Mommies-does the hair ever grow back??

[fieryred33143]

I just spent an hour crying over my hair. I was in the shower washing it and chunks start falling off. By the time I was done, my hairline completely changed. It''s pushed back maybe half an inch back. I can''t believe it. I knew hair loss was part of having a baby but OMG this is way too much! I''m tempted to make an appt to see if I''m still anemic.

Did you go through this? How long does it last? Does it grow back?!

 

[swingirl]

Who said hair loss was part of having a baby? Maybe you should check with your doctor to see it something else is going on. A vitamin deficiency? Or hormones?

 

[E B]

Oh, fiery, I''m so sorry. I''m going through the same thing right now and told my husband it really freaks me out. I''ve heard from so many other women post-partum that it''s normal and it DOES grow back. I hope it helps to know that you aren''t alone. Big hugs.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Yes, your hair will grow back. Supposedly, during pregnancy, it grows faster and doesn''t fall out as much, so that''s why you have the big shed afterwards.

Now...with that said, I would suggest getting your thyroid checked. Significant hair loss is a symptom of a thyroid issue, so you might check out whether you have any other symptoms. It seems like some of them, such as being tired, could be attributed to either having a baby OR hypothyroidism.

Pregnancy can also do weird things to your thyroid and put it into a hypo state, but not permanently. After my younger daughter was born, I noticed that I had the usual hair falling out, being a bit tired, etc., but then when she was about 1, it went downhill. I was always cold, my skin was really dry, I gained weight while having no appetite, that sort of thing. I saw an osteopath who did the tests and my tsh level was never in the range where a regular doctor would consider me hypo, but my osteo chose to treat me. I was on natural thyroid meds for about 2 years, then decided to see how I felt off them. I actually felt fine!

My dr. suggested that the hypothyroidism was pregnancy-induced and it just took that long for my thyroid to go back to normal. I had another tsh test done two years ago and my tsh level was close to 1, whereas when I was sick, it was around 3. Some people think that this can be enough of a difference to make some people really sick (see "subclinical hypothyroidism").

 

[Kaleigh]

I had it too Feiry. I know it''s alarming, but very common. Many of my firends went through it too... It grows back and then some!!!

HUGS

 

[Dreamer_D]

Mine didn''t fall out at all when I was pg, and then fell out like mad for the first 6mo pp! It has stopped now. But I have a tonned of inch long hairs all over the place! Luckily it matches my short hairstyle, but it is annoying.

You are not actually losing hair permanently though... when pg the natural cycle where hair dies and falls out stops due to hormones. Then when you are not pg anymore, *all* the hairs that would normally have fallen out when pg suddenly fall out all at once! It seems scary, but your hair is really only returning to normal.

but what you describe may be different... maybe check with the doc to be sure?

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 10/11/2009 6:05:36 PM
Author: swingirl
Who said hair loos was part of having a baby? I never lost any hair or heard of that complaint from anyone. Maybe you should check with your doctor to see it something else is going on.

Hmm maybe not everyone goes through it. It''s in most pp books I have and on another baby sit I''m a member of, a lot of moms complain about it. Good for you that it didn''t happen cause it sucks!

Ebree-its so weird. I remember you mentioning it but up until today not a strand fell off. I''m going to get it cut short tomorrow.

Rock-thanks for the info. I''ll talk to my doc about checking my thyroid.

 

[Kaleigh]

Mine happened after I had the baby, not while preggo...

 

[fieryred33143]

DD-that''s interesting. My hair did get awesome during pregnancy-really thick and strong. I did stop taking PNVs about two weeks ago because mixed with the iron pills, it was hurting my tummy so maybe that had something to do with it.

It was knotted so I suspect that had a lot to do with the loss but holy heck. I''m surprised I don''t have bald patches everywhere

 

[swingirl]

Also, many women, just 2 to 3 months after they have delivered a baby, notice hair loss, which is also related to hormones. During pregnancy, there are high levels of certain hormones which cause the body to keep hair intact especially the ones would normally fall out. But when the hormones return to normal levels, those hairs fall out & the normal cycle of growth & loss begins again.

I just found this on the internet so it seems more common than not. Good news is that it will grow back.

 

[neatfreak]

DD is right-it''s just hair that you normally would have lost a few hairs at a time that all comes out at once after the baby because pregnancy keeps your hair (i.e., why people think that pre-natal vitamins make hair luscious-it''s really the pregnancy not necessarily the vitamins). Don''t worry-despite how much hair it looks like you are losing it is VERY normal and you aren''t really losing that much! It''ll regulate pretty soon.

Hang in there!

 

[Mara]

aww fiery, my stylist told me the same thing the other ladies are saying re: after the birth. she said because you lose way less hair when preggo, afterwards all the hair you would have lost comes out. i can totally see being freaked out that it happens at once, though.

i used to shed like mad, greg thought the way i lost clumps of hair was 'not normal' but i always have been like that and always had a ton of hair. now it's way too thick, i am anticipating afterwards to be pretty scary. one potential positive, opp for a funky new hairstyle!

 

[qtiekiki]

I had that, and felt like I had a bald spot. The hair stylist was even saying that my hair was really thin at the hairline when I went for a haircut 6 months pp. But it started growing back after that, and I have a lot of short baby hair. It''s really alarming, and I was crying to DH that I was going bald.

 

[curlygirl]

fiery, it''s normal and it will grow back! I have super thick hair that falls out like crazy when I''m not pregnant. Barely lost any during pregnancies and then both times at around 4 months post partum, it started to fall out like crazy. Fortunately, I seriously have tons of hair so it wasn''t noticeable at all but then it started to grow back around my hairline and I have all these short flyaways since it''s the new hair growing in. It''s annoying but it''s temporary so don''t worry. Your hormones are fluctuating but you will go back to normal soon.

 

[Camille]

Date: 10/11/2009 6:27:49 PM
Author: fiery
DD-that's interesting. My hair did get awesome during pregnancy-really thick and strong. I did stop taking PNVs about two weeks ago because mixed with the iron pills, it was hurting my tummy so maybe that had something to do with it.
It was knotted so I suspect that had a lot to do with the loss but holy heck. I'm surprised I don't have bald patches everywhere

Oh Fiery, welcome to the club, my hair loss lasted 7 months after having my second child, [instead of the 3-4 month norm] my doctor said it was associated with estrogen changes, since my thyroid tested ok. I had to continue prenatals for another six months and extra zinc [low dose] no pigtails, coloring, shapoo with Biotin worked for me. Good Luck

 

[Kaleigh]

Sounds like taking those prenatals post pregnancy would be a help. Fiery let us know what your Doc says. I know it will be helpful to all. thanks.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

So mine fell out around the same time she lost some of her hair. My DH was VERY concerned. Haha. From what I am told it is normal and common. It took FOREVER for my "baby hairs" to grow back (that''s what I call them). My DD is almost 2 and they reach my chin.

 

[fieryred33143]

Thanks so much ladies. I feel a lot better knowing it''ll grow back. I used to shed a lot too pre-pregnancy and used Nioxin for thinning hair. Looks like I''m going to have to get another bottle. I still want to cut my hair short. It grew a lot while pregnant but I think the length (lots of split ends) combined with wetting it a lot because I leave it curly is going to make it worse. FI said it doesn''t look any different. Bless his lying self lol

 

[snlee]

It''s totally normal. Not much hair fell out during pregnancy then 3-6 months pp, it fell out like crazy! Clumps and clumps in the shower. It was horrible. It will stop and slowly grow back. My son just turned one and I have lots of baby hairs around my hairline. Hang in there fiery!

 

[Pandora II]

Same thing here - and I didn''t have a huge amount to begin with.

My skin, hair and nails were the best thing for me about being pregnant - they were all great.

I''ve had my hair cut several times since Daisy was born and a lot shorter than it was which has helped as it felt really coarse and horrible even with loads of conditioner.

 

[steph72276]

Fiery, I experienced it big time after my miscarriage last year. I think it has to do with our hormones trying to regulate again. I was really scared as huge chunks would come out in the shower and when I brushed my hair. But don''t worry, it took a few months but it grew back plus some! I have to now get my hair thinned out b/c it is so thick! I would probably have your doc do a full blood workup though just to make sure there are no other issues going on.

 

[MustangGal]

I lost a bunch PP, even my eyebrows got thinner! It seemed to taper off around 5 months PP, and now at 8 months it''s getting better, and I''m getting my unibrow back too

.

 

[robbie3982]

This just started happening to me in the last week or so. I thought I was in the clear since it hadn''t yet. My skin has gotten awful too. Booo.

 

[janinegirly]

same experience as curly girl here. I have thick hair and during pg it never fell out, so i ended up with even more hair! 3 mo''s postpartum it was still there and I thought, wow, this is here to stay. Then it fell out. I was so busy with other stuff..i didn''t really care. I noticed hairline go back on one side too. Kinda scary, but i knew it was normal and have alot of hair to hide it with. IT does grow back, but then it''s from scratch so a year later I still have annoying short hairs everywhere but at least the hairline is back.
My nails also went back to flaking and chipping...while preggo they are strong and perfect! I wonder if i should take prenatals all the time! ha!

Don''t worry fiery !

 

[Sha]

Wow - I''ve never heard abour hair falling out after giving birth - but there''s a lot that I don''t know about the post-partum period, anyway. I''m almost 8 eight months pg. So far I haven''t noticed any skin/hair changes, so hopefully I won''t have lots of shedding after. It sounds kind of distressing!

 

[VegasAngel]

I think I lost hair early in the pregnancy & a lot 2-3 months after I had my daughter.

 

[Allisonfaye]

I think it is happening to me now for about the 5th time. It actually started happening to me BEFORE I had my kids. I was 38 the first time. It all grew back and fell out again. Then it happened again after both kids were born. Now my youngest is 4 and it is happening again. Annoying for sure. I think I don''t mind the falling out as much as the growing back period when you have little tiny hairs all over your whole head. Not much to do. I am lucky because I have huge amounts of hair to start but I can understand it being unsettling if you don''t or you don''t know it is going to end. I think it will grow back.

 

[softly softly]

Date: 10/12/2009 5:12:35 AM
Author: Pandora II
Same thing here - and I didn''t have a huge amount to begin with.


My skin, hair and nails were the best thing for me about being pregnant - they were all great.


I''ve had my hair cut several times since Daisy was born and a lot shorter than it was which has helped as it felt really coarse and horrible even with loads of conditioner.

Pandora every time I read your posts about your pregnancy I smile as, morning sickness aside, we seem to have had very similar pregnancies!

With regards to the hair loss, like Pandora I didn''t have much to start with so it wasn''t an especially welcome development when it started to fall out so rapidly. I also found that it fell out again to a lesser extent when I stopped breast-feeding.

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 10/11/2009 5:51:51 PM
Author:fiery
I just spent an hour crying over my hair. I was in the shower washing it and chunks start falling off. By the time I was done, my hairline completely changed. It''s pushed back maybe half an inch back. I can''t believe it. I knew hair loss was part of having a baby but OMG this is way too much! I''m tempted to make an appt to see if I''m still anemic.

Did you go through this? How long does it last? Does it grow back?!

I feel your pain. I had 4 babies in 6 1/2 years and I thought my hair would never be normal. I have thick long hair and even though I read it could happen, it so freaked me out after my first. Then it seemed I had these baby hairs all around my face for years because by the time it finally came back in full I would get pregant again. But it does come back for sure. My youngest is 5 and you would never ever know I lost lots of hair 4 times!

As someone pointed out, often your hair gets thicker during pregnacy, so not only is it regular hari loss but losing the extra you grew during pregnancy.

If it does keep up and you think its beyond whats normal, a call or visit to the doctor might make you feel better.

In the meantime, enjoy your baby and know that its normal.

I also had HORRIBLE acne after having my babies for a few months. In the photos of my newborn babies with me, my skin looks like a teenager. So I was hormonal, losing hair, and had acne. Not fun!

But it will get better

 

[Jas12]

Totally normal from what i''ve heard

...but weird b/c i didn''t have any hair fall out. I kept waiting for the nice, thick, healthy hair of pregnacy, but that didn''t happen ( stayed the same) so i guess that''s why it never fell out in mass quantities. My hormones just attacked other bodily functions i suppose