I love to relax to anything by Dido.

Anonymous wrote:C-section veteran here. To the OP - it really might not be that bad. They can give you drugs for anxiety, especially if you tell them in advance that this is one of your main concerns.

Also, your doctor might want to talk to you, and the anaethesiologist will need to check in w/ you about how you're feeling, so you need to check in advance if they're comfortable with you wearing earphones and listening to music.

Also, you want to hear your baby cry, and the surgical staff announce the arrival and details, etc... You won't have your hands free to take ear plugs in and out so you might risk missing things you'll actually want to hear.

Truly, a scheduled c-section can be extremely calm. I was astonished at how non-scary it was. Even the spinal tap was a breeze - odd, for sure, but not painful in any significant way and the surgery itself was absolutely pain free.

Try not to worry.

+1

Another C section veteran. Don't bring music. You will not hear the happy stuff that is happening!

Are you the op on a different thread from last week who was worried about a possible C and wanted to prepare yourself?

Just a reality check on the music - I'm not sure this is going to be possible. Unless you are trying to labor first and are in an L&D room, you'll be in the waiting room until they are ready to prep you and then the pre-op area before surgery. There's no hanging out in the surgery room. That is very expensive and important real estate - they have to keep one free at all times for emergencies - so they move you in at the last minute. All prep - spinal, shaving, etc is in pre-op. From when they bring you in the surgery room to when they get the baby out is probably 15 minutes or so. They close you up as quickly as possible - obviously don't want to keep you open any longer than required. For me at least, I could sense that everything that was happening was happening as quickly as possible. A hour is probably the max time you'll spend in the surgery room, but I think it is more like 45 mins or less barring any issues. You will already be immobilized when you get there and I can't imagine they'll let you bring stuff into a sterile room. Your partner will have to wear scrubs, face mask, hair net, booties and is told where to stand or sit next to you, so I don't see them allowing you to set up an ipod and there's not a spot or table for personal stuff in there. And I honestly don't think I would have noticed music.

C-section veteran here. To the OP - it really might not be that bad. They can give you drugs for anxiety, especially if you tell them in advance that this is one of your main concerns.

Also, your doctor might want to talk to you, and the anaethesiologist will need to check in w/ you about how you're feeling, so you need to check in advance if they're comfortable with you wearing earphones and listening to music.

Also, you want to hear your baby cry, and the surgical staff announce the arrival and details, etc... You won't have your hands free to take ear plugs in and out so you might risk missing things you'll actually want to hear.

Truly, a scheduled c-section can be extremely calm. I was astonished at how non-scary it was. Even the spinal tap was a breeze - odd, for sure, but not painful in any significant way and the surgery itself was absolutely pain free.

Try not to worry.

To the PP: A c-section takes less than an hour. The baby comes out relatively quickly, then it takes longer to get you put back together.

And a counterpoint to the music: The last thing I ever want to do is create an emotional trigger where hearing a certain song takes me back to what it feels like to be in the OR having a c-section. God in Heaven, no thank you. I'll leave the fuzzy memories where they are and hope nothing brings back that anxiety and weirdness clearly ever.

Anonymous wrote:P.S. That's pretty much the list I made for DW, except she vetoed Springsteen, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, and the Doobie Brothers. But you might find these particular songs as soothing as I do.

Wait- this might be a dumb question but how long does a c-section take? We are TTC right now and there is a strong chance I will not be a VBAC candidate, but I was completely under for my c-sec with DC1, it was a crash emergency situation so I was rushed into an OR and put under (thank god!) but I have no real concept of time of what happened and I really was so very out of it on the post-surgery drip that I didn't even make it down to the NICU until like noon the next day (surgery was at 10:30pm ish) sadly- but I had no idea the playlist would be this long!

I'm actually like you in that I don't listen to a lot of soothing music, although I do love me some easy listening like Lionel Richie and stuff from time to time!

But when I am nervous I tend to just listen to "happy" songs. I have had a couple of nasty dental procedures that I had to be awake for and my headphones just pumped up with things like Earth Wind and Fire, Weezer, all over the place really but songs that are lighter from their catalogs.

I didn't know you could do this, interesting. When I had my c-sections, there was no music during the actual procedure that I remember, though I do remember music while I was getting the spinal.

Anyway, have you thought of using spa-type music or are you just looking for pop-type songs? I have an "ambient" channel on Pandora that I love and use sometimes when soothing my youngest and it is very relaxing and spa-like.

A lot of guitar based songs by Jack Johnson and most of Elizabeth Mitchell's stuff.

P.S. That's pretty much the list I made for DW, except she vetoed Springsteen, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, and the Doobie Brothers. But you might find these particular songs as soothing as I do.

Good albums to pick from:
k.d. lang hymns of the 49th parallel
Norah Jones' first album
George Winston, Spring into Summer or Summer


Thank U, by Alanis Morrisette
You Bring Me Joy, by Anita Baker
Bridge Over Troubled Waters, by Aretha Franklin (I mean, by Simon & Garfunkel or anyone else would be good too, but the Aretha version is especially good)
It's OK, BeBe & CeCe Winans
Angel From Montgomery, Bonnie Raitt
No Surrender, Bruce Springsteen (acoustic version from Live 1975-1985)
Don't Quit, Caron Wheeler
Big Love, Carrie Rodriguez (it's a John Hiatt song, but you want Carrie's version)
Florence Avenue Lullaby, Dave Alvin
Everyday, Dave Matthews (solo acoustic, from the America's Heroes 9/11 disc)
Doobie Brothers: White Sun, Pat's Song, Mambo Waltz, Slat Key Soquel Rag
Eva Cassidy: What a Wonderful World, Songbird, People Get Ready, Over the Rainbow, True Colors, Time After Time
Landslide (live version), Fleetwood Mac
Get Together, Indigo Girls
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Wonderful World, Hi'ilawe
James Taylor: Something in the Way She Moves, Carolina in My Mind, Country Road
Beatles: Blackbird, I Will, In My Life
Lyle Lovett: If I Had a Boat, Texas River Song
Red Dirt Girl, Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
Solsbury Hill, Peter Gabriel
R.E.M.: New Orleans Instrumental No. 1, Nightswimming, Sweetness Follows, Everybody Hurts
Rolling Stones: You Got the Silver
Sinead O'Connor: Three Babies
U2: MLK
Van Morrison: Sweet Thing
Sweet Dreams, Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler
Little Wing, The Vaughan Brothers

Dixie Chicks "Lullaby"

The Eagles- Peaceful Easy Feeling. Can't hurt, right? Good luck and congratulations!! I hope all goes smooth and you have an easy recovery!

Explosions in The Sky. Mostly calming, without lyrics (esp Friday Night Lights movie soundtrack). The Album Leaf is similar but some songs have lyrics. Test them out on Pandora, which will give you more ideas. The xx is another I can think of. Good luck and congrats! Hope it all goes well.

I'm trying to come up with a playlist that I can listen to during my upcoming C-section that will keep me calm. I don't always listen to "soothing" music. When I do, songs I think of in that vein are:

Eva Cassidy's Fields of Gold
Sheryl Crow's Easy
Adele's Make You Feel My Love

Anyone with similar tastes that can help me fill up a list that will last for the surgery and not have any duds, as I'm guessing I'm not going to be holding an iPod and flipping back and forth,