Hair Problems

Do you take vitamins? My hair was starting to thin until I started taking vitamins. I would suggest Vibe from Eniva.

K.,
I know you have gotten a lot of responses, but I might have a solution for you. There is a store in the Southdale mall in Edina called Ulta. It is next to Maggianos. They have a shampoo specially formulated to help thinning hair or regrow hair. It is often used by cancer patiens after chemotherapy. It speeds up the process of regrowing their hair. I can't remember what it is called, but if you call the store they should be able to tell you. Ask for Dana, I know she knows the name.
D.

When I was pregnant my hair started coming in dark, thick and lots of it. Prior to being pregnant I had lovely blonde, thin, nice hair. After the baby I started losing hair like crazy and eventually my blonde hair came back. It took about 8-12mos. for my hair to be back to normal.

When my son was born 3 yrs ago Nov 8, my mid-wife told me to keep taking my prenatal vitamin that hair loss is one of the side effects of stopping cold turkey! I was to slowly stop taking it! I did and I never had any hair loss. I, like you, have very thin hair and was very concerned about it!
Hope this helps. A. Rosemount, MN

Yep me too, only my daughter is 11 mo and now my hair is coming back in and it looks like I have really short bangs. Oh well - at least it's not permanent! You'll probably find it comes back :) My hair stylist said she sees it all the time and it usually starts after the delivery. I noticed it about 2 months afterward - big hair balls in the bottom of the shower where before there was none - I know gross!

My hair fell out from about 3 months after my son was born until about 9 months after. I had a funny hairline for a while, as the new short hairs were growing back. I think it is a totally normal, but depressing affect from the pregnancy hormones. Good that you had it checked though, as mentioned, hair loss can be a sign of other problems.

J.

YES! In clumps! I lose hair when the wind blows when I wash it comb it shake my head, it crazy. I have 3 kids and with this last one (shes 3monthes now) it seems to have gotton worse and Im right with you, Ill have nothing left! From my previous experience it does go away, but if you can afford it try Nioxin (sp?) you can get it at most salons or at Ulta in roseville, it worked for me. Thye have shampoo and conditioner. If that doesnt work try googleing supplimants to grow hair? I know certain vitamins work. The reason its falling out or so Ive read is because your hair rarely falls out or breaks when your pregnant and so you end up with thicker hair and now that the pregnancy is done its returning back to your prepregnancy state. I guess when I was preg I noticed my hair was more textured but not neccessairly thicker. I hope this helps!
B.

I know for a fact that I experienced hair loss after I had my baby. It's just finally tapered off a bit and it's been almost 11 months. You know that beautiful hair you had while you were pregnant? Well, your hair didn't fall out as much and the hormones probably did that. Now that your hormones are regulating, you are losing all that hair that you didn't lose back when you were pregnant. It's just your body's way of getting back to normal. It may seem like a lot of hair is coming out at once, but it's not anything more than what you would have lost over the past 9+ months. It's just happening all at once instead of over time (which doesn't seem as severe). I know it sucks but it will pass.

Hi K. - I am experiencing the same thing right now, so you're definitely not alone. I have a 9-month-old and my hair is still falling out. I've noticed my hair line is receding on the sides of my head, too, so I agree that it's hard to deal with when you already have thin hair to begin with. The only positive thing is that it IS growing back, however, that means I have clumps of baby hairs that always wisp out when I put my hair in a ponytail. I've read that there are some ways to try and minimize the hair loss by ... using lots of conditioner, not using a fine comb but more of a pick or something, staying on your prenatal pills, etc. Those are just some thoughts. Hope everything goes well.

Hi, I HATE this topic...I have very thin hair and my scalp is almost visably noticable and completely noticable to me. Mine however isn't due to a pregnancy or giving birth. It's just from female hair loss. It SUCKS! And, I hope you get your hair back. I use Nioxin products which helps my hair grow faster, and thicker...so for the interum, you could try those products. I used to use it a few years ago and stopped for a few years and my hair was really thin again. Now that I've used it for a few months, I can tell the difference. You could try that until it comes back fully. Good luck.

I had the hair loss thing going on too, and it is scary I will have to admit. I have wavy blonde hair, the blonde hair fell out and was replaced with extra curly, kinky, almost brown hair. I always joked with people and asked if they liked my new afro. After about 6 months or so, that brown curly hair started to slowly fall out and was replaced by my original blonde hair. It was the weirdest thing. I went to several doctors and they couldn't really say what the cause was. They had several ideas but really couldn't point in one general direction. They said it could a side effect from my birth control pills or post partum depression like you had said. I don't know how much this will help you but I thought I could at least share my story with you. You aren't the only one out there.

Did you get an epideral (sp??) when you had your child?? That happened to me after I had my girls... I lost alot. What I found that worked is.. Drink alot of milk and Pantene makes a good hair thickener shampoo and conditioner... A.

My son is 5 months old and I am also losing hair. It started when he was about 3 months old and just came out all over the place. I still see piles of it in corners of the floor where I missed it with the vacuum. It has slowed down a bit and I have new hair growing in. I suggest not getting your hair cut until the hair stops falling out. I joke around with my co-workers that I have a comb-over. Just hang in there and know that there are a lot of balding moms out there.

Hi K.-
This happened to me after the birth of both of my girls! It started right about the five month mark like you said and both times it was really scary because I was loosing so much hair! I have really fine hair as well so maybe we're prone to it. Anyway, the good news is that I didn't go bald. Basically the prenatal vitamins and your body storing nutrients keeps your hair from falling out a little at a time like it does when you're not pregnant. So when you're body realizes you're not it sheds all the extra. Basically my hair just returned to it's former pathetic self! Hope that helps and congrats on the new baby!

It's so annoying isn't it! I constantly have to clean out the drains because they're getting clogged.

My hair loss started about 4 months after I had my daughter and isn't quite so bad not that she's 8 months but still happens. Maybe now that I've stopped breastfeeding it will return to normal, who knows. Now I'm getting the short little pieces that stick up all over the place too that are growing in.

The things we put our bodies through for our children!

I agree with your doctor did he or she say to start or continue to take prenatal or regular vitamins because that will help regain the stength in your hair and nails. Your hormones are not sky rocketing any more. I lost alot of hair after my 2nd son was born and that was what I did and it helped and got better in 2 months after. It scared me too I also have thin hair.

Hang in there..
The average person, (not pregnant) loses about 100 strands of hair every day. The scalp does so new hair can grow in it's place. This is a cycle that continues most of your life.
When you become pregnant, the hormones cause you to stop the shedding process- Hence the thick gorgeous hair. However, when you deliver your little bundle of joy- your hair starts shedding again- but in epic proportions!! It lets loose all of the extra hair you accumulated during those 9 months. This could last up to a year. When I delivered my daughter- I lost so much hair I would actually cry. It was so frightening. I started using Nioxin- just to treat my hair as gently as possible.
But it ended when my daughter was about 8 months old..
Hang in there..

I have been having the same problem. My son is 3 1/2 months now, and my hair has been falling out for about a month. I have kind of thick hair though and could stand to thin out a little!

I know exactly how you feel. I lost a TON of hair about four months after my son was born. The first month I was ok with it because I had read about it in some pregnancy books and I hadn't lost much hair while I was pregnant. The second month I started to get concerned and went to the doctor for the same tests you had I'm sure. By the third month I was completely freaking out because you could truly see receding patches on my hairline. When I was just about to go totally insane, it finally stopped.

As far as I know, there is really nothing you can do except have faith that it will stop before you are completely bald. Also, it does grow back. I now have a bunch of spots with shorter "bang" type hair. It will take a long while for my hair to be back the way it was, but at least it is manageable now.

Wish I had some magic cure, but all I can say is that I've been there and it will get better.

Hang in there!

B.
Mom to a wonderful 11 month old boy

The hair loss is very common after having a baby. Hair and nails are the extra protein your body doesn't need to be healthy. During pregnancy, you use every bit of protein for yourself and the baby so you don't produce new hair during this time. No new hair means no reason for the old hair to come out to make way for it.

When you go get your hair done at the beauty shop and they wash your hair, do you remember how they massaged your scalp at the same time? Those motions are what you should do every time you wash your hair because this stimulates the hair folics in your scalp and will encourage new growth.

You may want to request a thyroid test. Hair loss, coupled with tiredness (hard to know when you're a new mom!), weight gain or loss, can mean a problem with your thyroid. This can be triggered by a traumatic physical or emotional experience - pregnancy! They don't always test for this first off, since the symptoms can mimic other things. Good luck!

Hi....It is perfectly normal. I am on my third boy and my youngest is 4 1/2 mo. old. It has happened every time(my poor husband). It gets pretty frustrating because my hair is not thick either. Hang in there, it does eventually get better and will grow back in. Just make sure you are eating well and taking care of yourself. Hope it gets better soon for you. Best wishes.

Hi K.,

Unfortunately or fortunately I have had personal experience with this. At just about the same time after my daughter was born, I began to have hair loss and other symptoms. I had previously had no trouble with losing baby weight (I was breast feeding), but around that time it seemed that process slowed or stopped. I was also very tired.

You don't need to have all these symptoms (and there are others as well) to be diagnosed with post-partum hypothyroidism. This condition is often MISSED by doctors who look at your blood results (if they have even thought of running the correct ones to detect this) because the lab normal range is often too wide. That is, SOME doctors know that in order for some women to feel at their best, they will have results in this wide normal range, but really need to be at the lower end. Finding a doctor who is well versed in this is key.

The test I am talking about is for TSH, but there is a panel that can and should be done. Also, this condition can be temporary or more permanent (like mine) and you can be checked for anti-bodies to make this differentiation. There are some really terrific books and websites out there. You might want to start with http://thyroid.about.com/blthyroid.htm. This book goes into many of the subtleness of thyroid issues, but is only one of many out there: http://www.amazon.com/Thyroid-Solution-Mind-Body-Depressi.... Feel free to post again or send me a private message for more information.

I can tell you that I never expected to be a person who would take a pill everyday, as I am someone who prefers more natural and alternative approaches. However, taking Synthroid daily (for over 5 years) has given me back my life. Good luck!

R.

Hey I have the same problem! My daughter is 7 months old and I'm still losing it, but not as bad. My doctor told me that when your pregnant you quit losing hair, or lose just a very small amount becuase of hormones. So after birth your body doesnt have those hormones, or as much, so the hair loss starts again, and it goes in double time to make up for all the hair you didnt lose while pregnant.

It will slow down, and you wont be bald! Try taking more vitamins I heard thats suppose to help.

I had the SAME issue!!! I was so freaked out! Probably from 3-7 months I lost huge amounts of hair. I think its totally normal, talk to your dr. to confirm its not something else that could be wrong, but from everyone I talked to, they experienced the same thing.

Same thing happened to me, and I guess its fairly common. My hairdresser said it happens all the time and it will fall out in cycles. Mine is still coming out and my baby is 16 months old. My hair is thin too and it is definitely noticable, but only to me (so my friends and husband say). I guess there really isn't anything you can do besides taking pre-natal vitamins. Don't worry, you'll have hair left when its all over!

Hang in there,

R.

My son is now 2 and my hair stopped falling out. I got every test possible, and they said nothing was wrong. I brest fed my son up until he was 6 months and about 6 or 7 months after that it stopped. Just hang in there, it will stop!

Hello! Both my sister-in-law and I lost a lot of hair. It was all over my house and falling out in clumps! It finally stopped at 6 months. Which my hairstylist and dr. told me it would. I had heard that was normal so I didn't worry too much. My hair also came back curlier! Don't worry it's normal!

Sorry about the hair loss, but yeah- it can last up to a year. I lost hair after both of my girls and actually got a receeding hair line with my first daughter. (It stopped when she was 9 mos- we got preg with #2) I haven't found anything that helps! The only thing that even started to hide it for me was to leave my hair down. It will come back though. You'll probably get all that wonderful "new growth" that's short and sticks up in every direction! Ahhh, the joys of motherhood! Don't worry though you shouldn't go bald from it. Jenny

I haven't had this, but have heard that it can happen. I'm not sure if this would help, but have you tried continuing to take prenatal vitamins? Perhaps the extra folic acid, etc. could be beneficial. I've an eight month old and I've been taking them. I plan to continue until my baby is a year old. I'm sorry you're going through this. It sucks, but at least it is temporary.