Postpartum Hair Loss - Denton,TX

Updated on November 29, 2007
I.T. asks from Denton, TX
21 answers

Hi everyone. I have a four month old baby. I noticed about two weeks ago my hair falling out a lot more than normal. Has anyone experienced this? If I run my fingers through at least one hair, sometimes about 15 come out. I hear it is related to reduced hormone levels after birth. Is there any way to reduce the loss? At this rate I will be bald in a month. Ah well, bald chicks are hot, right? Thanks for reading.

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So What Happened?

Thanks alot for the many responses! I am new to this online community and am pleased I am now apart of it. I'm still losing hair by the handful, not suprisingly. I sometimes gather up all the hairs that have fallen on my shoulders and ooh and ahhh to my husband about this phenomenon. :)

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S.W.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter is now 2 1/2 and I still lose tons of hair, I have really thick hair though so it's not noticeable at all. thank goodness. Everything is fine but one of my hormone's was low. I'm now on medication for it and it's not helping at all. The lady that does my hair told me to take hair vitamins and wa la. It's working.

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K.C.

answers from Dallas on

my hair loss has continued until now and my daughter is 17 months. My stylist sees tons of new growth, too. I keep brooms and handheld vacs everywhere in my house because my hair just accumulates. Best of luck to you

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

My hair fell out like that too! I think it was about a year after my daughter was born that I noticed that it was finally not coming out so much. I guess it depends on your age too as to how much falls out in ratio to how much you grow back. I would say eat healthy. Umm I cant remember, but I believe there is sertain types of foods that help with hair growth and helps with keeping that hair in your head.
Good Luck!!! BALD IS BEAUTIFULL if all else fails!! lol

~C.~

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M.O.

answers from Dallas on

I had the exact same issue and until my hairdresser assured me that the amount of hair that I was losing was not normal I did not consult my physician. Guess what, my iron count was low and as soon as I began taking prescription strength iron capsules(Ferex), I stopped losing hair and a month and a half later have tons of short re-growth showing on my forehead. Another problem that was tested for during blood work was thyroid. My only problem turned out to be the anemia! Good luck!

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H.B.

answers from Dallas on

totally normal, it will grow back!! Just part of having a baby!!! Nothing you can do but you could take hair, nail, and skin vitamins, and it will help it grow back faster!!!

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L.B.

answers from Dallas on

Hello I.!
Don't panic! My doctor told me when I was pregnant that during pregnancy we don't lose any of our hair, so after birth 2-4 months after delivering, all the hair that never fell off in 40 weeks starts to fall out. She said she was warning me because she didn't want me freaking out in the shower when all my hair fell off! :) My son is 12 weeks old and I haven't started losing my hair yet, but I'm already expecting it! Don't worry...you won't go bald! God Bless! ;)

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

Hi I.! I agree with everyone else... its totally normal. But I'll tell you not to be surprised if it last a lot longer. My hair started falling out when my daughter was 4 months and lasted till she was about a year! I nursed her until she was 6 months and was taking my prenatals. Now with my son, my hair stared falling out about 3 months and its still falling out. He is now 10 months old! I'm still nursing him and still on prenatals! It had just all grown back in to normal when I got pregnant the second time. I literaly had bald spots in places! Its annoying but it will pass!
Keep your chin up!
C.

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M.R.

answers from Dallas on

It is totally normal. I didn't lose too much hair w/older son maybe for about 6 months but with my youngest he is 19 months and 3 wks and I am stilling handfuls of hair several times a day. I started losing hair when I was pregnant but nothing major until after I had him but part of it could be from the added stress. Do you have a lot of stress in your life, more than usual if so that could definitely be a factor.

Good Luck
I hope this helps
M.

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G.W.

answers from Auburn on

When you stop taking your prenatal vitamin (assuming you have) then you will definitely notice more hairs coming out. Your hair is never healthier than when you are taking those wonderful vitamins. I think most women would tell you they experienced this on some kind of level. Also, it is completely normal to lose about 100 hairs a day just because that's the way you were designed. If your hair is thick like mine, it could be more. Blessings this holiday weekend!

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I.

answers from Dallas on

yes, bald is beautiful!
Yes, totaly normal, will continue for about 8 weeks.

Merry christmas! (you can wear a santa hat, lol)

I.

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M.P.

answers from Dallas on

Oh my goodness I. I was just talking about this this morning!!! At about the time my babies (twins) were 3 mos. old I noticed my hair coming out in huge amounts. It really scared me!! My hairdresser recommended vitamin B12. It took about 2 wks before I noticed a change but eventually the hair loss declined. It hasn't totally stopped but it is noticeably less than what was happening. My recommendation? Over the counter B12 - one tablet a day did it for me! Good luck!
M.

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J.L.

answers from Dallas on

Goodmorning I.!! Ever since I had my son seven years ago, this has been happening to me. And to this day it still does it! And Trust me, I am not bald yet..

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C.F.

answers from Dallas on

Hi I.,

I am Mom of four kiddos and have gone through the same thing only on my second baby my hair loss was severe. I was also abnormally tired and my hands and feet were cold a little depressed too, not to mention I could not get back to my pre-pregnancy weight to save my life! I had some blood work done and I have Hypothyroidism. This is really common for women and especially after pregnancy...if yours does not stop and you feel something is just not right make sure to have your Dr. rule this out. I will be on synthroid the rest of my life but I feel great thanks to Dr. Henry Prost (Grapevine TX. Good luck!

C.
www.lilacleopard.com

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K.

answers from Dallas on

I.,

The same thing happened to me when my son was about 5-6 months old. I had a ton of hair fall out in handfuls in the shower, when I brushed it, etc. Good news is, it is temporary. My son is now 9 moths old and my hair is growing back. I have little new hairs all along my hairline and all through my hair. My hair is fuller and almost back to normal now. While it was thinner, I would use less conditioner and a product called Root Boost, which I think is made by Sebastian hair products. You spray it on your roots and it helped to fluff it up. I also kept taking my prenatal vitamins, which my doctor said would help. Hang in there!

K.

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M.O.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi I.. Yes, I too, believe this is totally normal. And, it also happened to me a couple months after I had my son. My son is now 2.5, but I had still been experiencing hair loss. Luckily, I have thick hair, but it always bothered me to lose so much. I started working as an Arbonne International rep about a year ago. I am a huge fan of their products because they're all natural, herbal and botanically-based, and they truly work! My husband (after much prompting) finally agreed to try the men's skincare line. When you order the set, you get a "Thermal Fusion Hair and Scalp Revitalizer" free. Fortunately, my hubby has a full head of hair still, so he didn't ever use it. But, I decided to try it. And, I love it! Not only does it feel absolutely wonderful, it has definitely promoted my hair regrowth. It's awesome. If you're interested in learning more about it, then you can visit my website at: www.mandyolsen.myarbonne.com. You can purchase it separately, of course, and it's obviously for men and women. Hope this helps! :)
Sincerely, M. O.

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

Hey girl. Totally normal! During pregnancy you don't lose hardly any hair. It was about 4 months with both of my girls that I started shedding. When my first was about a year old I noticed all the new growth around my temples. Too funny. It's a pain, but normal. You can't stop it. Enjoy and have a laugh. :)

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M.F.

answers from Dallas on

Yes! This is totally normal. It's because of hormone changes. All the hair that didn't fall out while you were pregnant is let loose now because your hormone levels are adjusting back down to pre-pregnancy levels. It will be pretty bad for a couple of months, then should lessen a little and eventually go back to pre-pregnancy "normal" hair loss of about 100 strands a day. The only way to reduce it is to get pregnant again :-)
With my first I only experienced the hair loss like you're talking about. I was pregnant again when she was about 14 months old. However, after my second, I had the hair loss around 3 or 4 months, then again when he was about 15 months (only not as bad as the first round). Apparently I wasn't "unpregnant" long enough to fully recover after my first! So don't be shocked if it happens again several months from now! The second time was also when a lot of the rest of my body went back into place -- hips, feet, skin, etc.
One note though, pregnancy can cause a lot of things to get out of whack. If the hair loss keeps up at this level for a long time, you might ask your doctor about it so he/she can check your thyroid levels. Congrats on the new baby!

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

This is very normal. It happened with all 3 of my kids. My hair came out in sheets and the first time I thought that I had cancer or something then I heard that it was normal to loose hair after birth. New hair will grow in. I had my 3rd in August and am still loosing hair.

Good luck and congrats!

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S.M.

answers from Dallas on

First of all, CONGRATS on your new baby! Second, bald is beautiful...just kidding. I lost bunch of hair after each baby was born. After my second I had a receding hairline! I was freaked out of course but it slowed down after a while and my hair started to grow back. If you feel that you are losing too much call your doctor and have him check you thyroid levels to see if that is the cause.

S.

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S.K.

answers from Dallas on

You can see by the responses it's normal. This was when I went from long hair to short. Now I know why so many women cut their hair after having a baby. Not only for the ease, but because you have so much new growth!
Congratulations on your new addition!

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S.W.

answers from Dallas on

I.
You have something called telogen effluvium. It is the abnormal shift to the "falling out phase" We have 3 phases of hair growth anogen - or growing, catogen - or resting and telogen which is falling out. There is this shift, usually 4 months after a major metabolic stressor so you are right on time! Dont worry, it is self limited, you can support the hair by taking more bioten. If it does not resolve in 2 mos, may be time for a visit to the dermotologist. If needed at that time you can email me and I will give you my office number...main thing is... dont worry!
S.

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