Hair falling out after pregnancy

[sophiad]

My hair did have a tendency to come out even before I was pregnant. But since having my DD 12 weeks ago its coming out in clumps. Even have a bald patch on opposite side to where my parting is. Are they any products or vitamins anyone could recommend please? Thanks

[HabitualLurker]

I don't know that there's anything you can do about it, though if it's any reassurance it happened to me and all of my friends. And it does stop, honest! My baby's 8 months now and I stopped blocking the plughole a while ago now.

[HabitualLurker]

I don't know that there's anything you can do about it, though if it's any reassurance it happened to me and all of my friends. And it does stop, honest! My baby's 8 months now and I stopped blocking the plughole a while ago now.

[scoutfinch1]

If you have a good hairdresser you could try and give them a call. Mine warned me that your hair does fall out, often quite drastically and she gets lots of phone calls from very upset new mums about this. Again, agree with OP that I'm not sure there is much that you can do, I thought that because hair falls out less when pregnant after the birth it will fall out more dramatically and it's just due to hormones.

[AutumnMadness]

Sophiad, there is probably not much you can do. But I think you can pretty securely expect it to grow out again. You will probably end up with a fuzzy undercoat that will stick out from under the original hair and annoy you for years (that's my situation).

[Gruntfuttocks]

Hair tends to get thicker during pregnancy and doesn't fall out as much as usual, so afterwards when the hormones disappear, it can fall out quite dramatically (and does seem to rather overshoot the previous 'normal' level!). It WILL grow back, you just have to be patient...

[UndineSpragg]

I don't think there's any way to stop it. My hair loss was worst around the temples and peaked at 4 or 5 months after birth. My son is now 15 months and its regrowing, though annoyingly short and curly compared to the rest of my hair.

[CrazyOldCatLady]

It's a hormonal thing. Hair loss stops during pregnancy, then the changing hormones after the birth make half of it fall out at once. And then it all grows back at once and looks ridiculous for a couple of years.

Yet another of the fun things you don't get told about pregnancy

[Titsalinabumsquash]

Mine is still coming out at 7 months post birth, I have started taking postnatal Pregnacare for hair/skin and it does seem to be having a positive effect, it may coincidental though.

[RoooneyMara]

I have a theory that it may be caused by a folate deficiency - I remember when my baby was about a month old my fingernails all broke, all the time, they became really thin. I think this was because when I was pregnant, he was using the stuffthey needed - it's like in CSI when they test hair and so on, it takes a while for the affected bit to show up.
Fingernails are now fine (he is 5 months)
Hair fell out rather a lot in the last month but has now calmed down

I think it's a delayed effect from what was stolen from your diet/reserves in pregnancy!

It will stop though.