Singers are more than aware of the challenges that come with carrying their instruments in their bodies. It generally is not possible to see what is happening physically when singing, so singers learn vocal technique based primarily on kinesthetic awareness. Each singer becomes attuned to how her body must operate to achieve optimum vocal quality. But what happens if your body changes? When I became pregnant, this question had more significance than ever before.
Through my own recent experiences as a pregnant woman, I have learned much about the physical changes and resulting issues singers face during pregnancy—and whether it is possible to continue to pursue a serious singing career while pregnant. Here is my story.
The First Trimester
“Morning sickness” symptoms (in my case, nausea and fatigue) adversely affected my singing during this period. I was unable to practice regularly. I felt it best to stop taking lessons until my symptoms waned, and I had to cancel an audition. The three concert performances that I gave during this time are a blur; my only goal was to get through them without being sick onstage.
Hormonal changes during the first trimester slowed my digestive system to allow more nutrients to reach the fetus, which resulted in heartburn and acid reflux. My general practitioner recommended that I stop taking all prescription medications until I met with my obstetrician (eight weeks later), so I went off of my acid reflux medication. After doing so, I began to notice hoarseness and some loss of flexibility in my upper register.
When my uterus and breasts began to grow during the first trimester, I started to obsess about changes in my outward appearance. My clothes were a little snug and shirts were shorter. Like most women, I looked as if I had gained some weight, but my pregnancy was not yet obvious. This resulted in frustration when regular clothes no longer fit but maternity clothes remained too big. As a soubrette, I knew that I would be less marketable if overweight, and I worried I would never regain my pre-pregnancy figure.
The sudden hormonal changes and subsequent mood swings of the first trimester resulted in all-consuming stress about becoming a mother. I lost all motivation to work on my singing. I am normally a highly motivated individual, so this sudden lack of enthusiasm was upsetting to me, and there was nothing I could do to regain it. Also emotionally challenging was the standard practice of not announcing the pregnancy until the fourth month; it was difficult to be feeling so out-of-sorts without understanding and support from colleagues.
The Second Trimester
As my hormone levels continued to rise during the second trimester, every organ system in my body was affected. My ribcage enlarged and lung capacity expanded, increasing my breathing rate and bringing more oxygen into my bloodstream. This caused some shortness of breath, but I noticed it only if I was singing while doing complicated staging, and it was rectified with practice. The speed and amount of blood flow also increased, resulting in swollen mucus membranes throughout my body. These membranes included the vocal folds as well as the linings of the nasal cavity, nose, and sinuses. Swelling resulted in my voice tiring more quickly than usual, but there was no loss of quality. My body also produced more mucus in an attempt to prevent infections. I experienced more nasal congestion and postnasal drip and I also had an ear infection. None of these noticeably affected my singing, however.
I noticed some absentmindedness and concentration difficulties during the second trimester because of the brain directing some blood flow away from itself so as to nourish the growing fetus. It was more of a challenge for me to stay focused during long rehearsals, and I had problems remembering lyrics and staging, which was not typical for me. I also felt more mentally tired after evening rehearsals than I had before pregnancy.
As my uterus continued to grow during the second trimester, it caused my center of gravity to shift as internal organs were pushed out of place. This physical change resulted in clumsiness and soreness in my back and lower abdominal muscles. Evidence of this physical change also manifested itself when I was doing complex staging and choreography in heels: there were several occasions when I lost my balance. Switching to lower heels with rubber soles allowed me to move freely without fear of falling.
The muscles in my esophagus continued to relax during the second trimester, allowing stomach acid to reflux more easily, especially when I was lying down. After resuming my medication and making some dietary adjustments, reflux did not affect me as badly as it had in the first trimester. In fact, I thought that my voice felt and sounded better than it had before pregnancy.
As my body became more accustomed to higher hormone levels by the second trimester, my morning sickness symptoms subsided. I had more energy and a better emotional outlook. Like most women in this stage, I was relieved and excited to finally look and feel pregnant. When I shared the news of my pregnancy with my colleagues and teachers, I was pleasantly surprised by how supportive they were. I had not yet gained much weight, so I continued to audition during my second trimester without auditors realizing I was pregnant. I had an unusual degree of success at auditions during this time. I attribute this to having nothing to lose by auditioning—even if I was not hired, something wonderful was happening in my life.
The Third Trimester
During this time, almost all of my symptoms were caused by the expansion of my uterus, the top of which reached the bottom of my ribcage by the end of pregnancy. This expansion created upward pressure on my diaphragm and downward pressure on my pelvic floor, both of which caused my abdomen to feel crowded. Physical activity became more taxing and I grew tired quickly. Rest was difficult to come by, however, as it was a challenge to find a comfortable sleeping position. The fatigue and discomfort left me bereft of motivation to practice, and it was difficult to find time in the day to do so because my body was demanding extra rest.
The upward pressure on my diaphragm also made deep breathing impossible, and I began to experience pain when attempting to do so because the skin on my abdomen feltlike it was stretching too far. My expanding uterus also limited the capacity of my stomach, which caused more acid reflux. This time, my medication was ineffective, as were dietary and lifestyle adjustments (elevating the head of the bed, for example). Inadequate breath support and swollen folds from reflux kept me from singing pitches above A6 for the last month of pregnancy, and I feared permanent vocal damage.
During the last six weeks of my pregnancy, I experienced a condition called sciatica, caused by the uterus pressing on the sciatic nerve at the bottom of the spine. For me, this meant pain, tingling, and weakness radiating from my right hip downward past my knee. I could not lift my leg off the ground or put weight on it, and walking became nearly impossible. Doing any kind of staging or choreography was out of the question.
Despite these hardships, I continued to perform and audition for local work during my third trimester. These activities helped me feel like I was still “in the game” in spite of my altered physical state. Comments from auditors ranged from an enthusiastic “You look and sound great!” to a pessimistic “You know performing will be impossible once the baby comes, right?” I was cast in two productions while in my ninth month. I decided not to audition for Young Artist Programs this year—in part because my due date conflicted with the audition season, but also because I felt it would be unfair to leave my baby for the extended period of time that such a program would require.
Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum
During labor, singing techniques helped me manage pain and deliver more efficiently. Maintaining deep abdominal breathing and singing simple vocalises during contractions both distracted me from pain and moved breath through my body, which kept me relaxed. Lip and tongue trills kept my tongue and jaw loose, which in turn prevented me from tensing muscles in my lower half that would have resulted in increased pain. The abdominal strength I had developed for breath support allowed me easy access to the muscles used to push the baby out when the time came.
Recovery from childbirth was unpleasant. My vaginal area was sore for several weeks, and muscles in my abdomen, back, and pelvic floor were weak, making any physical activity, including singing, challenging. The first notes that I sang after the birth were wobbly and out of tune. Without the uterus to push against, I found that it was almost impossible to access the abdominal muscles I needed for breath support. These muscles had stretched and a split had formed between them just above my naval. I continue to work with a physical therapist to repair the split and regain strength in the abdominal wall.
The hormone adjustments postpartum and during breastfeeding have caused some changes to my voice. My range is lower and my timbre darker. I hope that these changes are temporary, but time will tell. By far the most significant factor affecting my singing postpartum, however, is exhaustion. Like most new mothers, I have not slept through the night since my son’s birth. Finding time and energy to practice does not happen on a typical day, yet I have spent many hours listening to recordings, reading books and articles, and studying libretti while nursing.
Is it possible to pursue a singing career while pregnant? I have found that it is, although I have more closely examined my choices about the type of career I am pursuing. Being pregnant and having a child have reminded me that there are parts of life that are much bigger than myself and my career goals. As a wise voice teacher once told me, “Your desire to perform will fade. But family and relationships, these are the things that sustain us.”
