Hair Loss After Giving Birth

There is a combination vitamin/mineral supplement called "HAIR, SKIN & NAILS" at whole foods that should help

There is nothing you can do about it, it will just happen. It has nothing to do with stress. My hair dresser warned me of that right before I had my daughter, that when she's about 4 mos old, you hair will start to fall out. This is because you don't lose hair when you are pregnant, at least not as much, and the growth cycle of hair changes. At least this is what I gathered from what she told me. So, just get ready for the huge clumps of hair and cleaning the drain each time you shower. My hair loss lasted for at least a couple of months. I, too, grew a whole new row of bangs, and I was still on my prenatals the whole time. It's a small price to pay.

I.,
Unfortunately hair loss is usually part of the whole package. You may be able to reduce it by increasing calcium and protein. I've been able to tell where my postpartums were by the thickness of my hair. Also, the prenatal vitamins certainly can't hurt after the baby is born.

good luck,
N.

www.artofopening.com

Hi I.. I don't think there are any vitamins that will help this. It is caused by the extreme drop in hormone levels after giving birth. The same thing happened to me. I think it happens to everyone, really, but the type of hair you have determines how noticeable it is (at least that's my going theory). I don't know about you, but my hair is very fine and straight, and it was pretty obvious when those little short hairs started coming in in the front! My best advice is just to get a good haircut when the hair starts falling out, and get regular trims throughout the re-growing process. Good luck!

You should definitely continue to take your prenatal vitamins after having the baby. How long I am not sure, but it should probably be at least a few (3-4)months, or as long as you are nursing. Your body went through a lot of changes being pregnant. One of the those being that near the start of the 3rd trimester your hair stopped falling out the way it does on a normal basis. Then once you have the baby, your hair will start to fall out the way it normally does. But taking the vitamins will help your body ease back into non-pregnancy and replace any nutrition that you lost having the baby in your belly. Other than this, I don't know if there is anything you can do from losing that much hair. :) Good Luck

Dear I.,

After I gave birth to my first child, I noticed a bald spot on my head, which of course, totally freaked me out. I now know that "certain vitamins" or lack thereof, definitely contribute to this not happening. You are/were most likely nutritionally deficient. Most prenatals do not fit the bill they are intended to do. I would like to suggest to you that you take a look at the supplements created by USANA Health Sciences.

I wholeheartedly believe that you should be taking supplements at the very least throughout your nursing years. Studies show that moms that take biomega (fish oil) through their pregnancies and nursing months have children with higher IQ's and better health. I would love to discuss this with you further or at least provide you with more information so that you can make an informed decision about how to care for your body in the most effective way, as well as the bodies of your children.

Feel free to email me at ____@____.com. Visit my website at http://P..usana.com. And call me at your convenience at ###-###-####.

Looking forward to bettering the health of you and your children.

P. P.
Health/Wealth Consultant
USANA Health Sciences
http://P..usana.com

Just want you to know that you're not alone. My baby is 15 months now, and I have a nice new set of bangs, as well as new hair in back and all over my head. I just used some shampoo my hair stylist recommended for hair loss. Good luck!!

This happened to me and it terrified me at the time. I'd be in the shower and whole clumps of hair would come out.

ANyway, I went online and found that when you are pregnant and creating goo-gobs of estrogen, that hair enters a growth phase, and the shedding is literally shut off. So all during pregnancy, your hair continues to grow out of control. After 3 months or so after having the baby, the growth phase suddenly shuts off and the shedding phase turns on and hair that would have been shed during those months during the growth phase ALL come out.

Hair has a growth cycle, which is different for everyone, and at the end of the growth cycle, it will shed. If the estrogen growth phase keeps the hair growing and not shedding, when the shedding phase returns, all of that hair sheds at the same time, which makes you begin to look and feel like a chemotherapy patient.

I'm not sure what you could do to prevent it. I have spoken to other women who did not experience the fallout, but they also said that neither did they experience tremendous growth either.

Hi I.,

My baby girl is 4 months old and I've been loosing hair by the fistfuls for the past month. In my case I didn't loose much hair at all while I was pregnant, so I think I'm just making up for the hair that didn't fall out those 9 months. I am still taking prenatal vitamins because the ones I'm taking are formulated for breast feeding as well, so I don't think that slows the shedding.

Don't know if that helps, but thought I'd share!

Best,

H.

Hi, I had the same problem and went to the doc because it was so bad. She told me the obvious, that it was hormonal. She suggested that I not wash my hair more than twice a week and to use a VitaTress Biotin Creme as a leave in conditioner (used on the scalp to help regenerate hair growth). They have a whole line of products that you can purchase (I bought mine online). I just purchased the shampoo and biotin creme. It's hard to say if it really "works" or not but the leave in conditioner has some sort of mint in it that makes my scalp feel GREAT. Good luck taming the "sprouts" that regrow!

I think it happens to everyone regardless of what vitamins you take. Your body holds onto the hair while you're pregnant and then you lose it at about 4 mos after delivery. Eventually it grows back. It happened to me with every one of my 3 pregnancies and my hairdresser told me it happens to all his clients after they have babies.

I lost a ton of hair after having each of my kids even though I continued taking prenatal vitamins and used a shampoo/conditioner called Nioxin that supposedly helps to stimulate circulation to the scalp. My hair did eventually grow back and it looks very healthy. It doesn't hurt to keep taking the vitamins and as far as the shampoo goes, it was a little pricey but it smelled good and who knows, maybe it helped. :0)

OMG! I lost so much hair with my first. It was awful. With my second I didn't loose any hair. Here was the differance:

1stpg: Stressful with a new baby. Everything was new. I also had pre-eclaympsia and high blood presure 8 weeks PP.

2nd pg: Very healthy. Did pre-natal yoga 3 days a week and walk the Hills 5 days a week with my 2 year old in a stroller until I gave birth. I took the same vitamins every day pre-and post and still take them. They are a brand called USANA. Now don't think I'm trying to sell you but I began selling them after my 2nd was born because I truly believe it made all the difference in the world. I took their Essentials, Proflavonal, Bio-mega 3, vitamin c and calcium/magnesium.

Here's the info if you want it.

www.debragainor.usana.com

Good Luck!
D.

Hi I.,

I have a son that is almost 1 year old and my hair is STILL falling-out! I started losing it when he was 5 months and it got so bad, I had to cut my long hair off to my chin. (it was so thin and dry).

Have you had your thyroid checked? If you are suffering from a hypo thyroid (underactive thyroid) it can lead to hair loss/thinning). Some pregnant women (even after a pregnancy) can experience shifts in their thyroid levels. It is definitely worth mentioning to your doctor and have the generation 3&4 panal blood tests done just to rule it out.

I have a hypo-thyroid condition, so I wanted to throw that potential hair-loss cause out there to you and any of the other ladies experiencing this.

Also, when my son was about 5 months, I stopped nursing COLD turkey, started my first post-pregnancy period AND started the Pill all the same week....something I don't recommend to anyone, but made my hormone levels go crazy for months. This I think, also led to my drastic hair loss.

All I can say is eat plenty of protein (fish/lean chicken/steak/pork) and continue to take your pre-natal vitamins. I was told there is nothing 'really' you can do...and it was all hormonal.

Regardless, I hope this helps and wish you much luck!
:)

Hi I.,

Although I don't think vitamins can hurt, I don't think you can avoid the hair falling out. When you become pregnant an interesting thing happens. All your growth cells go on the grow cycle. I don't know if you noticed that your hair during your pregnancy got so nice and thick. that is because each hair has its own growth cycle and most of the time all your hairs are on a staggered cycle (otherwise we would go bald once a month) Anyway because all the hairs went on growth at the same time during pregnancy that means they all fall out together. After a while they start to stagger the cycle again and it doesnt seem that you are loosing as many hairs . Does that make sence? Although having a new baby is stressful (and you were built for it) it is not making your hair fall out. It is just part of the way your body acts. J.

Hi Isabelle. I hope you are having a wonderful pregnancy. The same thing happened to me after the birth of my 2nd baby.It started about 8 or 9 months after, I lost most of my hair and my skin broke out in acne like i'd never had. It took many months and supplementation to get back to normal. I was very concerned when I became p.g with my 3rd child. I did some research. 1st thing, yes you should keep taking you prenatels for at least 9 months, lnger if you are nursing. It took your amazing body 9 months to bring for life, it will take it at least that long to recover. The 2nd thing, those changes, the hair loss ect, are due to the shifting in you hormones. Think about it. The radical shift that happens during pregenancy, it all has to eventully shift back, right. So in my research, I found out that when you get p.g., Proestrogen levels rise, and then after birth, they eventully plummit. So after the birth of my third son, I got some natural proestrogen cream, (made by emertia) and did some mild supplementation with that. It really helped my hair and skin gradually go from amazing thick glowey prego state to normal me state,( which I like). No one told me about it. I am really into holistic health care and so I just used what knowlegde I have and some reseach and intution. I am p.g. with my 4th baby due early March, so if you want, i'll let you know how it goes this time around. Good luck to you!!!!Take care.

I have 2 yr old and a almost 10 month old. My hair is still falling out. It has slowed down a bit, but every time I get out of the shower it is rather depressing. After the 3rd month of having my 2nd child, it started. I wasn't as good about my prenatal vit either after the baby. Too many things going on. Good luck. Maybe ask your midwife or doctor about this so you know what to expect.

This happened to me with both of my pregnancies and it's horrible, but I don't think you can avoid it... As the other ladies pointed out it's the growth cycle, etc. I would definitely try the vitamins, even after the birth because it just might help and they'll certainly help with your energy.
Congratulations on your growing family!
All the best,
M.

Hi I.
I have a 5 month old, boy and my hair just stopped falling out 2 weeks ago, and I feel like I have hardly any hair left after going through 2 months of hair loss. I am also a USANA sales associate, and I would STRONGLY recommend that you look into USANA supplements for during your pregnancy, but I will admit that the supplements did not do anything for my hair loss. It's all hormonal. Feel free to email me at ____@____.com or visit my website www.nutritionspecialist.usana.com to learn about the difference between over the counter supplements and USANA pharmeceutical grade supplements

A.

the hair loss thing is more hormonal than nutrtional. i am not sure there is anything that you can do about it. i have 5 babies/4 pregnancies and have gone thru losing hair each time. i would recommend keeping up with the prenatals postpartum, rather than stopping them. good for you, breastfeeding and baby. you may want to ask your caregiver about options postpartum or ask your hairdresser what she knows about it. best of luck with baby #2!!!!!

Hi I.. I'm in the exact situation as you are. I started losing my hair when my daughter was about 3 months old (she's now 20 months)and I totally FREAKED OUT! Balls of hair was coming out in the shower. I told my hair stylist about it and she was very encouraging. She told me that it's a hormonal reaction and completely normal. Her advice was to not process my hair as much as possible (blow dry, flat iron, etc.) and relax about it. So that's what I did. And it worked.
I'm expecting my second daughter in June and I'm always thinking about the "hair thing" happening again. And base on my first experience I've come to the conclusion that we can't control that part. But, like everything that happens to us...we always get past it and come out on top. And I'm sure you will do great and still be beautiful.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Sometimes a thyroid problem can contribute to hair loss. It might be pregnancy related. Just a thought. Good luck!

I don't know what you can do to prevent it from happening, but I can tell you that I lost an incredible amount of hair after the birth of my first daughter. One month after my second child I cut my hair short in anticipation of the terrible hair loss (I figured I might as well donate my beautiful hair rather than let it fall out all over the house, bed and shower). Well, I didn't lose much hair at all the second time around. And it turns out I love my short hair!!
Good luck.