Is It Normal

The same thing happened to me with my first two children, S.. It seems like a normal thing, although my doctor tested me for a thyroid problem because hair loss is also symptom of a thyroid issue.

Hi S.. The same thing happened to me. I also have 3 kids. I would not be to concered about it. It does get better over time.

It's normal. We typically loose 100 hairs a day. But when your pregnant that pretty much stops. This is your body's way of getting back on track.

It's very normal. Try to make sure you eat better, and take those vitamins for a while still. I know it's frustrating. I used to cry about it, and always have ended up cutting my hair short. I got tired of finding my very long hair wrapped around my baby's toes, and thought cutting it would be a good solution. Helped me feel better anyway. You've got to try to eat better though. Breastfeeding is taking a lot out of your body, and if you aren't eating well, the baby isn't eating as well.

oh mi god, S., fear not, this is totally normal and happened to me; my hair was literally coming out in fistfulls in the shower when my daughter hit about 4 or 5 months old. now that she is 11 months it has not only stopped, it has grown bakc in twice as much; i have these thick wings of hair that almost look like a mini mullet around my face, and the back chunk of my hair is so thick it hurts to wear a ponytail. yours will grow back in too.

it's great that you're breastfeeding; please keep going with that. we breastfeeders experience a long process of hormonal changes after birth and that could be affecting your hair, certainly; but it's not permanent and no reason to curtail nursing.

i would say if you're worried about your diet, just try to make sure you eat a big bunch of broccoli or kale or something 3 or 4 times a week, as much chicken and turkey as you can stand, rice and beans or whole grain bread; and keep taking your prenatal vitamin, that will help you a lot. i wouldn't bother with the doctor now. you've got a lot on your plate; try to make sure you get your sleep, too!

good luck,
Hairy J.

Hi S.,
It is actually normal. All of your hairs are on an indvidual cycle where the hair sprouts from your head, grows for a while and then eventually falls out. Usually, when you're not pregnant, your hairs are all on unique cycles, and the hair loss is staggered because you only lose a few hairs a day. But during pregnancy, all of your hairs get on the same cycle and tend to not fall out much at all (which is why a lot of pregnant women have really thick hair). Now that the baby is out, it's time for those hairs to die and be replaced with new hair--it's just happening all at once! You won't go bald, but may have thinner hair for a while. You should be back to normal within the year. Good luck!

It is pretty common for women to have issues with their thyroid about 3-5 months after childbirth - symptoms can be losing hair, dry skin, weight gain, tiredness. - Go see your doctor and ask to have your thyroid tested. If it is that, they'l presribe a very inexpensive medicine thats puts things back into wack.

Hi S.,

It happened to me after my second and now third child who is 5 months old. I tried just about everything the salons offered to help my hair because while I understand it is hormones, I didn't want to keep seeing clumps coming out. THe only thing that helps at all is Arbonne's shampoo and conditioner, Before Sun Hair Protectant as a detangler, and the Thermal Fusion Scalp Revitalizer. In all honesty, if I go a day without washing my hair, the next day I was it I have a ton come out again whereas if I wash it every day, the amount is definitely lessening. It is still falling out but much less than it was.

If you are interested, feel free to email me at ____@____.com. I'd be happy to help you get the products.

Hugs,
L.

It is normaal to lose a lot of hair during this time. While you are pregnant, your body doesn't shed the hair you normally would, your hair becomes thicker and fuller. After giving birth you do start shedding off the extra hair you were retaining. You might still check with a doctor if it's like you're actually going bald, seeing bald spots...Otherwise, if it's just thinning, you're probably okay

I would say yes since your hormones are changing after pregnancy. And it takes almost a year for it to level back to normal. At least you'll have a nice new hair by the time the old ones fall off.

hey S.
my twins are four months old and i've been having lots of hair fall out for about a month now. other friends have, too. i asked my hairdresser about it and he said it's completely normal (in fact, i said: my hair has been falling out. and he said, "of course, you had a baby four months ago.") i assume it's the back end of lusher hair during pregnancy. anyhow, i forgot to ask him how long it lasts, but it must stop eventually! good luck
J. (lev and shayna, 4 months)

Hi S.. Yes this is completely normal. As the response before mine says you stop losing hair while pregnant and are making up for it now. I personally never lost large amounts but both of my sister in laws just went through this. Many of the baby books ie, What to Expect the First Year, give information on this topic.

I breastfed my boy for 18 months, and every six months or so I lost masses of hair. I did not have giant bald patches, but my hairline did recede quite a lot. Thankfully I had long enough hair to wear it forward. He is 4 now and it has all grown back. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is eat better. It might sound gross but I put flax oil and wheat germ on everything I could stand, as well as making sure I took B supplements.

It is very normal, the gorgeous healthy hair you had when you were pregnant seems to take a few steps back after you have the baby, your body is just adjusting. If you are losing an excessive amount it can also be blamed on the depo, as this is a side effect. I would talk to your doctor about just how much is coming out, since none of us giving advice on here really know how much you are losing. Don't worry though, if it is a side effect of the depo, once you stop taking it everything will go back to normal.

My hair fell out in massive clumps after my first was born and I dont have thick hair to begin with it was super fime and thin and so I cut is shorter and held it back in pony tail and this is normal and happened to many of my firends and my hairdresser told me it was going to happen before it did. I grew back eventually even though I have long hair it d filled back in. It is all the hair that wasnt shed during pregnancy and got thick and it now shedding- all normal. Could mention it if it really bothers you at 6 month checkup.

I had the same thing happen. I also went on Depo, so I was concerned and I DID go to the doctors. What she told me is; on an average day a person looses 100 hairs, while you are pregnant, you STOP losing those hairs you normally would. So, when you are no longer pregnant, your body makes up for the hairs that didn’t come out during your pregnancy, therefore you will lose your hair in clumps. I know I still have a full head of hair after 2 babies. If you are still worried, I would put a phone call into your doctor anyways.

It is normal. most importantly though, you should eat better. If you are nursing you need at least 2500 calories a day. WIth three children, i would recommend ordering food from omahasteaks.com You can get good chicken and meats in smaller portions so that you can make yourself quick healthy meals at lunchtime which is when most of us neglect ourselves. Good luck!

Hi S.,
I am a mother of three and I too have had my hair fall out in clumps at times at well. Not so much with my first two but definitely with my third. I spoke to my OB about it and she said it was becasue I stopped taking the baby vitamins too soon. I was so ready to be done with those horse pills that I just stopped them and that is when my hair started falling out. She said it was normal. Just wanted to let you know. Good luck.

S., you are not losing more hair than normal. It might seem that way because during the pregnancy, you retained hair. I felt like I had stronger and thicker hair for nine months. Then the music screeched to a halt and as my hormones adjusted themselves, my hair started to fall out again. So to save my bathtub drain, I got it styled really short. But it is all normal. Did you experience this with the first and second? Also, if you are still breastfeeding, you should try to eat better. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies and etc.

I did go through that with at least one of my pregnancies. While I was pregnant, I hardly shed any hair. My hair became extremely thick. While I was still nursing, my hair started shedding like crazy. There would even be large amounts of it in the brush. At the time, my hairdresser told me that d/t the hormones, sometimes your hair doesn't go through its normal lifecycle when you're pregnant. So once your hormones settle down, all the old hair then falls out. If it doesn't settle down after several months or if you have any other problems such as extreme fatigue or weight gain I would see yur doctor as it could then be a thyroid problem which are also fairly common with pregnancy. Good luck!

are there small smooth pathces of skin or just a general thinning? C.

It's so totally normal and yet very troubling when you don't know why it's happening. It's hormones readjusting. One day, when my first was about 4 months old I noticed that I had to receding bald spots which almost made me look like I had a widow's peak. I freaked out!!! But it all grew back. I guess that's what we get for such great hair during pregnancy. Don't worry.

Not to worry! The same thing happened to me. Both my doctor and the people at the salon told me that it is common on breastfeeding mothers since you are more sensitive with your child's changes and your baby's hair must also be falling. But in any case it is just a part of your body's response to the hormonal and nutritional changes. The falling of the hair will stop. It lasted me a little over a month, but I didn't ended up bold or anything like that. Enjoy the baby, nature will take care of everything else.
--F.

S.,

Although postpartum hair loss is normal for some women, thyroid problems can also cause hair loss. Many women develop thyroid issues during or after pregnancy, so it is worth a trip to the doctor. Simple blood work can identify a thyroid issue. Good luck.
---K.

I have had two kids and this happened to me after both. I also breast fed. I would not worry : )

I shed clumps as well all the way up until 1 year post partum! With all 3! Good thing for me I have extermely thick hair. It' normal.

A.