though, I wouldn´t want anyone to make a video of me singing, giving birth or not :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WA9iHz5ww&feature=player_embedded

I checked out a couple of hymns that are not too difficult, I might get new strings for DH´s guitar, maybe he´ll play with me.

I am german, therefor I don´t know many english hymns, but they are much better to sing than the german ones. There are not too many nice ones in german, and most of them are rather difficult to sing.

I looked into pop songs as well, as in "Little wonders" and I´ll have a deeper look.

[BroodyWoodsgal]

Ohhhhh I've seen that one, I love that video!! Most beautiful lady ever...her voice is so lovely.

I actually happen to know how, um, not as great German hymns would be! I used to sign with a choral group and those germanic hymns were just kind of difficult. I suppose learning them as a non-german speaker made it hard...but they didn't realy flow or seem liquid and really "musical" as some of the other languages.

Have you considered making your own? Making a melody that is easy to repeat and easy to sign, that is in tones that sort of fit your kind of "birth hum". I know for me, my birth hum tends to be very low and sort of constant...so lower, longer toned melody would be great for me...maybe after you make a simple little melody, you could come up with a birth mantra for yourself that lifts you up and makes you feel good...and then put the mantra to the melody and use that as your birth son??

Like, my birth mantra (which I didn't repeat to myself the whole time or anything, but definitely loved and used somewhat in my first labor, was something that a mama here at MDC posted as a good birth mantra:

I am whole, I am peaceful, my body knows and does it's perfect work.

I swear, so long as I'm breathing, there is nothing I could do to forget those words!  I made a beautiful little sign with those words on it and decorated it and everything and hung it up in my kitchen for my pregnancy and it was so special to me.

There have been some REALLY awesome threads over the years here on birth mantras....you could even make or  pick a birth mantra and put it to the melody of a song you know well, some simple nursery rhyme, something easy to remember and get lost in that you've known since childhood or something and just know to the depths of you. What do you think?

[Triniity]

I think that´s an awesome idea, I definetly look at the birthing mantra threads! And - since my DH is a bit of a muscician, though deeply buried somewhere, maybe he could even help me to find a tune for it! (I am still waiting for the nursery song that he wanted to make for DD, and she is five now :) )

[cyclamen]

I sang, well, actually hummed during my labor.  It really helped, and I have no singing voice to speak of.  I hummed a  folk song I learned from my mom that I have known since I was a kid, over and over, and over.   Next time I have a baby, I will totally do it again. 

I like the idea of birth mantras set to a tune!