Hair Loss After Breastfeeding

Man, I remember those days!! I swear I was loosing fistfulls of hair everyday. It freaked me out, I thought I was going bald. So much so that I ended up going to the doctor. She said it was due to the hormonal loss. Your hormones take a steep drop after the birth of your child and ceasing the breastfeeding that your hair may fall out. Rest assured, it's only temporary and you won't go bald.

the same thing happened to me. it stopped eventually and before i went bald. lol!

I have experienced my hair falling out by the handfuls with both of my pregnancies. I have read that it is less to do with breastfeeding and more to do with a woman's hormones. It usually happens around the time the baby is 3 months old. My youngest is now 6 months old and I still experience my hair falling out. Although it is beginning to taper off. It is a ying and yang thing. Your hair thickens during pregnancy due to hormomes and then falls out after having the baby due to hormones. You can read more about it on babycenter.com.

after all four of my children I had some major hair loss,some worse than others.At one point I actually looked like I had a rceding hair line. It is just your hormones and not from stopping her breastfeeding.Don't worry it will start to grow back in soon. That was six years ago and now my hair is fine.

Dear T........Hair loss after the birth of your child or after completing breast feeding is an indication of hormonal fluctuations and is relatively common. Over time, your hormones will naturally achieve homeostasis (their natural levels).

Continue to eat well, get as much rest as possible and allow time to do the healing work. If, however, you find that your system appears to be on "stuck" and that the hair loss continues, oftentimes accompanied by lethargy and some depression, there are homeopathic remedies and herbs which can assist in the reset of your system.

Sincerely,
C.

Hi Trina,

Hair loss after birth is a common problem, assuming it's not in chunks. It is frustrating to see strands of hair all over your house especially in the bathroom! Your body is adjusting to a different hormone level after birth or the end of lactating. If your really concerned call your OB/GYN.

J.

It isn't related to the breastfeeding, unfortunately it is something that happens after delivery! My son is 9 months old and (I am still breastfeeding exclusively) have been "shedding" like crazy, worrying if I'll have to wear a wig, for the past few months. I read that it's expected after delivery. Our hair goes into a resting stage while pregnant and our hair will be thicker and not shed so much. But after delivery, the old hair is shed for new growth. They state it takes anywhere from 6-9 months after delivery for your hair to get back into it's original growth. I had really long hair, but it became so thin from shedding, that just last week I had my hairdresser chop it off - I now sport a short 'do!

It takes time, but hang in there!! ;+)

yes this is quite normal. your hair grows in cycles, which means that most of your hair is growing and some hair is dormant. the dormant hair has a tendency to fall out. normally you do not notice this because it is such a small amount. however, while you are pregnant, none of your hair is in the dormant stage - it is all growing - thus your hair becames thicker. (i believe it is due to your hormonal change). so after you have the baby and are done breastfeeding (breastfeeding maintains the hormonal balance, your hair goes back to its normal cycle. and unfortunately at the beginning alot of hair tends to fall out. do not worry though, your hair will not get thinner than your pre-pregnancy thickness. --- S.

HI,
Has your doctor checked your thyroid?
Good Luck.
S.

After pregnancy you lose all the extra luscious hair you gained from pregnancy! Don't worry, you won't go bald - you'll just go back to normal. I'm still breastfeeding (6 months now) but my extra hair is starting to come out a lot faster than it was because we've started introducing solids and my baby nurses less now. You should lose 100 hairs a day (for non-pregnant women) and at least twice that if you have "recently" had a baby.

I went through the same thing after I finished breastfeeding my son. I started after I stopped taking my prenatal vitamins. I was told it is normal. It may keep happening for a while but it will eventually stop.

This is normal - all the really thick hair you "kept" during pregnancy is falling out now. You're kind of catching up for the last 9 months. It will stop around 6 months or so.

hormones. I continued to breast-feed my son and my hair still fell out at five months. It's just part of the deal. It's lessened considerably over the last two months, but now he's getting into everything, so I'm pulling it out instead.

Yes, it is normal. My hair came out in gobs in the shower and it freaked me out. Not to mention when I would run my fingers through my hair during the day. But yes, it is normal. It will slow down soon and the normal loss during washing and drying will happen. Hope this helps.

Yes, it's normal. I lost tons of hair after I stopped breastfeeding. You lose less hair while your pregnant and breastfeeding than you do when you're not, so it all sort of saves up until your hormone levels go back to normal. :)

Hi Trina,

It is very normal for your hair to fall out. So dont worry it will grow back. My hair started to fall out after I had my daughter now 19mo. and my other friend hair did the same. Just know that you are okay.

M.