Losing Hair! - Joliet,IL

This is normal. It starts around 3 months after for most women. when you are pregnant your body holds on to most of your hair and you hardly lose any of it. Then your body loses all of the hair that your body held on to during the pregnancy pretty much all at once so it feels like you are losing a lot more hair than you are. My daughter and son also lost there hair at 3 months and it started to come back in a few months later. Don't stress about it. It is normal and not much you can do. Just brush your hair before you shower so you don't feel like all you're doing is pulling hair out of your head. ;) It will slow down in a few more months. If you are really concerned have your hormone levels checked. But this was normal for me. My hair never really got think again until a year or so later and then when I got pregnant again same thing happened. I am 5 months post-partum and my hair is still falling out. But not in clumps. Just like a handful each day especially in the shower, I feel like I can keep pulling out hairs the whole time, leaving a big clump on the shower wall that my husband calls "the thing."

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Completely normal, happened to me, as well. Take a Biotin supplement to jumpstart the hairgrowth process. My hairline was a wreck and the Biotin totally helped bring it back more quickly than it would have grown back on its own. I took 5000 mcg. You can find Biotin in the vitamin section of any drugstore, Target, etc.

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This happened to me too...in fact I'm going through it right now as well! My hair falls out just after I find out I'm pregnant and then again after I deliver, so I usually get the double whammy! It will end, although it will seem like you're going bald before it does. It's totally normal. After I got my hair cut and styled it got a little better, I think it weeded out a lot of dead hair, but it is kinda scary when you find huge clumps in the shower!

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Could be that your thyroid is out of whack since the pregnancy. It happened to my friend. You should have your doctor check your thyroid levels. She's all fixed now and her hair looks like it used to.

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They SAY that you only lose what you got extra while you were pregnant, but I most certainly lost a lot more than that. You do stop losing hair while pregnant and then your body compensates afterwards by getting rid of all of it at once, but the crazy hormones can make you lose extra. I had very thin patches at my temples that made me look balding that I had never had before. It was awful! It took about 6 mos before I noticed that it had stopped falling out and was growing back in. Then you have to deal with the little baby hairs sprouting up. There is really nothing you can do except camouflage it. If you have very dark hair you could try lightening it, it won't be so noticeable. This was my least favorite thing about having a baby- even worse than the sciatic pain I still have.

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I have always had thick, thick hair. I lost half my hair after having my first child. I think it started a month or so after his birth.

Hi KT
I noticed my hair thinning significantly around my temples months 3 through 5 or 6. It almost looked like a bald spot in one place so I didn't like pulling my hair back in a bun or ponytail. I felt like my hair was coming out in clumps every time I washed my hair or brushed it! However, it did stop (my baby is 7,5 months old now) and it looks thicker around there now. While I was going through it my hairstylist told me that she sees it very often in postpartum women and it usually resolves after a few months.
It's just our hormones going crazy, I'm not sure that there is anything you can do to stop it if it's the regular postpartum hair loss - however, if it continues for much longer you may want to check in with your OB-Gyn or midwife.
I know, it's hard to go through and feels a little scary! I hope it resolves quickly for you.

Your hair got thicker while you were pregnant. You are losing it now. Totally normal. I have very thick hair and it only got thicker when I was pregnant and yes, it fell out in droves. When you see your doctor it wouldn't hurt to address it...

More Protein and B-complex ( full spectrum, all 8 B's)
( I like the non GMO protein myself.... Plus you feel fantastic with good amount of energy.)

Hang in there! I would lose literally handfuls of hair for a year after the birth of my daughter. It eventually got better, but it still isn't like it used to be pre-kiddos. Lots of other good suggestions I saw, just know that you aren't alone!

I lost hair after the birth of my son 5.5 years ago and it never stopped falling out. I even got my thyroid tested and all is fine. I now take 1000 IU of Vitamin E and 1 Boron (Glycinate) and finally see less hair falling out, but once I stop taking those 2 pills, it comes out again. I've heard it can take time, but 5.5 years? If you figure something out, I'd love to hear about it. BTW, my hair never got thicker while pregnant. Biotin works too, but I haven't gone that route in a while. I believe once you stop taking it, your hair will continue to fall out again.

Can also be your birth control. I went on the depo after my daughter was born and lost a ton of hair (like handfuls) for 18 months.

go to the doctor and have your thyroid tested.

Yes, it is true. What actually happens is when you are pregnant your body produces a hormone that will make you "keep" your hair. In other words, you don't shed hair as a normal person would. Well, when the hormones go back to normal it sends a signal to "let go" of ALL the hair it has been holding onto for the past 9 months! So, it looks like you are losing a TON of hair, but really it is only the hair you should have lost on a daily basis during the 9 months you were pregnant. Many women say their hair is getting thinner than normal, but only in rare cases due to an underlying health problem is that really true. What happens is that you have gotten used to having thick hair (from all the hair that should have been shedding) so it looks thinner. It takes a while for all the hair to shed so it will take months and then will go back to normal. I had my son 6 months ago too and my husband keep threatening to make me wear a hairnet! My hair is everywhere! Just try to brush your hair a few times a day to help from "leaving a trail" (as my husband says) and be patient. It will return back to normal soon.

A good amount of hair loss is typical after your hormones change after giving birth, but continued hair loss should be talked about with your doctor. Thyroid problems can cause hair loss, so be sure to get tested right away! Good luck!

Something that really helped me when I was feeling self conscious about my thin hair was Xfusion.. it's a powder you sprinkle in your hair and it makes it look very naturally thicker. I would use this anytime I felt self conscious about it and I was amazed everytime. It's just a powder and it will wash out anytime you wash your hair and may need to be freshened up everyday you do not wash your hair but it really did make me feel a lot better... you can probably go to your hair stylist and have her match up your color and from that point on go to amazon.com to order as it's MUCH cheaper here.. it may seem expensive but a bottle of that stuff lasts a long long time. My husband uses the bottle I bought this last summer and it's not even half gone yet.. My husband loves the stuff as well and will not leave the house without it..
Not a cure but definitely something to give you that extra boost of self confidence to go out and have fun. Plus what I did was go and get a really good hair cut that is good for thinner hair..

I lost a LOT of hair after my son was born. it started growing back when he was close to a year old. He's two now, and it's back to normal. If your doctor doesn't find a medical reason why it's happening, it might just take some time.

this happened to me with both of my daughters. it lasted for 4-6 mos. it was frightening b/c i didnt know when it would stop. i tried this product from keratase that helps to re grow hair stop hair loss. im not sure if it really worked. it just eventually stopped on its own. it has to do with hormone imbalances. it is annoying b/c when it grows back in you have tons of baby hair at your hairline which is not so cute! ah the joys of womanhood!

Believe me..It's NORMAL!!! I went through it as well, I was literally bald! Do you breast feed? I breast fed and the doctor said that it was normal and a hormone imbalance, It took me about a year for it all to grow back, my doctor also recommended that I keep taking my pre-natal vitamins which I did, Needless to say my hair is back to normal, Just think of it the way I did, look at your baby and just no that every little hair you lost was extremely worth it! Good Luck! But dont worry too much, it really is normal.

I work with The Silver Cross Center for Women's Health in New Lenox. It's part of Silver Cross Hospital and is located at their brand new campus. If you're interested in a doctor's opinion of your hair loss symptoms, please visit the site. You can see the doctors at this link http://bit.ly/agYd8g or, once you're on that page, look at the right side and you'll see a section under "Our Links" called "Find a Doctor". If you click on that, you can see a long list of doctors by specialty.
I hope that helps. Best of luck.

A friend who is a neurologist explained it to me this way.... Our hair is in a constant cycle of 3 stages-- growing in, falling out, doing nothing. Normally, our hair just cycles through these 3 stages and it goes un-noticed...we lose a hair here and there in the shower and when we brush, a few sprouts start to grow in under old growth that we don't even notice unless it's right on the hair line...But when we are pregnant, our hormones are out of wack and our hair cycle changes. For most women, the growing and staying stages speed up and the falling out comes to a halt, which is why our hair seems so lush and full while we're pregnant. Then for some women, after the baby comes the hormones freak out and reverse the cycle--where the most dominant part is the falling out. If you start seeing bald patches, worry and see a doctor. If not, make sure you eat right and take vitamins and it will eventually work itself out.

I didn't read all of your responses but I found it strange to read your question today because I just finished reading an article about water. It was mainly talking about distilled water because it does not carry any minerals or things that our body needs and distilled water produces more white blood cells. Anyway, it mentioned that hair loss is caused by a lack of minerals that our body needs. I found the article on mercola.com. My hair fell out for about six months with my last pregnancy and I have a lot of hair & I was still worried. It felt like a long time. My hair did start to grow back and it is almost a year in half since I had my baby girl. When I read this article I definately had wished I had this knowledge so that I could try to add minerals to my diet. It sure doesn't hurt to try it. I know how hard it is. Hope it stops soon.

The truth is that your hair goes thru 3 stages of growth. Growing, resting and falling out. While you are preggers the falling out part stops all together. So your hair feels as if it get thicker and healthier while you are preggers. As soon as you have your baby and your hormones return to normal your hair growth cycle returns to normal too. So, all of those 9 months of hairs that were ready to fall out, now fall out rapidly. So, there is really nothing you can do to stop the hair loss...it is hair that was due to fall out! I swear it is normal and that I learned this in cosmetology school. If you really feel like you are losing more than normal, see your doctor and have your hormone and iron levels checked. You can also use Nioxin hair care products to slow it down if it is not normal post preggers shedding. If it is just normal post prenancy shedding there is nothing you can do about it. I hope this helps!

what does your diet look like? Hair loss can be a sign of candida, which is an overgrowth of yeast in the system. If you eat alot of carbs, especially breads and sugars- even if its natural in fruit, this could be the culprit. I'm not sure if you can do a yeast cleanse while your nursing, but I'd definately suggest getting yourself on a probiotic asap and doing a yeast cleanse shortly after you're done nursing. Also, eat lots of veggies and limit sugar, even fruits. I would suggest getting some sprouted bread and if you're having a sugar craving, slathering a piece with butter and stevia and cinnamon.
My fiance has alopecia and his hair has fallen out in clumps. He did a yeast cleanse but hasn't been diligent about his diet so the hair hasn't grown back. In fact, his eyebrows and eyelashes have started falling out now, so I'd say take some action before it gets to that point.
I hope that helps!
blessings,
J.

my hair got really thick while i was pregnant & I have a lot of hair to begin with. Maybe when my son was about 6 mos. old it really started falling out A LOT. (I had stopped nursing/pumping milk around then too). Anyway, there was always tons of hair in the tub & on my bathroom floor. My hair seemed thinner than normal for a really really really long time. I probably should have gone to the doctor. Even my hair stylist noted that it was waaaay thinner than before I had my son. I am guessing my hormones took longer to get back to normal or maybe it just took a long time for my hair to grow back in to its normal thickness. I definitely noticed the floor & tub had less hair on/in them sooner than I noticed my hair was back to normal. I would say that by the time my son was 19 or 20 mos. old my hair was completely thick & taking forever to blow dry again.

Oh, when your hair is falling out a lot, watch out for stray hairs getting caught on your daughter's toes (esp. in footie pajamas). One of my hairs got caught around my son's toe, cutting off circulation. I had heard stories about this happening, so I just made sure I glanced down at his toes when I did diaper changes. I am so glad I did b/c I caught it right away. He didn't need any medical attention.