Don't know how much help I can be, but I was a voice major in college. My
voice was a very high and light soprano. After my first baby was born at 23,
my voice went through a series of changes. My second child was born 18
months later, and I tandem nursed . I was hired to sing in a professional
choir and resigned shortly before baby #2 arrived due to the extreme changes
in my voice. I also was having problems with my breathing due to asthma.
I have since had two more children and my voice problems resolved. I cured
my asthmatic problems with diet, and my voice settled and in the end it is
now far richer and fuller than it was before I had children. I am now 33. I
am still a soprano, but my middle range is much fuller than it was before.
My question would be How old is this mother? If she is young, her voice may
just be going through a maturity process. Soprano voices don't mature until
35. I do believe that the changes she is experiencing are probably related
to the hormones of pregnancy and postpartum. When I went through this, I
talked to several other singers that experienced the same thing, and none of
them had breastfed. It is so typical to want to blame the breastfeeding!!
My voice teacher at the time was very familiar with singers having time
adjusting after their children were born. It is a very difficult instrument
to have, since you can't just put it down when you are tired!! Everything
involving new motherhood, puts a tremendous tax on the voice. It would be
my suggestion that breastfeeding and cosleeping would help this mother rest
more than bottlefeeding would, and put LESS of a strain on her voice.
Perhaps this mother can take a semester off, and spend this time with her
baby and resting and then return to her studies, or if that is not possible,
I would suggest that she embrace the changes in her voice. She may have to
try different repetoire than she has been accustomed to working on. I would
also advise her to watch her diet very carefully. It wasn't until after my
children were born that I discovered that some of the chemical additives in
my diet were responsible for my vocal problems. I cut out all chemicals in
my diet , the preservatives in many cereals and granola bars and prepared
foods were mostly responsible for my voice difficulties. The preservatives
BHT and BHA were the biggest problems for me, as well as food dyes i.e. RED
40 etc and the preservatives potassium sorbate, propylene glycol, and sodium
benzoate. Incidentally, this is how I cured my asthma, as well as my son
Gregory's horrible asthma attacks. I had many trips to the ER with him as a
preschooler, until we changed our diets. Now neither of us use any inhalers,
nebulizers or meds at all. Gregory (now 9) had his last severe attack 3
years ago after eating L*fe cereal at a friend's house! My mother and
sister have also eliminated asthma attacks with this same diet. Their
problems are much more severe. They also react to pesticide residues on
produce.
It is my thought that childbirth itself puts such a strain on women's bodies
and changes us so dramatically hormonally, that health issues that affected
us before we became mothers suddenly become more apparent after birth.
So, don't have any statistics to quote or any really impressive info to back
up my opinions, but have my own experiences, and now with four children and
one still nursing now, my voice long ago stablized and I did not have any
changes in my voice after babies #3 and 4!! I hope she continues
breastfeeding her baby!! It would be a shame for her to wean her baby.
Breastfeeding being sacrificed on the altar of ignorance again!!!! (And
I myself would lay money on the odds that her voice will not change even if
the baby weaned) Hope this helps! Please feel free to pass on my email
addy to this mom if you want, and I would be more than happy to chat in more
detail with her. ( I am a LLL Leader and former voice major at a large
university, spent the summer of 1987 at the International Music Festival in
Aspen, Colorado on scholarship for voice so I am sure I could relate to her
situation)
Lisa Papas in Michigan [log in to unmask]
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