Mum's the word

New motherhood and its effects on the careers of professional musicians is a subject rarely broached. It's time to break the silence, says Anne Templer

- By Anne Templer

Among the many remarkable aspects of Clara Schumann's life was the fact that she gave birth to eight children – seven of whom lived to adulthood. Given she lived in the 19th century, it is astonishing that she continued her career as an international concert pianist throughout her pregnancies – and indeed was still pregnant with her last child when husband Robert was committed to an asylum.

While not quite at Clara's level, many musicians today must navigate significant obstacles associated with pregnancy and childbirth, yet curiously the topic is often avoided. This may come from a place of good intention – to avoid appearing sexist, fellow professionals prefer to concentrate on safer, work-related topics. But to ignore this profound event seems neglectful and unnecessary. Becoming a mother is, after all, one of life's most significant milestones and cannot simply be boxed neatly away. The impacts are spiritual, creative, mental and physical, and being aware of how pregnancy and childbirth affect female musicians does matter.

For cultural and financial reasons, many contemporary women have fewer children – and later in life – than in Clara Schumann's day. But whatever their age, coping with very early stages of pregnancy can, for some, throw up a number of different obstacles. 'When I fell pregnant, I was gigging one to three nights per week, every week,' Claire, a saxophonist and clarinettist, reveals to me. 'I was so sick (with hyperemesis gravidarum) that I wasn't able to manage one gig throughout the whole pregnancy.'