Hair Loss - Exeter,RI

L.-
My hair loss was at its WORST when my daughter was 5-6 months old. I was horrified, but it slowed down to 'normal' around her 6 1/2 month birthday. I don't know if that helps at all, but I hope it does!
C.

Hi L.!

I did have the same problem probably when my daughter was 3 months. I was convinced I was going to be bald. It was WAY over 100 strands per day. I just kept trying to deal with it and like some of the other moms said, at about 6 months, it just went back to normal. I still lose a little hair, but no more than the 100 strands now. Hang in there. Seriously.

Have you ever been tested for lyme disease? That's a common symptom of the disease. P.

Hi,

I would go back on some prenatal vitamins. Especially ones with iron(unless you are breastfeeding) Sit back and relax , do some yoga, sounds crazy but really helped me ,and believe it or not when you stop stressing about it , it will stop :)

First, let me thank you for startin this topic!!
I did not know it was normal to lose your hair after having a baby, i have an 11 month old and I shed worse than a huski!!
I really thought something was terribly wrong with me, cause each time after I brush my hair I have to pull soo much out of my brush! But apparently this is normal! Thanks so much for postin this!

Hi L.

Like the others mentioned, your natural cycle of losing older hairs is interupted during pregnancy. In the months after giving birth your body goes back into that pattern, but has to make up for lost time. I've got crazy thick hair and it's pretty long. While it's annoying to have hair falling out constantly, I look forward to it in a way. My head starts to feel lighter and my hair even becomes more controllable because it builds up so much by the end of pregnancy there is just too much. It does stop eventually. I can't say mine necessarily stopped by 6 months. I don't remember exact timing, but I remember thinking with my second that it seemed to be lasting extra long - maybe as long as a year.

H.

Hi L.,
I had the same problem after my second son.
I couldn't find any remedy for my hairloss. I remember my OBGyn saying: normally a woman loses 100 strands a day. So maybe you should do a quick counting to estimate if what you lose each time gets to that number. I know it sounds crazy but it's quite consoling.
Don't worry, it's just a phase.
Take care,

L.,
The hair loss will slow down soon. My son is coming up on 6 months now and I'm almost back to a normal amount of loss. My hair is almost down to my butt and I was cleaning my brush, tub drain and sinks daily! I had really thick hair to start with, but with the last pregnancy it got so thick it was literally as big around as my wrist when I braided it. Keep taking your prenatels or any multi-vitamin. The end is in sight! Chin up!
T.

Hi L.,

I had the same problem with both my child after pregnancy. I really dont think there is anything you can do. It was much worse with my daugther. My son is 14 months old and I am still shedding( As I call). But remember they say you lose 100 strands a hair a day. And it will grow back. I have very thick hair so it is hard to tell. If you have thin hair to begin with I would try a thickner shampoo if you havent already. But I promise it will stop and your hair will be back to normal before you know it.
The joys of pregnancy

I hope this comments helps you a little

Chris

My son is 14 months old and I am still losing hair!!!

Yes, hair loss is normal after childbirth. Being stressed out about it will just make the situation worse. You had a normal thyroid test, so focus on that and try to be positive until your body (and hair) are back to normal. I know it's not easy. When you start being stressed about it, try to focus your attention on your new, beautiful, amazing, constantly changing baby! Good luck!

I'd say give it some time. Mine usually started falling out when my kids were around 3 or 4 months and stopped a few months later. It does seem like a lot, but your body doesn't lose the old hair when you're pregnant, so you're just getting rid of everything that would have normally fallen out over the 9 months, but didn't. It's a little scary, I know, but it will stop.

Loss of hair happens every day if you�re pregnant or not as we all know a strand or two maybe more in the hair brush every morning. During pregnancy this natural process stops your body holds on to every thing using all energy trying to get that little guy or gal to grow so amazingly. What you are experiencing is kind of your body catching up on waste removal; hair, extra blood, body fat, hormones, fluids, and I�m sure there are more but the coffee hasn�t kicked in yet. LOL I hope this helps. I had two boys about 13 months apart and I had the same problem. On top of that I had stick straight hair before children now at the nape of my neck it is very curly but of course only at the nap of my neck LOL. Waiting the year before really worrying is very good advice it took nine months to get there so expect some time to go back to normal. Sending good Mommy vibes your way. I�m glad every thing else is well. A.

I had the same problem after having my son. I would have to clean out the shower drain every single day. It eventually stopped, I would say maybe around 6 months. Hopefully it'll stop for you soon, I know it's frustrating!

Hi L. --
If your protein intake falls to low, it will result in hair loss. You might try increasing your protein intake and consuming it first in each meal.
J.

Hi L.
I lost so much hair when I had my third child I thought I was dying! However, don't be alarmed, it does grow back. There is really nothing you can do. During pregnancy, because of the high levels of hormones your hair gets thicker and you don't lose the normal hair loss that occurs naturally. After the birth your body starts to go back to its normal state and all that hair that grew in the pass nine months begins to shed all at once!
S.

I lost almost the whole left side of my head worth of hair with my first. My hormone level didn't return to normal until she was 2. Just eat healthy and keep stress at a minimum or it will get worse!

I don't think the shampoo and special vitamins will make a difference - but you should check with your doctors on that. Its just a hormone imbalance. Pick a trendy hairstyle and don't chemically treat your hair or use a lot of heat. Your shafts are weak and can't tolerate it right now.

You will look fabulous before you know it!

L.,

My hair was so thick during pregnancy. I dont' think i lost a strand the whole time. My sister warned me she had alot of hair loss. Well, at around 5/6 months, the hair started coming out and coming out... i had an updo 9 months after childbirth and they had trouble hiding all the spots but never fear, it stops and the hair grows back.

Just wait it out a few months. I lost a lot of hair too. It was pretty scary to see the hair coming out in the shower and everytime I brushed it once but once it stopped, my hair still looked the same as before I was pregnant.

The hair loss is, unfortunately, normal. It occurs most often between 3-6 months postpartum. It happened with me at 3.5 months postpartum with my daughter. I'm now two months postpartum with my son, and we're preparing by stocking up on draino. ;)

It seems so excessive because during pregnancy, your body produces - and retains - more hair than it normally would. So when it does start coming out, it's a large amount, though it really isn't as bad as it seems.

You have to remember that before you were pregnant you lost about 100 hairs a day. When you were pregnant that stops for the most part. Now your body is just shedding the extra it doesn't need anymore. You have 40 weeks of extra hair on your head. Think of it this way, while your pregnant your body becomes a pack rat, now your just cleaning house (feng shui baby). It may take a year for this to slow down, but don't worry about it unless you actually see patches. Does female baldness run in your family, did you have thin hair before?

L.,

I have two kids 6 and 5 and I still periodically suffer from hair loss. I have been using a brand that Sally's Beauty carries called Folicure. It works wonders!!!! It also helps the hair that you have to grown in thicker. Love it.

Good luck.

L.

Hi, I had the same problem really bad when my son was about 4 months. I am talking receding hairline! I had my thyroid tested too and it was normal. I take Womens One A Day vitamins and I was using stregthening shampoo. Eventually after about a month or so, my hair got stronger and grew back. It just takes time. Good luck!

Hi L.,
I had my daughter( 1st child) last May and within 3-4 months was losing more than what I thought was the usually amount of hair, it was coming out in 3-4 clumps a day. I did go see a dermatologist and she did a whole profile of blood work and everything came back fine.
From personal experience, even talking to my hair dresser and her experiences with her clients, it is all related to hormones. Within 7 months(when I finished breastfeeding) my hair started to come back to it's normal thickness. None of my friends went through the hair loss to the extent I did, so I was concerned and that is why I saw my family doctor and the dermatologist, more to reassure myself. I would say if you are that concerned to go see a dermatologist to reassure yourself, but 99% of the time it is due to hormones and the hair does grow back.
Hope this gives some reassurance there are other mom's out there who have gone through the same thing.
Have a good day.
K.