Childbirth and singing

[californiagirl]

My father recently had lots of surgery, and when it was over, he'd lost most of his singing range. His (female) surgeon was puzzled, saying that she hadn't heard of that from surgery before, but it was common for women after childbirth. He mentioned this to a female singer friend of his, who'd just had her second, and she was gobstruck -- she lost almost all of her range after each birth, and the doctors told her they'd never heard of such a thing. So now they're both curious; has anybody else heard of this? And if so, does anybody know why it happens, or what to do about it besides keep singing and wait for it to slowly come back? (Which, by the way, has so far worked for both of them.)

Well its happened to me, I noticed it quite soon after the birth of DD1. I used to sing Opera, I was a Mezzo-Soprano, more like a Contralto now, but I usually can't even get the breath to sing, my voice has gone completely.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has heard of this.

Funy that - I used to have a huge vocal range, and its really limited now. I can no longer sing along to a lot of the songs I used to without having to shift octave partway through. So I can blame the children, can I?

OMG I thought I was imagining it!

BTW any more Opera lovers out there?

I can't even think about it now Bron, its like a part of me has vanished.

I'm the other way round. I could never sing a note before, but since having children it could be said that I can almost carry a tune. Ok so I'll never be a performer, but at least I don't sing in a dreadful monotone anymore, I seem to have found a (limited) range of notes that were never there before.

There was a programme about this on Radio 4. A famous singer decided to have children at the hight of her career and her voice changed drastically after the births.
Sadly, she said she had only had the children out of curiosity, in case she was missing something, and now regretted it.

If dh was awake and not snoring away next to me I could get him to post a technical response to this (he is a singing teacher). It is common for the voice to change after chidbirth but usually with the correct excersises the voice can come back.

I just thought I was out of practise...OMG I am going to have lost my vioce forever

Me too, I found my upper range had disappeared after childbirth (I sing soprano in a chamber choir). I returned to choir when ds was about 3 months and the range has slowly returned, although I still feel the high notes are a bit more of a struggle (although that may be something to do with constantly catching colds off ds and his little pals).

Oh Bron..I don't know what to say Maybe we should ask JulieF's other half how to build up our voices again and then start a Mumsnet Opera Company.

I've not sung for a while except to nursery rhymes (I was a decent contralto) but this is all very depressing

hmmmm. this sounds familiar - losing range - although I have never thought about it in connection with childbirth before. I thought it was just that I sung less in the latter stages of pregnancy and the few months afterwards so was rusty. I'm going on a week long choral workshop in july which will really tell me what my voice can and can't do anymore I guess.
I'm a low contralto (have been known to beef up the tenor section when they have been short!) but my upper range certainly used to be better than it is now

I've always had a very limited range, so I can't tell! But my gran was still a star singer in her church choir, even after 5 pregnancies & 6 children.

My voice was amazing during preganancy, best ever. Now rubbish, which I had put down to lack of practice but now not sure. I can't get even low "high" notes now.

I'm really sad to read some of these stories especially Bron's.
Does anyone find that even if their top notes have gone (thinking of the sopranos here who have a bit more leeway), the rest of their range is stronger? I was a really wispy high soprano, and am now a stronger standard soprano with a fuller tone. Not that I get much chance to do my usual choral singing at the moment.
I had heard it was to do with your ribcage expanding permanently by an inch plus after you give birth for the first time. But the stories here suggest that it is much more complex than that.
Droile, I am curious to know who it was who had the kids and then knackered their voice. A lot of top women singers remain childless or adopt, I notice. I think Lesley Garrett has children, and also Barbara Bonney. But...Angela Georghiu, Cecilia Bartoli? No. Not sure about Dawn Upshaw or Anne-Sofie von Otter...

Barbara Hendricks got some too.

Oh Bron, that must be awful for you . I know how down I feel if I lose my voice for a few days with a throat infection or something.

Marina, I wish I could remember. She is young, won't be any more than 45 by now (if that) if that helps. It was quite a poignant story, because she had the children when she was right on top and I think it was a case of 'if I don't have them now, I might not be able to.'
Perhaps they'll repeat it. I think it was on Woman's Hour.

I remember her saying that having the children had added nothing to her life (or words to that effect) which was so sad.

I think that's an awful thing to say. How are her children going to feel when they hear that, which they undoubtedly will.

That's what I thought. They were little when she said it, so I suppose she thought they were unlikely to ever find out. I feel sorry for women who just don't 'get' children. I feel sorry for the children too (I was one myself) but even sorrier for the mothers. Imagine missing out on all that love and preciousness?

I was promising myself that I would get back into singing. I miss it. And now I don't know if I'll be able to. Soddit. Oh, well, yep, got the girls, forgot those