I'm Post Pardum and My Hair Is Falling Out.

I know how you feel! With both of my children, it seemed like I was going to go bald when I was post-partum! My son is 9 months old now, and I'm still losing more than I did on a regular basis before I was pregnant. But the peak time of losing hair for me was 4-7 months pp. It will pass!

It could take about 6 months. My husband freaked out about it, it was kind of funny. But remember you've been retaining hair for 9 months, so you're now loosing double of what you normally do.

With my first child this did not happen. After my second it came out in handfuls. I had my tubes tied after her. Found out years later it was from having my tubes tied along with other things I was dealing with. I went and had my tubes untied and it has stopped. I have the normal hair falling out now. So it is a hormone thing.

Yes its sooo freeky to loose your hair I went through it 4 times with all my kids!! I am a stylist and was told in a continuing education class that post pregnancy hair loss is hormonal. basically the elevated hormone levels in pregnancy stop daily hairloss or it will become a bare minimun. Thats why most women will love their hair while being pregnant. If it would have fallen out during pregnancy it will come out now!!! Most women it will last weeks to a few months!! Mine usually 3 months. One tip I can give is when you are conditioning your hair to comb thru your hair with your fingers or wide tooth comb this will help to release more hair and also prevent clogging your drain. Also brushing several times a day will help.
Good Luck!!
T. K

While I agree with asking you OB/GYN if there's any reason for concern, my thought is that it's completely normal.

I shed tons of hair for weeks and weeks postpartum. I lost all my hair 4 months post partum because of chemo. That sucked, but once my hair grew back in, I didn't shed for over a year. Now, I'm shedding again, and I'd forgotten how much and how annoying it is.

You're supposed to shed ~150 hairs/day - especially someone with a thick head of hair as it seems you may have.

I am still going strong will hair loss months later...my first two I must say I think I was loosing hair for at least the first 10 months. This time has definately been the worst for me...lol I can here my three year old son say things like "ugh...hair again" as he is pulling it off his body somewhere...lol

Talk to your OB or midwife about herbal remedies or medication. Be sure you're eating really healthy.

The same thing happened to me, and it took me 4 months to figure out that it was because of my birth control. I had chosen the Depo provera shot at the hospital, unaware of any side effects. I felt like a fool when I finally realized what was causing my hair loss. I suggest you look into the possible side effects of your birth control, just in case.

Much luck!

My baby is 6 months old and I'm still loosing hair!!

that happened to me after all 3 of my pregnancies. I was worried the first time also. But it does stop and there is still a lot of hair left on your head. i know it does seem like a lot of hair though.

Hi D.,

The same thing happened to my friend after her 3rd baby. She used a Rescue Wash from Arbonne and it completely stopped it, which was great b/c it went on for months. If you would like a sample, let me know and I can put one in the mail for you. The last thing you need to be worrying about after having a baby is losing your hair, right? Have a great day! Looking forward to hearing from you soon. *C. (WAHM of two)

Hi there!
It's amazing how much hair comes out isn't it? I forgot how long it lasted for me, so I pulled out my copy of "After the Baby's Birth" by Robin Lim. She says that postnatal hair loss usually starts the third or fourth month postpartum, it diminishes gradually, and should stop around the sixth month postpartum. She says that once hormone levels stabilize, the hair should stop falling out, and she recommends eating well and taking a prenatal, as vitamin deficiency can contribute to hair loss as well.

Also, from the Nursing Mother's Companion, with some slightly different info: "Starting at approximately 6-12 weeks after birth, some women experience generalized hair loss. Because of the hormonal changes following birth, hair follicles simultaneously move from the growing phase (which they were in pregnancy) to the resting phase of their development. Postpartum hair loss is seldom severe, and women never go bald because of it. The period of hair loss lasts about three to six months."

I was 6 months pp, and I was still loosing a lot of hair. I went to my dr. and they checked my thyroid. Yep, I am hypo thyroid. It sucks! But, my son is 3 now and things are just now starting to get a little better, even with meds. I do know, that for the first 6 months, hair loss is normal after having a baby.

Hi D. ~
Yes, it is normal in the post-partum period to lose some hair. However, I would mention it to your doctor and maybe have your thyroid checked. It is VERY common to have your thyroid go out of whack after having a baby. It's just a matter of having your TSH checked, a simple blood draw. If that is high, then you're hypothyroid, and they'll put you on Synthroid. It takes about 6 weeks to build up, then they will check your level again. Sometimes it takes awhile to get the dosage right.
D.

Stop putting your hair in a pony tail will help but its normal unless your pulling a hand full out than you need to call the dr.

Please go to the doctor and have your hormones checked. You may need a blocker so that you don't loose too much hair.

Take Biotin. Also have your doc check your iron levels.

For me it lasted about 5-6 months after giving birth. Don't worry, your hair will come back. Having said this, it can be a sign of other problems like hypothyroidism and you can see a doctor just to make sure. My bets are it's just a postpartum thing.

This is a normal thing. When you are pregnant you produce a hormone that stops your hair from falling out - which is why it gets so thick. When you give birth your body stops producing this hormone, and your hair falls out like it hasn't had a chance in about 9 months. Mine fell out for a while (about 9 months), and could be attributed to my hypothyroidism, or it could be my body just took a little longer to balance out. I also breastfed, so I am not sure if that had anything to do with it. My hair grew back - I got these really annoying spikey things.

it will probably continue for 6 months postpartum. that was what my research found and that was my experience with my first born. i think it has to do with trauma (along with hormones) and i had an extremely long and difficult labor with my first. i don't recall with my second, but labor with her was quick and easy.

It's normal. It should subside in a few weeks. Just keep an eye on it and if you feel you're losing A LOT of hair, then call the dr. Congrats on the wee one :)

I lost hair for a looong time--several years!
You notice it more if your hair is long. The drain looks scary after a shower/shampoo.
My stylist told me NOT to: wash every day or pull it back/up tightly.

Hi D.! It is very normal due to hormones changing. I lost lots of hair for months. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/hairloss...
Congratulations on your bundle of joy! ;)

This happened to me 12 weeks after my daughter was born. I went to the dr. and come to find out my thyroid was hyperactive. You may want to let them know and get that checked :)

Good thing you have a lot of hair because it may take a while. I lost a lot of hair too and it seemed like it took forever before it finally stopped. I didn't do anything and because I have a lot of hair too, it never showed.

I think the only thing you can really do is make sure you still take your prenatal and eat balanced meals and snacks