Hair falling out AGAIN?

[Hallie_D]

I know there have been threads here about nursing moms loosing hair. I started shedding heavily around 3 months pp and it continued until about 7 months pp. Then, magically, it seemed to stop and I even started getting all kinds of regrowth (ever so lovely!). Now DS is 9 months old and suddenly it is starting again!!!

Has anyone else experienced this? I have to add that I returned to work full-time one month ago...could it be stress-related? Working full-time is certainly stressful...

Should I expect this to go on until I wean DS? Will I go bald? Will the stress of loosing my hair make me lose EVEN MORE hair? LOL. Inquiring minds want to know!

[sweetbasil]

Hallie, you're not pregnant again, are ya? :)

Seriously, though, this happened to me near the end of my nursing days with DS#1- maybe it's a hormone thing? It was tough enough to lose that post baby weight, and just when I started making progress, the hair started falling out- how frustrating! It stopped falling out after a bit, though, and is as thick as ever with this pregnancy.

Best wishes,

[mamahill]

It could most DEFINITELY be stress-related. My sister, who hasn't had children, lost a bunch of hair when her DH couldn't find a job and she was stuck at a job she hated. I was one of the posters about losing my hair. Thankfully, it stopped a couple months ago. And like you said, the regrowth is NOT attractive. I'm a big fan of hairspray now (trying to pat down the fuzzies) and if I don't meticulously dry my hair, I look like a kid who tried to get rid of some hair by cutting it off at the roots (and the fact that I have some curl to my hair does NOT help since my 2-inch long hair curls around my ears and neck). I think I look like a doofus. But that aside...

My doc said that going bald from this is VERY VERY VERY VERY rare, though not unheard of (this didn't comfort me that much since I was convinced I would be a member of that small percentage - I wasn't!). I think it will stop before you wean DS. On the other hand, it could continue past weaning, since it might be stress-related, more than baby-related. Yes, the stress of loosing hair can contribute to more stress, thus making a perpetual cycle.

Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, make sure you are eating well. I noticed a dramatic improvement once I made sure I was eating 3 meals a day, getting my fruits/veggies and protein, and drinking tons of water. I am sure that with all you are dealing with, food is often the last thing we think about. Take heart - it WILL get better. Take care of yourself and yourself will take care of you!

[mcmorfit]

Hallie,

Sorry to hear about your hair falling out. Since I have not had my baby, I cannot give any advice about my experiences with this, but I can give some advice about hair loss. I think that probably your hair is falling out due to your body changing hormone levels. But please don't worry about going bald! I do have Alopecia Areata (AA) which is an autoimmune condition, where white blood cells attack your hair follicles and the hair falls out - reason unknown. In AA, the condition is usually noticiable if you discover that you have coin like sized circles of bald spots around your head. For more information about hair loss, check out this site:
http://www.aad.org/pamphlets/hairloss.html

Since I have lived with this in varying degrees for the past 14 years, I really think that your loss is related to the birthing process. But please talk to your doctor and get some blood work done just to be sure. As well, if you think you need some more advice, try to find a dermatologist who specializes in hair loss, there are a lot of things that can be done to stop the hair from falling out. As far as making the most out of your hair, I keep my hair in a short ala Chicago bob, so the hair is close to my head and looks fuller.

There is no doubt that stress plays a part in our body's make-up. Continue to take care of yourself, rest and talk to your doctor. If you would like some more information please let me know.

HTH,

Ellen
EDD: soon

[Hallie_D]

No, but that is an interesting thought!
:-)

[Hallie_D]

I know what you mean about looking like a kid who tried to do a little styling with scissors--the other day one of my coworkers asked me if I had given myself bangs. (the answer, of course, was no! Just attractive regrowth, but thanks for asking!)

Sadly, I've been very good about eating well, taking vitamins, and drinking tons of water. The one thing I don't get is enough sleep. DS still does a lot of night nursing, and he also has been teething pretty constantly for 5 months (we are working on teeth #7 & #8 right now). We co-sleep, which helps a little, but the reality is that even four hours in a row is a luxury I hardly ever get to indulge in.

Glad to hear the stats from your doctor...thanks for the advice. If this is stress related, I guess I have to find ways to de-stress. DH will just have to give me a massage every now and again...

[Hallie_D]

Ellen, thanks for the links and the words of comfort. A good friend of mine from high school has AA, and I remember how traumatic it was for her when she was first diagnosed and soon after lost all her hair her junior year. She has since regrown and re-lost it 4 times.

My hair isn't doing anything so extreme, it is just getting extremely thin all over. I am definitely going to take your advice and cut my hair into a short bob--it is long now, and it seems to be even more horrifying to see these long, long strands of hair all over my pillow and bathroom.

Hopefully it will slow down again soon, before I wean, since I want to nurse for at least a year.

[michlee]

You mentioned that you're taking vitamins, but are you taking hair vitamins? I had this same problem and started taking hair vitamins at the suggestion of my hair dresser when my baby was about 4 months old. Surprisingly, they worked! My hair stopped falling out and my husband stopped complaining. (The hair all over our house was driving him crazy!)

I take 2 hair vitamins everyday along with my prenatals. I bought the vitamins, called Nutrihair, at GNC, but you can probably buy them anywhere. Just make sure they contain lots of biotin, which is apparently the magic nutrient.

-Michelle

[pshontz]

I have the same question! I had a lot of hair loss right after my baby was born. Now she is almost 6 months old and for the past 2-3 weeks I have been losing a lot of hair. I suspect it's a hormone change? But I am interested to hear if others experience this as well!

Laura's mom 09/14/02

[etwahl]

I'm probably in the minority here, and I hope I don't eat my words, but I am actually excited about losing some of this hair. My hair is normally really thick and takes FOREVER to blow dry, so it's been even worse lately. I have to blow dry it straight, otherwise it's kinky/frizzy and oh so "not pretty!"...so I'm really waiting for some of it to fall out so it's not quite so thick and this job isn't quite so painful :) A typical case of we always want what we don't have!!!

Tammy,
Mom-to-be Mar 8, 2003!