Voice Problems After Childbirth

Hi,
Don't know much about it but I remember when "Anita Baker" the professional singer... had her baby, she lost her voice too. *** But she eventually got it back...
Ask the Doctor. they must know about that happening!

GOOD LUCK!
Keep Singing....
T....

I think you know by now that you're not alone. I just wanted to add my two cents because I'm just finding this out, too. I'm no vocalist by any stretch of the imagination, but I had a pretty nice shower voice. I lost it all when I became pregnant 8 years ago (and more nasal-sounding), and I thought it was just a "me" problem. I guess it is the hormones changing as other mommies suggested. When I asked by ob/gyn about it, she was clueless. In an effort to say something/anything, she said it would come in handy when it comes time to yell at the kid. Real professional. I was saddened when I couldn't even sing lullabies without cracking. I gave up. This is my voice now. But good luck to you in your quest to recover your singing voice. I think your kids would appreciate it.

OMG! I am sooo happy to see that I am not the only one! I have the same exact issue! I am/was a professional singer and was able to sing up to 6mos of pregnancy then my voice started getting hoarse and strained....and I haven't regained my full range or strength since I gave birth....which was 2 years ago!!!! I have been soo upset about it! Nobody seems to have the right answer. I got my chords scoped and they said it could be acid reflux and to go on medication....I didn't do it because I felt that taking something wasn't the answer. Plus, those meds are NOT cheap! I still can't sing..and I am still looking for answers. I was thinking that maybe it was a hormonal issue??? Any thoughts?

Hi C., I also love to sing. Your hormones may have changed and with three under 5 you are talking and maybe raising your voice during the day. We do go through changes during our lives. I lost my voice after taking meds for an allergy that led to COPD. You may have to work your way back up to your previous range or accept that your voice has changed. See what you are able to do after resting your voice if that is possible. Try singing in a lower key.Also try some tea with honey. I understand your frustration but I was able to sing this year in our church Christmas show after lots of practice. Don't stop singing, it's so good for your soul. I sang to all my children and they always say how much they loved it. I also played guitar and all four of my sons are musicians. Good wishes, Grandma Mary

I have not had your experience, but I've known singers whose voices changed after childbirth. I had a friend who went from a low soprano/high alto to low alto/tenor. It's amazing...all the different ways our bodies change after pregnancy - some explained, some not! Good luck and keep singing!

Sometimes thyroid changes happen during pregnancy. Maybe this is the problem. Good Luck B.

Hi!
I've had similar issues, and was also told it was due to acid reflux damaging my vocal cords.
I've had bad acid reflux/gerd issues for years. But when I was pregnant, my general doctor wouldn't refill my prescription for it, so for a month or so I suffered really bad with reflux. I couldn't eat hardly anthing till I got to my OBGYN for a refill.
So I wasn't really surprised when the ENT said that was the cause. He said to double my Prilosec dose each day, and that within a couple/few months things should be alot better.
I don't actually lose my voice, but do get hoarse alot, and I have a constant feeling of a thick coating over the back of my throat that I can't get out.
Ask/suggest this all to your doctor, see what they think. AND it doesn't hurt to get a second oppinion from another ENT. The first one I went to wanted to do all kinds of surgeries, the second one saw no reason to.
Good luck.
--J.

Are you sure it's not your thyroid?
Grandma to 11

C.,

Although I cannot personally report a problem with my voice during pregnancy (my singing voice is never worth listening to!) I have definitely heard that the hormonal changes we go through during pregnancy can affect voice quality. I'm thinking I read somewhere that hormones can change the shape of our voicebox, thus changing our sound? In addition, the baby pushing our organs out of place can effect our ability to get a good breath for singing.

I don't think that there is anything you can do about it. Sounds like your body has not yet recovered from birthing 3 babies in such a short period of time. If you are still nursing that could prolong it. I do believe that it goes away (or your voice comes back), so give yourself some time. It can take at least four years from the time we stop nursing for our bodies to get back to normal (I'm not talking about weight, but hormones).

Hopefully someone will have more scientific details than what I have shared, but I did want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you and it should end in the future!

D.
mom to 5 children

i was a singer too - back in the day....
i also had voice problems for over a year. somebody finally diagnosed me with reflux (even though i never felt any stomach symptoms) and treated me with nexium. after a few months, i stopped the meds and was fine. it was an ENT that diagnosed me. worth a consideration - especially since so many of us suffer from reflux with pregnancy.

Hi C.,

I'm a professional opera singer and I know lots of other professional singers who are mommies, and for each of us the effect that pregnancy had on our voices is a little different. However, if after 5 years you are struggling with hoarseness and register holes, I don't think it is something necessarily related to childbirth (it's usually the hormones involved in pregnancy and immediately post-partum that can do wacky things to the voice). Do you currently work with a voice teacher? Or perhaps a voice/speech therapist -- as a SAHM mom with 3 children under 5, there is certainly a possibility that you may be misusing or overusing your speaking voice, not to mention (as some mommies already did) that you could have reflux that continues to inflame your vocal folds.

Sorry to hear that your ENTs have been unable to tell you anything useful! Good luck and I hope you find your way back to vocal health soon. :)

Did any of these ENT's look at your vocal cords? I am just asking because I am a teacher and a few years ago I had the same problem. I also had reflux pretty bad. It turned out that from the reflux and straining my voice for so long I developed nodules on my vocal cords. My ENT is the one who discovered it. Nodules are very common in teachers and singers. I had surgery to remove mine and I was fine. It is worth looking into.

I had the same problem. It was depressing! I saw an ENT, and he diagnosed minor reflux, which is a very common thing in pregnancy. He told me that you can have very mild reflux that may not feel like heartburn, but there is just enough stomach acid in your throat to irritate your vocal chords and make you hoarse. The treatment is a change in diet and lifestyle (cut grease, spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, don't eat within 2 hours of going to sleep, etc.). If that doesn't work, you can go on medication--zantac, pepcid, etc. He also told me that carbonated drinks are pretty bad for reflux which I didn't know, and he said that just cutting out carbonated drinks could do the trick! Hope that's helpful.

Holy s@#%, I thought I was the only one. This is crazy, I thought I was crazy and it was all in my head. I'm so excited to hear this happened to someone else. I also was a singer; wedding singer, sang in a couple bands in college, karaoke queen, and in my car of course. Same symptoms, lose of range, voice cutting out, can't hit the high notes, can't sing as loud. I haven't gone to any doctors because I thought I was just out of practice and that's all it was. Then I started getting soar throats. I just gave up on singing. I wish I could tell you I knew what it was but I'm in the same boat you are. Please let me know if you find anything out. My girls are 2 and 10 months and it started right after my first daughter was born. My brother is getting married this September and I had to turn down singing at their wedding. I was so upset.

C. R

It is totally natural to lose your voice a little bit after childbirth, especially if you had not kept up rigorous practicing during your pregnancy. The muscles that over a lifetime you had cultivated in order to sing have now become stretched out and weak. There is nothing a doctor of any kind can do for you. All you need to do is begin to practice again. Twenty minutes for the first few days, and gradually increasing to an hour over a week or two. Be sure to being with easy, five-note warm ups, and then move on to scaler or arpeggiated warm ups, and then sing some songs. After a month you should see significant strength returning to your voice, and you will no longer lose it by the end of the day.

This has nothing to do with your throat, or anything medical. It is merely a matter of gently restrengthening the muscles.

I have a friend who sings and she's been very upset at losing her singing voice. She's currently 6 months pregnant and her doctor diagnosed her with acid reflux as the culprit. She's hoping it will come back soon after birth so she can sing to her new baby. Maybe that's whats happening to you. It can occur and not necessarily cause pain....the hoarsenes is a good indicator also.

Dear C. S,

You seems to be having a medical problem. However, do take into consideration that you use you voice quite a lot more since you became a mother.

Usuing your voice so much has a tremendous presure on your vocal cord. With your doctor's help first, I recommend that you use honey and lemmon mixed together, one tea-spoon perhaps three to four time a day to soothe your voical cord.

A.

Hi C.,

Have you kept up with your breathing exercises? Pregnancy stretches and loosens muscles, including the diaphram. My husband teaches voice, and I asked him about this. Without seeing you and how you speak and sing, his best guess going on what you've written is that you are not supporting your breathing properly, hence the reduction in range, and damage to your voice (the hoarseness). Another thought, echoed here, is that there could be an issue with reflux. One of the women I teach with is *always* losing her voice and hoarse. Her reflux is so bad, that it has caused scar tissue on her vocal cords. She's been told to completely cut out caffeine, carbonation, and some other things I can't recall at the moment. HTH! J.

Hi C. - I am a professional singer in NY. One of my colleagues had the same problem after she had her baby. Her voice did eventually come back after she was diagnosed with Acid reflux and put on medication. If you live in NYC I have a FANTASTIC Otolaryngologist who can look at your vocal chords and give you a proper diagnosis. If you are interested email me directly at ____@____.com,
D.

C.,
I too have lost of my vocal ability since having children. I am not sure if it is the lack of training (I used to sing daily!) or because I find myself talking nearly all day because I am home with my children? Not sure what else to tell you, but am anxious to hear what some other singers have said...
S.

Many people's problems with hoarseness resolve with taking iron supplements. Women tend to be anemic because of menstruation. A pregnant woman "donates" much of her body's iron to give the baby stores for its first year, and she needs more for herself because of her own increased blood volume during pregnancy. All this can add up to chronic low-grade or borderline anemia. I think the link was discovered when women were being treated for low iron and their hoarseness disappeared.

M.