Hair Loss After Having a Child?

Hair loss is common due to hormone and vitamin changes. Thyroid is usually the biggest culprit after delivery and the main cause of hair loss.

G. Witty (Monitrice Doula)

Totally normal. It will come back too. Don't worry. I lost clumps and clumps every time I showered. This last baby was is especially bad. But now I have little fuzzies where it's coming back.

Hello V.!
I had my son in January also!!! And I am shedding so much, it gloggs the shower drain after a couple showers. It seems to me that I have this happened to me once a year. I was told once that it is normal. I don't know if is related to having children. Also putting hair up in ponytails, etc. makes you loose hair or makes it look like you loose more hair. But humans do shed! I am going to wait another month and if I still loose a lot of hair I will mention it to my doctor.
Good Luck,
N.

As a fellow breastfeeding mom, I have had the same thing happen. I don't remember losing as much hair after having my 1st 2 children, who I didn't breastfeed as long, but after having my 3rd & 4th children the hair loss was substantial. I think it has something to do with many of the nutrients we have going to the baby. My youngest is now 8 1/2 months and the hair loss is back to normal for me, but I can't say when the change occurred. Just keep eating well and taking your vitamins.

I noticed that you were laid off during maternity leave. I was too! I started working from home after that happened and, if you think that may be something you could do, I definitely recommend it. I love it so much better than having to go work out of the house every day!

Have a GREAT day!

S.

Hi V.,

My son is 5 months old and I figure that I've been shedding like a dog for perhaps 2 months now. My friend with a 14 month old warned me about the hair loss. As far as I know, it's totally normal. (I just hope it doesn't last long!!)
(And about the sex thing, no kidding! It still hurts! But I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago because I was concerned about the pain. She says nothing's wrong. Maybe for peace of mind, you should go get it checked out.)

V.,
I went through the same thing, only my daughter was 6 months when it started. I was losing chunks at a time and the floor in the bathroom looked like I could make a wig. Fear not, it does end, and believe it or not, you still have your hair when it is over (you may have a few whispies around the sides). My dr. told me to continue taking daily vitamins which I was doing already. I did not have to buy special shampoo but that is an option. Hang in there - this is just one of those 'phases' everyone talks about. Best of luck with your new little guy!

I only lost hair with my twins, but I had 2 little bald spots at the corners of my temples. I thought it was weird too, but it did eventually grow back. I lost a LOT of weight breastfeeding them too, (size 14 before pregnancy, size 4 after a few months of breastfeeding) so I figured the hair loss had something to do with the babies taking all my best nutrition.
Keep taking prenatals, and Omega 3's see if that helps. I did, but then again, I was nursing 2 exclusively, so I still lost the hair. It grew back within a year though.

I have had four children and have lost what I thought was a lot of hair beginning about the third month after giving birth. But no one else could tell. I think it's just hormonal. You usually get thicker hair when pregnant anyway.

Hi V.,
Yes while totally annoying, hair loss is perfectly normal. It is due to the fluctuation is hormones. All is well my dear. After having baby things aren't as in tone & sometimes sensitive. Just ask your hubby not to go so deep. Also trying differnet positions can really help. If the pain is still there I would go to your OBGYN & get an exam. They can let you know if there is any cause for concern.

Yup! All of these fun things us moms get to go through!! As if gaining weight and having the body you once knew vanish, we get to go bald, too! I have a 9-month-old son and my "shedding" (or rather, contaminating every square inch of the hardwood floor with hair on a daily basis!) started when he was 3 months old, but thankfully, it has pretty much stopped now - although it did carry on pretty heavily until he was about 7 months. Do focus on eating healthily and trying to get rest (I know, right?). It's unnerving to see all of the hair fall out, but it will stop! I took a B-vitamin supplement (one that contained biotin) as well as sea kelp (which has iodine to support the thyroid) and also took my prenatals and a fish oil supplement and I do think that helped a lot.

Sex. Yup. Also normal. I mean, by all means, get checked out with the OBGYN to rule anything out, but it's pretty common. I'd like to say at the 9-month-mark it's gotten better (and it has to a point), but it can still be uncomfortable. I'm still breastfeeding, though, which suppresses your estrogen levels so it's kind of like being menopausal (Yay! Fat, bald AND menopausal!!). Invest in some KY and take it slow, like others have said. I'm told it all goes back to normal once your hormone levels return to normal!

I lost hair after all three of my kids and then it started growing back within a year.

I had my first child, a little girl, in January also and I am totally losing my hair. It is everywhere. It comes out in clumps in the shower and when I brush my hair. I think i get it all out and then I still find hair everywhere when i sweep. AHH! I swear I should be bald, but, amazingly, i still have hair on my head. Also my weight loss has stopped and I still have 15 more pounds to go which makes me sad but after reading some of your responses if it gets worse maybe I will go see a doctor about my thyroid.
Pain during sex, yep still there. I talked to my doctor and had him check me out becasue I was sure somthing had to be wrong, how could I still hurt? Well he said I was healing okay, but I did have some scar tissue inside that they had to cauterize several times. And the last time i went in they really really cauterized it and told me to use some estrogen cream. They told me this should help, but I have to wait two weeks to test it out so I will report back to you if you want. It is expensive though! They told me that sometimes it just takes longer to heal and especially for me becasue i had a really rough delivery.

Being a mom is hard work. I am sorry that your husband is gone a lot. My husband is here but i can relate somewhat becasue that is what my dad does, and has done for a long long time. He is in California for the week and only home on weekends. My mom says she feels like a single mom sometimes and I can only imagine how hard it must be with a new baby.

About three months after my daughter was born my hair started falling out like mad. I didn't have very thick hair to begin with, so I was not too thrilled. It fell out in masses and continued until I thought if it kept up for another week I would actually be bald! Fortunately, at around six months the loss stopped and it began to grow back in. Of course, with new growth you have to go through the awkward stage where one inch baby hairs stick straight out from your head and refuse to be tamed, but as the alternative to baldness, I was happy with whatever I could get! So...don't worry too much. It'll grow back. If your hair loss continues for longer than five months, though, I would have your dr. check your thyroid just in case. Good luck and enjoy your little one :)

I had the hair loss too. It seemed as though clumps were coming out, but my hair never looked excessively thin or anything like that. I remember it lasting a couple of months.

Pain during sex lasted about 6 months for me. It mostly hurt right at the beginning. What really helped was using a lot of lube to start and going really slow. During breastfeeding there is not as much natural lubrication. I think kegels helped too. Good luck!

Yes, yes, yes. Completely normal! Both hair loss and painful sex. I lost hair for about two months, by the handful. Thankfully some gals at my work had told me I would lose hair after my boy was born. I healed perfectly well from my C-Section, but had painful sex until about eight months after my pregnancy. Have your GYN check you out, but it is likely just that parts are still getting back to their "normal" size, shape, and location.

I lost hair for months after having my babies. All the extra growth hormones in pregnancy cause extra hair growth, and when those hormones leave your system the extra hair does too. With the painful sex, it might be an infection. I was hurting during sex for a long time after delivering #2, much longer than they said would be normal. Turned out I had some sort of vaginal infection. Some antibiotics cleared that up and it was much better after that. Definitely give your doctor a call and see what they suggest.

Both are pretty normal. Even more than loosing hair, I hate when it starts to grow back in and I get all these tiny ringlets all around my face where you can't hide it, or straighten it. Anyway, I'd say the pain is pretty normal, too. I don't remember how long though, so it might not hurt to ask your doctor. Congratulations on your little man!

totally normal. It is fun to have it grow back in...I am being sarcastic by saying this of course. I still have places struggling to grow in and low and behold I am pregnant again and will be losing my hair again ;)

The hair loss is a pretty common thing. Don't sweat it. If it feels like your hair is getting a little too thin ask your OB. I loved how thick my hair was during pregnancy and was super disappointed when it started falling out. It has to do with the changing hormone levels. Seriously - totally normal.

About the sex thing. That's unfortunately pretty common too. You might want to ask your OB about that one too, but it's usually associated with recovery of uneven healing. Some people it just takes longer to get back. Don't be afraid to ask. It is normal. Doesn't mean you have to accept it though, of course.

Congratulations on your little man! Yes, hair loss is normal a few months after having a baby but go get your thyroid levels checked anyhow. Postpartum thyroidism is common in about 25% of women. Other symptoms can include dry skin, thin and brittle nails, depression and weight gain.

As far as the pain from sex - definitely talk to your doctor about that and make sure that you're using lots of lube and your hubby is being gentle. Kegel exercises really help to get your vagina "back in shape," so make sure you do those too! Good luck.

I didn't read all of the responses you got, but I read most of them. One person mentioned that during pregnancy you grow extra hair, and after you deliver, you lose the extra. That's true. At any given time in your life you are losing hair. It falls out at a rate of 40-100 hairs a day. That's normal. When you're pregnant, you don't lose ANY hair (besides being broken or ripped out for some reason - you don't have any hair falling out on its own). It's a hormonal thing. After you deliver your baby and your hormones start getting back to normal, you begin losing all the hairs you were supposed to be losing for the 9 months you were pregnant! If you do the math, that's a lot of hair all of a sudden! (10,800 hairs if you consider 40 hairs a day your normal hair loss rate). So add all those to the ones you lose normally, and the extras you grew during pregnancy and are now losing, and you'll swear you're losing enough to make a wig! Anyway... it's completely normal. Just annoying. I just thought I'd offer the scientific explanation as to why it happens.

Hair loss- totally normal.

Pain? For me, only at 6-8 weeks after, and then I was fine.

Hello my dear! Sorry to hear about your hair woes- I do hair and can put your mind at ease :) Every woman gains extra hair growth with pregnancy (although no one notices because your gaining weight, and all the other undesireable symptoms of pregnancy). So, after you've had the baby, the hair needs to come back out because you don't need it anymore. So just think of it this way: You have a big pile of red M&M's, someone comes and adds more Yellow ones to it. then someone else comes and takes the yellow ones away- you still have all your red ones :) no worries right? good. And I'm sorry to hear about your hubby being gone so much- where are you from?

I had my baby boy 6 months ago. I too was concerned because I was losing my hair in clumps in the shower and after I brushed it. I talked with other moms at my workplace and they said it was normal because my body was trying to get back to normal.

Yes, it is normal. I started losing my hair with both my kids when they were around 3 months old. Almost every mom I know has had the same thing happen. It will only last for a short time and then start growing back again. No worries!

Per the hair loss - totally normal! I didn't start losing hair until 3-4 months postpartum, and it continued for at least a month. Don't worry - it will eventually taper off and you won't have to unclog the drain everyday!

It's perfectly normal. You do not lose hair at a normal rate while you are pregnant because of the hormonal changes that your body goes through. After you give birth and your body starts adjusting back (usually about 4 months afterward) you will start losing all the hairs that you should have lost during the nine months you are pregnant. It seems like a lot of hair and indeed it is, but you will end up as you were before the pregnancy.

Hopefully your vacuum won't break like mine did after my first baby!

Sex? What is that? lol

Congratulations on your son and enjoy!

L.

I was just reading about hair loss this morning in The Nursing Mother's Companion. It says it happens to some women 6-12 weeks after birth and lasts 3-6 months. It's not related to breastfeeding; just to the hormones going back to normal after pregnancy.

As for sex, breastfeeding does tend to make the vagina drier. Personally, sex began to be painful when I was pregnant, and now 17 months after birth it's still not "normal." Communicate well, get creative, and it does help if you initiate it. What works best for you initiating it is if you promise that you will have sex a certain # of times a week/month.

Hair loss after having a child is perfectly normal. I had quite the receding hairline after my son was born, plus my hairbrush was always full and I was pulling out handfulls of hair when I was in the shower. It will stop after you are finished breastfeeding...not right away, but it will as your body, hormones, and eating trends normalize.

One thing to check though, if you are on birth control (the mini-pill that goes along with nursing, or any birth control) this could be what is exacerbating the problem. I read my pill information pamphlet and noticed hair loss as a potential side-effect. I switched pills, and while I still had some hair loss, it was nowhere near as bad after that.

As for the pain issue....well, sex wasn't the most enjoyable for me for SEVERAL months after giving birth, then it took off like a rocket. If you are really concerned, go to your doctor, and see what s/he finds.

Congratulations and best of luck!

Yes this is normal! If you had your baby in Jan then you are just now hitting the time that it should be happening. I have very long thin hair, but I have a ton of it. I didn't notice that I was losing hair because I have so much, but I did notice when it started growing back in because you have short little hairs all over that you cannot do anything with. My hair stylist even noticed! She said I was losing a ton. It is completely normal, and is nothing to worry about. It should subside in a few months, but I have heard some people say it can last a few years. I had my baby last June, and my little hairs are finally long enough I don't notice them anymore. If you are worried you can check with your doctor, but I know that all the woman I know who had babies experienced the hair loss and re-growth. I don't have any advise on the pain you are having, I was a C-section and didn't really run into that (though my scar still hurts and spasms sometimes). Your body went under some massive changes, but I know you think it should be back to normal by now. In reality, you are only about 5 months out from your delivery and for me 5 months was when I started noticing all the changes. Postpartum symptoms and body changes. You body is just now trying to go back to the way is was pre-pregnancy and though it seems like it should have happened by now, it is just the begginning. If the pain persists or is severe I would check with your doctor though. Hope this helps!

My hair fell out while I was preggo and until my daughter was about 2. Not as much falls out now, but my hair thinned out a lot. I asked people around me and most had a similar problem, so I just figured it was normal.

You're not alone! I've been losing my hair for several weeks now. My daughter is 11 months old and breastfed and I started losing my hair when I started pumping less often during the day. It's totally disgusting and really awkward now that it's all growing back around my hairline. All my friends have told me that it's very normal and just another fun perk of motherhood!

Hi V.-

After my second son, I lost so much hair it was like a chemo patient in my shower. It was really overwhelmimg, it did go away after 6 months. I never really looked bald, but I did feel like I was. So, don't worry it is normal - I confided in my Doctor and she verified it is indeed normal.

Ah the joys of motherhood. The hair thing perfectly normal, its your body returning to normal horme levels. During your pregnacy I think I remember reading that your hair grows more and less falls out due to hormones, so then it makes up for it after you have the baby. It will stop, at least until your sweet baby hits the age that makes you tear your hair out. :-)
As for the pain with sex again it most likely normal, although check with your doctor if you have any concerns. Get some KY jelly if you haven't yet. Go slow and give yourself time. It takes longer than the suggested 6 to 8 weeks to heal and get back to normal.
Congratulations with your little boy.