If I was a first time Mum this hair loss would be freaking me out!! In actual fact the first time it did happen I remember running to my pregnancy book and looking it up. It sounded familiar, like I had read about it previously but I thought I better check just to be on the safe side. I’m of course talking about postpartum hair loss, the hair that falls out usually generally between 3 and 6 months after birth. Firstly it needs to be said, don’t worry you won’t go bald!!!
So why does this annoying hair loss happen you ask. Well our hair has a growing and resting or shedding phase. Normally your hair would fall out every two to three months however when you are pregnant hormones affect this (like everything else!!). Pregnancy hormones stop your hair from progressing through the shedding phase which is why a lot of women find that their hair is much thicker when they are pregnant.
As your hormone levels start to return to normal after you’ve had your baby the hair starts to fall out at it’s normal rate and the hair that would have shed while you were pregnant falls out too. Making you feel like you are going to loose all your hair!!
The good news is your hair should be back to normal between the 6 and 12 month period following birth. If you continue to experience hair loss after this time make sure you talk to your doctor as it could be related to another health matter. In the mean time there really isn’t much you can do. It is quite frustrating especially if you have long hair. A lot of Mum’s tend to cut their hair shorter following pregnancy to make it more manageable (especially since time with a new baby is limited) and also to help cope with the hair loss.
Meanwhile I’m rocking a new hair do!! I had it cut a little shorter on the weekend and then had my cheeky husband colour it for me. He thinks he’s hilarious as you can see by the following photo!!
Charles the Cheeky Rotter Helping to Colour My Hair!
Don’t worry I cleaned off all the extra colour on my skin…he’s not the best hair dresser but all I’ve got! Addi kept giving me funny looks, I can see why :).
