Hair Loss - Kissimmee, FL

Happened to me as well... very normal, but still didn't like it! Maybe some hair/nail strenghtening vitamins? A & E

Add vitamin A and vitamin B to your diet. I had the same thing happen. The vitamins helped.

This is just a suggestion but, if you are breastfeeding exclusively then your baby is depending on your breast milk to supply all of his needs. Your body will give him what he needs, even if that means taking from you. Keep taking your prenatal vitamins while you are breastfeeding and make sure that you are supplementing yourself with good nutrition, not just depending on the vitamins for it. If it gets to bother you worse then talk to your doctor. Good luck and God bless.

Hi A.
A friend of mine had the same problem, to make it easyer she cut her her to a short stylish hair due and was happy with it.
Her hair grew and got full again.

hello,so sorry to hear about your hair, my mom had a simular promblem and her doctor recomended she take 1,000mg of vitieman e and vit c 1,000mg a day 3 times a day . and with in one month all the hair she lost she started growing back again. hope this helps . goodluck. godbless. smiles

It's amazing how everyone goes through the same thing! My hair is just now growing back around my face (6mos post partum) and I have to laugh because it looks like my daughters "baby hair." The funny thing is that I don't remember what I looked like WITHOUT hair in those places. You'd think I had a receeding hair line with how it's all growing in now. Try not to cry when you clean out the shower drain!

This happened to me too, I thought I was going bald. It lasted for a couple months. It slows down after your body's hormones balance out.

as soon as my son turned 9 months old, my hair stopped falling out and grew at a record pace! keep taking your pre-nates for the while. gl

Hi A.,

You are the 2nd person here to right about this problem. Hair loss is common after birth. There are a couple different reasons for it, Hormones and lack of vitamins are usually the reaon.
The last mom here I recommend 2 products and she seems tobe happy.
Here is what i emailed her:

1. Hi Carrie,

Give this a good 1-2 months of use If you don't notice that your hair stops shedding it would be from your hormones. One major side effect of lack of progesterone is Hormone imbalance. I have a product for that called PROLIEF that is a natural balancing cream. You can view it on my website. Hopefully the hair products will be all you need. For sure it will keep your hair and scalp its healthiest

2.If this could stop the incessant shedding of my hair, I would be thrilled, though I feel like I've tried everything (Nioxin, etc). I don't need it to grow my hair b/c it does grow, I just need it to stop falling out at the root. I did try to buy a bottle, but they say my client id is invalid (the one they'd just given me!) Can you help me out? And also recommend a shampoo to start with?

3.Thanks J.--
I ordered them both, and now I'll keep my fingers crossed that they help my pitiful hair.
Best,
Carrie

If I may answer anyother questions for you please let me know.

J.

Hi A.,
My son was born in May and I breastfeed him until he was 8 months. My hair started falling out when he was 5 months. Everytime I washed my hair gobs would come out and I would have to clean the drain. It was all over me,my son and the floor. I was starting to get worried but then when he was about 8 months and I stopped producing milk it slowed down then eventually stopped falling out all over the place. I did cut 5 inches off my hair and that seemed to help.

E.

I completely understand what you are going through because I have been there. I did not do anything special to my hair when this happened. Well, I did get my hair relaxed and trimmed, but I am not sure if that made a difference. Have you sought out the advice of a hairstylist that focus is healthy hair. If not there is this girl that works in a salon downtown Deland and she does an awesome job. I wish the best for you and let me know if you have found anything to help you.

Hey girl, I know what you mean! Around my daughters 4th mth is when I started losing my hair. Not much you can do about it, dont worry though, its not as much as you think. I am still losing more than I used to I think, but no bald spots :). My daughter is now 7m old. I didnt think it would last this long. Just know you are not alone! Good luck.......

A.,
Are you taking prenatal vitamins? This is a must!

Its all hormones.. your body will soon adjust. My hair fell out like crazy.

S.

Hi
It happened to me too.I was told it was hormones.( I have to chuckle because as you become older(I am 45) it seems to be the answer for everything) More so after my daughter than with my sons. It will start to grow back, the easyist place to see new growth for me was along the temple/hairline. Just go easy for a while with any major hair change like coloring, perming etc. If you have very long hair, you may want to try a trim of an inch or so. Be gentle with your hair for a bit.
Make sure you are eating well, resting, and not too stressed out ( they also contribute to hair loss). You can also continue with your pre-natal vitamins.
It will come back,I am sorry I don't remember the time it took
but it does.
Take care V.

My hair did the same thing! And my goodness, not a laughing matter, but I felt like a chemotherapy patient. I never thought it would stop!! It would come out in handfulls, and my brush would be full. I actually had several totally bald spots on my temples where it came out completely! Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to stop it. It will on it's own once your hormones have calmed down. It will all grow back however!

Found this at: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/hairloss...

Why do people talk about hair loss and pregnancy?
The most common period of hair loss occurs approximately three months after delivery. The rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps you from losing your hair. After delivery, the hormones return to normal levels, which allows the hair to fall out and return to the normal cycle. The normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy may fall out all at once.

Up to 60% of your hair that is in the growth state may enter into the telogen resting state. The hair loss usually peaks 3-4 months after delivery as your hair follicles rejuvenate themselves. As noted before, this hair loss is temporary and hair loss returns to normal within six to twelve months

I had the same problem with my second child, and basically everything came back to almost normal after a few months.The only thing is to be sure you get the correct vitamins and minerals since you breastfeed. Take good care of yourself,means remember which are the priorities in your life at this precious time.Good food, as much sleep as you can get and less worries should get you back on tracks.
Good luck enjoy your baby boy.
Val

I am a dermatology PA and see this problem very often. I experienced the same when my son turned 4 months, so no one is safe, no matter how much technology or knowledge you have about the problem. When youare pregnant, you are filled with hormones, these give you that "glow of pregnancy" they stimulate your hair to be fuller as you don't lose hair as much as you normally would (normal hair loss is shedding 100 hairs/day.) This plus the extra vitamins in your prenatal work together to give you hair that is living on borrowed time. At 120 days post-partum, your hormones are settling down and your body is doing a lot of work trying to recover. Those borrowed hairs are shed AND your body deals with the recent stress of having a child and sheds some more. This is what is called a telogen effluvium. It is temporary, but can be devastating, especially since the more you stress, the more hair you can lose. Things you can do include the following:

1.Treat yourself to a good haircut. This lifts excess weight off the hair itself and can give the illusion of fuller hair.

2. Take Biotin. Personally, I recommend Appearex, found at CVS in the nail section (hair skin and nails are made of similar components) and can be ordered by other stores. It contains 2.5 mg of biotin. In order for it to be effective, you need at least 1200 mcg of biotin and these pills are small and readily bioavailable. Some supplements found by other brands do not seem to be utilized by the body as well.

3. Use volumizing shampoos/hair products which can also give the appearance of fuller hair. Be careful not to overdo products, which can weigh hair down and make the scalp more visible.

4.Avoid pulling hairstyles that will accentuate the loss and place added tension on the follicle. Too much tension can even lead to inflammation of the scalp which in turn can cause a different, reactive form of hair loss called traction alopecia. If done over a long period of time, the inflammation can make it difficult for the hair to regrow, perhaps even scar. Hair doesn't grow through scar. Period.

5. Until you are done breastfeeding, do not use any products containing Minoxidil (Rogaine) and do not take Propecia by mouth (the latter drug has not been proven effective in women anyway.) See a dermatologist if you have any signs of bumps, pustules, smooth defind bald spots or if the problem is persistent and troublesome.

Enjoy your baby. Just like the sleepless nights and colic, this too will pass. Most women will notice a normalization within 3 months. You will not be bald before then. Keep in mind, just like your body is different after having a child, your hair can be different as well. I hope this helps. :)

This is how it was explained to me... everyone's hair has 3 cycles- growing in, staying as is, falling out. In normal circumstances, everyone's hair goes through these cycles un-noticed by us. But when you have a hormonal change such as pregnancy or nursing, one leg of the cycle may speed up while the others stay the same or slow down. This explains why many women have "great hair" while pregnant- the growing part speeds up while the falling out slows down. Then the cycle may be reversed while your body is trying to get back to normal. The only time to worry is if your hair falls out so much it leaves bald spots in your scalp. If that happens, consult your doctor.

That has to do with being pregnant, not necessarily breastfeeding. What happened is that pregnancy hormones actually stopped the normal process of shedding hair that you go through on a regular basis, so normally during pregnancy your hair is thicker and fuller. About 4-6 months after pregnancy your hair starts to fall out (mine was at six months I think, or maybe that is when the falling out stopped) and it falls out in greater quantities because you have all that hair stored up. I don't think there is anything you can do to stop it. The annoying part is that you end up with the short hairs growing back in in clumps around your face that look pretty silly for a while. It is part of being a mom!

my hair did the same thing, not much to do. just ride it out. actually, what it is doing is just shedding the extra hair you had during pregnancy. not too consoling, especially when you look at your pillow and it looks like you left 1/2 of your head of hair on the pillow, not your head. it goes away soon though. congrats on your son!

A., it's horrible I know how you feel. That's exactly the time my hair fell out. There is nothing you can do. There are shampoos out there that will help. Nioxin is one that I used and I really thought it helped. It's expensive but you don't need to use much and it lasts a long time. My hair fell out so much that I was convinced that if I wore a ponytail the whole ponytail would fall out. LOL! My hair never did grow back the same and it's been two years. I'm pregnant and I thought it would grow in thicker but no luck. It is however a little wavier - go figure. Here is a website that has hair loss information and products http://www.folica.com/Women_Hair_248_1.html
Hang in there!

Hormones----I thought I was going to go bald. I was brushing out what looked like strands or clumps. It seemed to last forever. About 7 months it stopped. Very scary even when you have been warned.

yes it is 'normal'
but it is also very very common for pregnacy hormones to contribute to thyroid issues...
I would definitely get your thyroid checked out
I have hypothyroidism & it is very common in women...

from here: http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa061500a.htm
"A thyroid test is a blood test, known as the "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone" or TSH test. The American Thyroid Association is also recommending the addition of Free T4 and Free T3 profiles as part of the overall thyroid panel, for most accurate results."