The Most Popular Songs People Listen to While Giving Birth

When you’re pregnant, it’s only natural to imagine an ideal environment for welcoming your baby. However, anyone who has given birth will tell you that the process rarely unfolds according to plan, but it never hurts to make a wishlist of everything you need to make giving birth feel peaceful and positive—and often that wishlist includes music.

If you made a playlist for your birth, you’re in good company: A car seat and stroller company called iCandy recently found 1,800 labor and birth playlists on Spotify. Analyzing the songs on the playlist, the company compiled the most popular tracks and artists.

Here’s what they found out about the music people want to listen to while giving birth.

What People Are Listening To While In Labor

The top three most popular artists that repeatedly appeared on birth playlists were Coldplay, followed by Ed Sheeran, with Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles sharing the third spot. Some of the other top artists? Norah Jones, John Legend, and Taylor Swift.

But when it came to songs, the most popular one is also perhaps the most obvious: “Here Comes The Sun” by the Beatles was the most played song on labor and birth playlists—it appeared more than 100 times on the playlists the company looked at.

However, Coldplay songs appeared 140 times on the labor and birth playlists Spotify analysed—with the most popular being “Yellow” and “Fix You.” Ed Sheeran’s romantic song “Perfect,” which is also played widely at weddings, also appeared on multiple playlists.

There were several other song choices that made sense for parents to be drawn to, including John Legend’s “All of Me” and Elton John’s “Your Song.”

Music Has Benefits for Parents and Babies

Music doesn’t just help  pregnant people joyfully welcome their babies into the world—it might actually have scientifically proven benefits for both mom and baby.

One 2023 study conducted in Ireland found that “music can promote maternal health, infant development, and parent-infant bonding.” Researchers surveyed 265 (both pregnant women and their partners), and found that 75% of respondents sang to their baby while pregnant.

And in case you’re convinced that you’re the only one of your friends and family to create a birthing playlist, rest assured that’s probably not the case: Researchers also found that 47% of respondents planned to bring music to their birth.

So if you think listening to your favorite songs while you’re in labor is going to help you feel more prepared to welcome your baby into a calm and loving environment, there’s no reason not to make a playlist if you think there’s a chance you’ll be able to listen to it.

Sure, you might end up listening on the car ride home from the hospital, but at least your baby will know your favorite songs before they even know how to talk.

Read the original article on Parents