hair loss??? :(

[mummyofthomas]

hi all,had some hair loss after ds1 but stopped very quickly.now have ds2 who is 6 months old and the hair loss is more extreme can come out in clumps and hasnt stopped at all yet,you can even see thin patches and my doctor and family have noticed :( have had blood tests but all ok apart from high white blood cell count,but no one has explained to me what this meant??? the doctor hasnt really said any reasons or remedies for my hair loss. i should say that my son was born with a serious heart condition undiagnosed until he was two days old,he had his 1st open heart surgery at 10 days old and his second at 4 months,we nearly lost him through that surgery :( I am saying this because I wonder if the hair loss is a stress issue and also I read online that high white blood cells can be due to severe emotional stress too??? would be very grateful of any advice as I'm only 24 and could really so without this on top of everything else.To start with I just put it down to hormones but I can see a real difference and is beginning to really concern me :( thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm sorry to hear about your ds's medical problems. I hope the surgery they have done was sucessful. It must have been a very strefful time for you all :(

Your hair loss can definately be down to stress as well as normal post-natal loss. How long has it been going on for now? I ask as when I had hair loss I was told it isn't always long term and can go in cycles that last 3-4 months.

I suffered from hairloss about 18 months ago. My youngest child was a year old at the time so it wasn't postnatal loss in my case (I'd had that already with all four children!). In my case I'd had flu and was generally stressed and run down. My loss was all over and there were some very thin patches. It wasn't too bad as my hair before was very thick, so there was lots to lose of that makes sense!

It lasted about 3 months before it calmed down. I knew it was starting to slow down when I started getting tufty bits growing back.

I did try those hair and nails vitamin supplements but to be honest I was so useless at remembering to take them (busy life was part of the stress problem!).

You've had so much to deal with since the birth of your DS2 that stress is the most likely cause. No doubt, with the worry, you weren't eating properly either. That on top of the usual post pregnancy hair loss and I think you have your answer.

There's no overnight cure but there are things you can do. Have a look at this website. Also, go and see a hairdresser and ask them if there are any haircuts that will disguise the thinning. I have very thin hair but find that having several colours in my hair makes it look thicker. I also use a thickening shampoo and conditioner which helps.

I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry too much about it as it will grow back.