Question
My baby had a loud voice at birth, but after crying during a bath, the voice became hoarse. Now it’s almost impossible to hear the crying sound; it just sounds hoarse. It’s been over a month, and there’s no improvement. I’ve seen a doctor at a local hospital, and they didn’t give a clear answer, saying it might be laryngitis. The baby has a blue tint in the mouth (the baby has congenital heart disease, which seems unrelated). The baby is currently in good health, showing no signs of shortness of breath, and eating is normal. The only issue is that the baby can’t cry loudly.
Answer
A baby’s hoarse voice might be related to the baby’s frequent loud talking or noise-making, as loud noises or talking can cause vocal cord damage. If this happens regularly, it can lead to chronic vocal cord damage and the development of long-term hoarseness. Hoarseness is also a major symptom of chronic laryngitis. How to treat a child with hoarseness? Some children may have nasal congestion, enlarged tonsils, or adenoid hypertrophy, which often leads to dry throat mucosa due to frequent mouth breathing; repeated coughing increases laryngeal muscle fatigue and causes hoarseness. Most children become hoarse due to excessive voice use, loud shouting, crying, singing beyond their range, leading to hoarseness. Hoarseness patients can be examined with a laryngoscope, where vocal cord congestion, swelling, nodules, or polyps may be visible. The key to treating chronic laryngitis is to remove the cause, speak less, and rest the voice most importantly.