Creating Your Birth Playlist: Sound as Sacred Support
Music As Medicine
Birth is a profound threshold—one of life's most transformative passages. As you prepare to bring your baby earthside, you're gathering tools to support yourself through this journey: breath work, movement, touch, voice, and perhaps music.
Sound has accompanied humans through sacred transitions since the beginning of time. Whether you're birthing at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital, a thoughtfully created playlist can become a tender companion—offering rhythm when you need it, quiet when you crave it, and something familiar to anchor you when the intensity of labor asks you to surrender more deeply than you knew possible.
But here's the truth: your birth playlist isn't about getting it "right." It's about honoring what your body and spirit need in those raw, powerful hours. Let's explore how to create a playlist that feels like home, whatever that means for you.
Understanding the Journey: Matching Music to Labor's Unfolding
Labor isn't one long plateau—it's a journey with distinct rhythms and needs. Your musical companions might shift as you move through these phases.
Early Labor: The Slow Opening
During early labor, when contractions are building but still spacious, you're likely still at home. This is time for music that helps you stay easeful and conserve your energy. Gentle songs that create a peaceful container, music that supports slow and conscious breathing, familiar sounds that help you feel grounded—these are the textures that serve early labor. Slower tempos naturally encourage rest between waves.
Think of this phase as setting an intention. You're not trying to hype yourself up—you're settling into your body, trusting the process that's beginning.
Active Labor: Finding Your Rhythm
As labor deepens and contractions ask more of you, your relationship with sound might shift. Some people want rhythmic music that gives them something to sway or rock to, songs with a steady pulse to breathe with. Others discover they need music that feels grounding without being distracting, sounds that help them stay present without demanding attention.
This is where you discover what truly serves you. Some laboring people want music as a focal point; others find even gentle songs become too much. There's no wrong answer.
Transition: The Threshold
Transition—that intense passage just before pushing—is often when people need the least from their playlist. You might find that silence is what you crave most, or that only ambient sound feels tolerable, if anything. Sometimes your birth team needs the music more than you do to stay calm while they hold space for your journey.
Don't worry if your carefully made playlist gets ignored during the most intense part. That's your body calling you fully inward, and it's exactly where you need to be.
Pushing and Birth: Crossing Over
As you move into pushing, you might want empowering songs that remind you of your strength, music that feels celebratory or triumphant, sounds with personal meaning. Or still, you might choose beautiful silence as you meet your baby. Trust what you need in that moment.
The Golden Hour: Earthside Together
Don't forget the immediate postpartum time—that sacred hour of skin-to-skin. Consider tender music for bonding, songs that feel like gratitude, sounds that help create a peaceful welcome. Or again, just the sound of your baby's breathing and your own relief might be all you need.
How Much Music Do You Actually Need?
Here's a reality check: most first-time labors last between 12 and 18 hours, but you won't be listening to music the entire time. You'll be sleeping or resting during early labor, talking with your birth team, focusing intensely inward during active labor, and possibly taking a bath or shower where music may not reach you.
A good target is 4-6 hours of music. This gives you plenty of variety without spending hours trying to compile a marathon playlist. Remember, you can always repeat songs or sections of your playlist—in fact, the repetition can become comforting.
The Technical Side: Making Your Playlist Actually Work
Download Everything Offline
This is crucial. Hospital wifi can be unreliable, and you don't want to deal with buffering or lost connections during labor. Download your entire playlist to your device before your due date.
Consider Volume and Accessibility
Think about how you'll actually use the music. Will you use a portable speaker? Test it beforehand and pack extra batteries or a charger. Make sure your birth partner knows how to control the volume and skip songs—you won't want to be fumbling with technology between contractions. Can the volume be adjusted easily without your phone being right next to you? Does your hospital or birth center have any sound restrictions you should know about ahead of time?
Create a Backup Plan
Technology can fail at the worst times. Consider having the playlist downloaded on two different devices, or creating a backup on a USB drive if your birth location has compatible equipment. Share the playlist link with your birth partner so they can access it if needed.
Music Selection: Finding What Actually Resonates
Beyond "Relaxing Music"
Let's be honest—when you search "birth music," you get a lot of generic spa soundtracks and ocean waves. And listen, if whale songs speak to your soul, absolutely include them. But your playlist should reflect who you are. Birth asks you to be fully present in your body, and sometimes that means the music that grounds you isn't what anyone else would expect.
Consider music that's moved you before—songs that have helped you through heartbreak, songs that steadied you before big moments, songs that made you feel powerful. Birth is all of those things at once.
The Power of Personal Meaning
The most powerful birth music is often deeply personal. Think about the song that was playing when you met your partner, or music from your wedding first dance. Consider a song your grandmother sang to you, music from a place that changed you, or songs that saw you through other hard things.
A word of wisdom, though: some people find that using their most beloved songs creates a permanent association between that music and intense sensation. There's no right answer here—just something to sit with. You might choose songs you love but aren't precious about, saving your most sacred music for the golden hour after birth.
Artist & Album Suggestions Across the Spectrum
Your birth, your soundtrack. Here areferings across many landscapes of sound:
If you're drawn to folk & acoustic:
Alexi Murdoch (especially "Orange Sky" and "All My Days")
José González (tender, fingerpicked, spacious)
The Staves (sisters' harmonies that feel like being held)
Fleet Foxes (layered, gentle, grounding)
Vashti Bunyan (delicate British folk, almost whispered)
Iron & Wine (Sam Beam's quiet storytelling)
Ane Brun (Norwegian singer-songwriter, deeply emotive)
The Paper Kites (Australian indie folk, warm and intimate)
If you want something more rhythmic & global:
Tinariwen (Tuareg desert blues—hypnotic guitar)
Ali Farka Touré (Malian blues, earthy and cyclical)
Balmorhea (instrumental post-rock, cinematic sweep)
Anouar Brahem (Tunisian oud player, contemplative)
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (qawwali devotional music—powerful)
Habib Koité (West African folk, gentle complexity)
Ibeyi (Afro-Cuban twin sisters, ancestral and contemporary)
Tala Drum Corps (Middle Eastern percussion, grounding rhythm)
If you're into ambient, electronic & soundscapes:
Ólafur Arnalds (Icelandic composer, strings meet electronics)
Nils Frahm (piano and synth, builds slowly)
Helios (ambient electronic, warm textures)
Hammock (post-rock ambient, oceanic)
Grouper (Liz Harris's hazy, womb-like recordings)
Christina Vantzou (neoclassical ambient)
Stars of the Lid (drone ambient—long, slow builds)
William Basinski (ambient loops, meditative)
If classical resonates with you:
Max Richter (contemporary classical, especially "Sleep" album)
Arvo Pärt (minimalist, sacred feeling without being religious)
Henryk Górecki (Symphony No. 3, deeply emotional)
Claude Debussy (especially "Clair de Lune" and preludes)
Erik Satie (Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes—sparse piano)
Johann Johannsson (Icelandic composer, cinematic strings)
Samuel Barber ("Adagio for Strings"—if you can handle the emotion)
Ludovico Einaudi (contemporary Italian pianist, accessible)
If you want soul, R&B & jazz:
Alice Coltrane (spiritual jazz with harp, transcendent)
Sade (smooth, sultry, calming but present)
Erykah Badu (especially "Green Eyes" or "Honey")
D'Angelo ("Voodoo" album has deep, slow groove)
Lauryn Hill ("To Zion" might wreck you in the best way)
Bill Withers ("Lean on Me," "Ain't No Sunshine"—human and real)
Gregory Porter (velvet voice, genuine)
Esperanza Spalding (jazz bassist, complex and soothing)
If you're exploring devotional & mantra music:
Deva Premal & Miten (Sanskrit mantras, gentle)
Krishna Das (kirtan, call-and-response chanting)
Snatam Kaur (Sikh devotional music, ethereal)
Jai Uttal (bhakti yoga music, rhythmic and uplifting)
Simrit (modern devotional, builds in intensity)
Wah! (kirtan-style, women's voices)
MC Yogi (if you want kirtan with a beat)
Chandrika Tandon (Indian classical devotional)
If you want indie, dream pop & ethereal:
Mazzy Star (Hope Sandoval's voice is like honey)
Beach House (lush, dreamy, enveloping)
Cigarettes After Sex (slow, atmospheric, intimate)
Daughter (emotional folk-electronic)
Agnes Obel (Danish singer-songwriter, hauntingly beautiful)
Novo Amor (Welsh singer, cinematic indie folk)
The xx (minimal, intimate, spacious)
FKA twigs (if you want something more sensual and strange)
If you're looking for world music & healing traditions:
Loreena McKennitt (Celtic-influenced, storytelling)
Dead Can Dance (world fusion, ancient feeling)
Hilary Stagg (Celtic harp, very soothing)
Yungchen Lhamo (Tibetan vocals, spiritual)
Mercedes Sosa (Argentinian folk, powerful voice)
Vieux Farka Touré (Malian guitarist, son of Ali Farka Touré)
Oumou Sangaré (Malian singer, women's stories)
Geoffrey Oryema (Ugandan musician, gentle and profound)
If you want something with more edge or intensity (for active labor):
Sigur Rós (Icelandic post-rock, builds dramatically)
Explosions in the Sky (instrumental post-rock, powerful swells)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor (long instrumental builds)
This Will Destroy You (emotional instrumental rock)
Mogwai (Scottish post-rock, dynamic range)
Ólafur Arnalds & Nils Frahm (collaboration album, rhythmic and building)
If you want music rooted in Black American traditions:
Mahalia Jackson (gospel, powerful and moving)
Aretha Franklin ("Amazing Grace" live album)
Nina Simone (especially "Feeling Good" or "Four Women")
Sam Cooke ("A Change Is Gonna Come"—if you can handle it)
Odetta (folk singer, civil rights activist, deeply grounding)
Sweet Honey in the Rock (a cappella, women's harmonies)
Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops, roots music)
If you're into minimalism & piano:
Chilly Gonzales (tender solo piano pieces)
Peter Broderick (multi-instrumentalist, intimate recordings)
Dustin O'Halloran (film composer, emotive piano)
Hauschka (prepared piano—unique textures)
Sylvain Chauveau (French minimalist, sparse and beautiful)
Specific album recommendations to download in full:
Max Richter - "Sleep" (8+ hours of peaceful music)
Sigur Rós - "( )" (no lyrics, pure emotion)
Alice Coltrane - "Journey in Satchidananda"
Ólafur Arnalds - "Re:member"
Nils Frahm - "Felt" (intimate piano recorded at night)
Iron & Wine - "Our Endless Numbered Days"
Grouper - "Ruins"
Deva Premal - "Password"
Mazzy Star - "So Tonight That I Might See"
Hammock - "Departure Songs"
Lyrics vs. Instrumental
Both have their place, and you might discover your needs shift as labor unfolds. Lyrics can offer affirmations sung back to you when you need them, stories that remind you of your strength, something specific to focus on during contractions, and emotional connection that gives you permission to feel everything. Instrumental music, on the other hand, offers space for your own sounds and breath, less chance of words becoming grating after many repetitions, a backdrop rather than a focal point, and room for you to stay internal.
Some folks make a mostly instrumental playlist with a few lyrical songs sprinkled in—anthems for specific moments. Others need words the whole time. Trust what you know about yourself.
The Tempo Question
There's wisdom in matching music to the rhythm of labor. Slower songs (60-80 BPM) can encourage deeper breathing during early labor, while mid-tempo songs (80-100 BPM) might help you maintain energy and sway through active labor. Faster or building songs might feel right when you need to dig deep.
But honestly? Your body knows its own rhythm. Don't force yourself to breathe to a particular tempo if it doesn't feel natural. The music is there to serve you, not the other way around.
Understanding 432 Hz Music: What the Tuning Means and What We Know
You might have heard people recommend music tuned to 432 Hz for birth. It's worth understanding what this actually means—and what the research does and doesn't tell us. Let's look at it with clear eyes.
What Is 432 Hz Tuning?
When we talk about music being tuned to 432 Hz, we're referring to the reference pitch used to tune all the instruments. In modern music, the standard tuning uses A440—meaning the A note above middle C vibrates at 440 cycles per second (440 Hz). Music tuned to 432 Hz simply uses a slightly lower reference pitch, where A is tuned to 432 Hz instead.
This means every note in a 432 Hz song is slightly lower—about 8 cycles per second lower—than the same song in standard 440 Hz tuning.
The History Behind 432 Hz
The concept of tuning to frequencies near 432 Hz was first proposed by French physicist Joseph Sauveur in 1713, who suggested what he called "scientific pitch". However, the modern 432 Hz movement gained momentum in the 19th century.
Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi advocated for 432 Hz tuning for orchestras, suggesting it would be better than the 435 Hz standard that was common in France at the time. For this reason, 432 Hz is sometimes called "Verdi tuning."
Before standardization in the 20th century, different composers and orchestras tuned to wildly different pitches—ranging from about 400 Hz to 480 Hz across Europe. The move to standardize at 440 Hz happened gradually, with the International Organization for Standardization officially recognizing it in 1939.
What Do Proponents Claim?
Advocates of 432 Hz music often claim it:
Resonates more naturally with the human body
Creates a more calming, soothing effect
Aligns with natural frequencies in the universe
Reduces stress and anxiety more effectively than 440 Hz music
What Does the Science Actually Say?
The research on 432 Hz is limited but growing, and the results are nuanced:
Promising findings:
A 2019 study found that 432 Hz music decreased heart rate more than 440 Hz music, though researchers noted the study was small and recommended larger trials.
Research on patients with spinal cord injuries found significant improvement in sleep scores after listening to 432 Hz music, while music at 440 Hz showed no significant improvement.
A study of emergency nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic found that those who listened to 432 Hz music showed improvements in vital parameters like respiratory rate and blood pressure, effects not seen with 440 Hz music.
Important caveats:
Most studies acknowledge they had small sample sizes and call for more rigorous research with larger groups and more clinical parameters.
From a strictly scientific standpoint, there is limited empirical evidence proving that 432 Hz is superior to other tunings, and critics argue any benefits might be due to the placebo effect or simply the calming nature of slow-tempo music.
A Common Misconception About Hz
It's important to understand that songs aren't "entirely at one Hz level." When people say a song is "432 Hz," they mean all the instruments are tuned using 432 Hz as the reference pitch. The song itself still contains a full spectrum of frequencies:
Bass frequencies (low rumbles) might be 80-250 Hz
Mid-range frequencies (most vocals and melodies) span 250-2000 Hz
High frequencies (cymbals, high notes) can reach 4000-8000 Hz and beyond
What changes with 432 Hz tuning is that all these frequencies shift down slightly—everything becomes about 8 Hz lower compared to 440 Hz tuning.
Should You Seek Out 432 Hz Music for Birth?
Here's a grounded perspective: You might want to explore 432 Hz if you're curious and drawn to experimenting with sound, if when you listen to examples the lower pitch feels more settling to your nervous system, if you're interested in the historical threads and theories, or if it resonates with other aspects of your birth preparation.
Don't worry about it if you already have music that moves you and feels supportive, if you can't find 432 Hz versions of songs that matter to you, if the whole conversation feels like one more thing on an overwhelming list, or if you genuinely can't hear a difference that matters to you.
The most important thing? Choose music that helps you feel held. The emotional resonance you have with your playlist matters far more than its technical tuning. If a song tuned to standard 440 Hz makes you feel powerful or peaceful or connected—that's what you need.
How to Find or Create 432 Hz Music
If you want to try 432 Hz music, you can search streaming platforms for "432 Hz" playlists, use music software to convert your existing music (apps like Audacity can do this), look for 432 Hz versions of specific songs on YouTube or specialized platforms, or use the built-in pitch adjustment features in some digital audio workstations and music players.
Honoring Different Birth Spaces and Needs
Different Settings, Different Acoustics
Your birth environment shapes how music lands. Hospital births may have ambient noise from monitors, hallways, other families nearby—usually they have reliable power and wifi, but there may be policies about speaker volume worth asking about ahead of time. You might need to advocate for a quieter space if that's what you need. Birth center births often offer quieter, more controlled sound environments, may have built-in sound systems you can use, and usually allow more flexibility with your choices. Consider water birth acoustics if that's part of your plan. Home births give you control over your entire sound environment—you can use your own speakers or systems, though you'll want to think about what others in your home might hear, and consider your neighbors too if you're in close quarters.
Your Birth Team is Listening Too
Remember: your playlist isn't just for you. Your partner, midwife, doula, and care providers will be hearing these songs for hours alongside you. Will this music help them stay grounded and present with you? Is there anything that might grate after many repetitions? What helps your partner feel calm? A calm partner supports you better. Your birth team is holding space for you. Music that supports them supports you, too.
When Music Might Not Be What You Need
Here's something important: some people discover during labor that music isn't helpful. And that is completely, utterly valid.
You might find that sound becomes overwhelming instead of soothing, that you need complete silence to go inward, that your own voice—moaning, humming, breathing—is the only sound you want, or that the hospital environment is already too noisy. If this happens, don't feel like you've failed at birth playlists. Your only job is to listen to what your body needs in each moment. A birth playlist is a tool you can pick up or put down. It doesn't define whether you're "doing birth right."
What People Learned After Their Births
"I Thought I Had to Get It Perfect"
Many people spend hours crafting an elaborate playlist only to discover they needed something completely different—or nothing at all. Your playlist is a tool you can use or set aside. It's not a test you can fail.
"I Wish I'd Made Shorter Playlists by Mood"
Instead of one giant 8-hour shuffle, consider creating a few focused lists:
"Early labor ease"
"Rhythm and breath"
"Strength songs"
"Quiet welcome"
This makes it simpler for your birth team to shift the music without fumbling through hundreds of songs while you're in transition.
"We Should Have Practiced with the Speaker"
Do a full tech rehearsal before your due date:
Practice connecting your device to your speaker
Make sure your partner knows how to pause, skip, adjust volume
Confirm your downloads work offline
Charge everything and pack a backup battery
"Some Songs Got Etched into My Body"
A few people find that certain songs become permanently linked to the intensity of labor—not always in a comfortable way. If this concerns you, consider music you appreciate but aren't precious about. Save your most sacred songs for the golden hour, or accept that some music might hold birth memory forever (which can also be beautiful).
"I Needed Way More Silence Than I Expected"
Don't pack your playlist so full there's no room for quiet. Some of the most profound moments happen in silence—when you're deep in your body's wisdom, when you first hear your baby's voice, when you're learning each other's faces skin-to-skin.
Practical Checklist: Getting Ready
As you prepare your birth playlist, make sure you've created playlists organized by labor stage or mood if that feels helpful, downloaded everything for offline listening, tested your speaker and device setup at home, charged all devices fully before heading to your birth location, packed charging cables and a backup battery, briefed your birth partner on how to use the playlist, added a few extra songs beyond what you think you'll need, included some variety in tempo and mood, saved your partner's favorite calming songs too, and have a backup plan if technology fails.
Embracing the Unknown
Here's what every birthworker knows but doesn't always say: labor is wildly unpredictable. Your beautifully curated playlist might become your lifeline. Or it might sit untouched in a bag while you labor in the shower, making sounds you've never made before, completely absorbed in the primal work of opening.
One song you almost deleted might become the thing that gets you through transition. Or you might discover that silence—just your breath, your partner's hand, the sound of your own voice—is all you need.
All of this is birth. All of this is you doing it exactly right.
Your playlist is an offering to yourself. Make it with care, hold it lightly, and trust your body to tell you what it needs.
Final Thoughts: Sound as One Thread in the Tapestry
Creating a birth playlist is a way of tending to yourself before you even meet your baby. Whether you include music tuned to 432 Hz, your favorite songs at standard tuning, or a mix of sounds from across the world and across your life, what matters most is that it feels like yours.
Music has held humans through every kind of threshold since the beginning of time. It helps us access emotion, regulate our nervous systems, mark the sacred, and remember we're not alone. As you prepare to birth, let music be one of many ways you create a space where you feel held.
Your birth belongs to you. Your playlist belongs to you. Make choices that honor who you are, and know that whatever you need in those raw hours—whether it's sound or silence, rhythm or stillness—you'll find it.
Birth has a way of teaching us things we didn't know we needed to learn. Sometimes that includes discovering we don't actually like the music we thought we'd love, or that a song we've heard a thousand times suddenly cracks us open in a new way. Stay curious. Stay present. Trust the wisdom of your body.
We'd love to hear what made it onto your birth playlist—especially if it surprised you. What songs held you? What did you discover you needed? Share your story with our community, and may your birth be exactly what it needs to be.
