Help! I’m going to go bald. My hair is falling out in clumps

[Peridotty]

My hair is falling out massively. I had huge clumps of hair in the plug hole after washing my hair and then when I combed it so much fell out in my hands. I just have to touch my hair and clumps come out. There hair everywhere on the floor. I had a baby 4 months ago. Surely this amount of hair loss is not normal? Aibu to think I’m going to go bald?? I have a doctors appointment for it next week.

This is very normal after birth. During pregnancy you dont lose much hair so you have 9 months worth to lose after you give birth.

absolutely normal I'm afraid. It will grow back to give you a halo of wispy fuzz - something to look forward to!

I wouldn't be using a GP appointment for this tbh.

Google the condition telogen effluvium....hair loss with many causes but one of them is post pregnancy...x

That’s exactly what happened to mine after all three of my babies. Then grew back in the most hideous tufts.
Finally got it all back after third DC, caught Covid and now have post Covid hair loss 😭.

Have you been washing your hair less lately? I certainly have been, especially pre July when nothin was really open and I had nowhere to go. I always lose some hair after washing but found that I was losing masses off hair when I washed less often, it was quite worrying but I sort of put it down to “catch up”.

I went to get my hair cut and coloured when the hairdressers reopened, it took forever and I was reassured I am definitely not going bald just yet.

www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/postpartum-health-and-care/postpartum-hair-loss/

Yep - happened to me after birth. Most alarming!

Definitely normal! Please don’t worry. It’s to do with your hormones after birth. My hairdresser warned me about it when I was pregnant. I was freaked out too when mine fell out after having baby even tho I was pre warned. It settled down and eventually grew back. Agree with previous poster about the fuzz when it starts to come in again

Yanbu to panic because it's really unnerving, but my hair loss was like this between 4-6 months post-birth. My hair is still as thick as it ever was. Unless you can actually see bald patches there's no need to go to the doctor.

Yes totally normal but when they say your hair will fall out after a baby you don’t think it will be in such large amounts. It will grow back

I found when I stopped bf (around 4 months) I seemed to overnight lose lots of hair I too was very upset and worried

I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or that I stopped bf but it grew back and my hair has always been thick is now thicker

I’m sure it’s post pregnancy hair loss which is completely normal

Thanks for your replies! It just seems like a lot. I’m only washing it once a week now to try and slow the hair loss. Yes I didn’t lose any hair for 9months. Is there a remedy or medicine i can take to prevent it from falling out? One that is safe for breastfeeding?

Yep, this scared the living daylights out of me too! Handfuls of hair coming out at around 4-5 months post-birth. I read somewhere that pregnancy hormones make us shed less hair, so when hormones settle back down to normal after pregnancy, we lose all the overdue hair in a short period of time. Don't worry, @Peridotty - you'll notice it for a few weeks but you won't go bald!

Thanks for all the replies! I feel a bit better now to hear it happens to other women too. I am actually looking forward to that halo of fuzz when it grows back!!!

No you can't really prevent it as its hormone related

It’s normal. It happened to me with both of mine. It’s because your hair loss stops completely during pregnancy and then starts shedding all at once when it’s over. So you get like 9 months of hair loss over a few weeks. Next you can look forward to when your new hair growth starts and it’s all sticking up in different directions all over your head like a fuzzy halo until it gets long enough to lie flat. My baby is 1 year old next week and my hair is bloody awful but at least it’s not falling out anymore I guess!

Haha I hadn’t read the other replies when I posted mine, it’s funny to see other people experienced the halo of fuzz too!

Normal. It'll stop and you'll be fine.

Yes i had this too and it does settle down. Unless you actually have a bald patch I don't think it is anything to be too concerned about straight after having a baby. I'd recommend using a caffeine shampoo and taking a really decent daily multi vitamin

It’s still worth getting checked over by your GP even though postnatal hair loss is normal.

Mine was awful after my second child - my GP did some blood tests and I had several vitamin deficiencies which they prescribed high dose supplements for and they definitely helped

Try not to worry its completely normal.
Mine started to recede like what happens to mens hair at the front, couldnt wear my hair back into a pony tail because the receding was noticible.
After a little while it started growing back, the short bits are really annoying its been 2 years and its such slow growing, its a pain especially when french plating my hair for work.

If you aren’t breast feeding look up Viviscal tablets - I suffer from really bad hair loss due to thyroid and they really help. Take for 3 months.

Gosh I had forgotten all about this! Gave me a fright too buts it’s completely normal.. Welcome to the wispy tufts group on a serious note it does come back!

When I had my son I had a bald patch the size of a 50p. It grew back but I was frightened. For my 2nd son i got a smaller bald patch right at the front where my parting was and i had to colour it in with eyeshadow !

@Peridotty

Hi op ! How’s your hair loss now ? I had a baby early March, my hair started falling out in July massive amounts a lot like yours. It has started slowing down now. I’m not sure if it was from having a baby or a hair dye I used around the same time it started falling out. I’m sure I was suffering from telogen effuvluim but what the trigger was I’ll never know. My hair is so much thinner..lots of wispy hairs coming through. Hope yours is ok such a stressful time xx