Give yourself and your baby some nourishing moments of singing. Here’s what you can do with your voice while you’re expecting.
Singing is a beautiful gift to give yourself and your baby during pregnancy. Obviously, lullabies are brilliant because your little baby (or babies) will get to know the songs while he or she is still in your belly. The songs will also ground you in the now and offer comfort.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can bring more singing into the 3 trimesters:
1st trimester
If you’re lucky, you don’t have any “morning” sickness. I had a dose of what I would rather call “all-day queasiness” with both of my boys, but not as bad as the daily vomiting that many women experience…!
I was singing during my 1st trimester because I was leading a vocal ensemble at the time, but I don’t particularly recall that I felt like singing much.
Here’s my advice: If you feel like singing or it gives you a nice distraction from feeling not too well, it’s a good idea to use your voice.
If, however, singing sends you straight out to the toilet for another date with Huuuughie, wait until you’re feeling a bit better.
And listen to beautiful music.
2nd trimester
Ah, the pleasant trimester. The sickness is hopefully gone (or on the way out) and you’re feeling more energetic. What a good time to sing! Although your baby is growing rapidly, you still have plenty of space to sing without feeling short of breath.
Dive into your favourite songs and enjoy singing! It feels so good, and the vibrations of your voice reach your baby too.
Focus on feeling good when you sing instead of sounding good. After all, you’re doing it for you!
The 2nd trimester could be a good time to sing with your partner too and let your little one get to know his/her voice.
3rd trimester
Your baby is getting big, and that means less space for your organs. I won’t say that it affects your ability to sing, but towards the end of your pregnancy you might want to take it easy with the singing (trust your body, it will let you know).
You’ll want to sing easy stuff (back to the lullabies) and anything that makes you feel good. Chanting can be nice too.
I did a couple of singing performances when I was 7 months pregnant, and it was doable, but it just felt like I had way less space and I felt a bit more out of breath. That was classical singing, though, and it does require more physical energy than most kinds of music.
I recommend that you break up the phrases of your song and keep it simple – in other words: Have a playful approach to your songs and let go of any ideas of what it’s supposed to sound like.
You don’t need to stand up to sing. Sitting comfortably on a chair or a pilates ball make great postures for singing. Or for the ultimate relaxation try lying down on your side while singing. It’s so soothing.
A last note:
Pregnant or not, you always need to listen to your body. Don’t do anything that feels uncomfortable.
My suggestions in this blog are for “normal”, uncomplicated pregnancies.
You have the full responsibility of your body.
Happy Singing!
© Nína O’Farrell 2021
Photo by Negative Space
Singing Naturally 