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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

General health

Hair loss after giving birth

26 replies

Mima · 23/05/2002 20:44

About 4 months after giving birth I have started to lose clumps of hair, my hairbrush looks like a hamster and the shower is permanently clogged up. This happened after both my pregnancies.

Has this happened to anyone else? If so, what did you do about it.

It seems so much worse this time than last.

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futurity · 23/05/2002 20:51

I also have this problem which has just come on also 4 months after giving birth! No solution really apart from having my hair cut short which is something I wanted to do anyway.

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sobernow · 23/05/2002 21:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

susanmt · 23/05/2002 22:31

This is happening to me right now and ds is 4 months next week. It's horrible, hair keeps falling into things. Urgh!

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leander · 23/05/2002 22:36

Thankgod someone brought this up I thought it was just me! I keep having nightmares that i'll wake up bald as a coot one morning. My hairdresser tried reassuring me that i had loads of hair but im not so sure.

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MalmoMum · 24/05/2002 05:58

Within the next few months you will notice, on you and other new mums, a 'halo' of new hair around your face. It grows straight up until it's heavy enough to fall in with the rest of your hair (style depending).

I think it looks rather sweet.

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Enid · 24/05/2002 09:26

It does look sweet unless you are going prematurely grey like me in which case you look like the mad professor.

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mines · 24/05/2002 13:07

I'm right in the middle of this - my hair (long and thick pre-pregnancy anyway) is now coating everything we possess. Ds doesn't help by pretending to be a baby monkey and swinging off it

It also seems to co-incide with other hormone effects such as mood swings and incredible sensitivity to baby related things eg anyone see ER this week? I was an absolute wreck by the end.

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ionesmum · 24/05/2002 13:36

This is happening to me as well. Dd always seems to have my hair wrapped around her hands which is quite alarming, so I have to keep it tied back all the time, even in the middle of the night! Also hairs are evrywhere, even in her nappies! I too have had my hair cut shorter, and layered which makes it look thicker (I hope!)

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tigermoth · 24/05/2002 13:48

You never know, you might come out the winner in this. My hair is thin and fine, but not outrageously so. However, before children, far too much of my scalp was on display if I was in the wrong light.

I lost hair after having son number one and son number two. When my hair grew back, it was thicker each time. I now pass as normal.

I love the malmomum's description of the halo effect of new hair. Stands to reason - mothers need the patience of angels.

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ChanelNo5 · 24/05/2002 16:11

Same thing happened to me after all 3 of mine and it's still growing back with a halo effect even though my youngest is now 2!

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mines · 25/05/2002 14:10

My husband has just pointed out that checking the nappies for hair is vital for those of us with long hair - apparently a hair wrapped around the goolies is a major cause for complaint!

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MalmoMum · 26/05/2002 03:36

Hair, long hairs, can also be very interesting when lurking in your own creases and crevices...

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leander · 26/05/2002 11:50

I was advised to give my hair a really good brush morning and night,this way you lose all your dead hair and you dont notice it falling out through the day as much, but the hairbrush looks totally scary and you feel like your bald .Dont worry i've been assured its perfectly NORMAL.

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aloha · 26/05/2002 17:50

When I was pg I developed a weird fuzzy, frizzy, short bit of hair right at the front - it drove me INSANE!!! Every morning was an hour-long battle with straightening gel and the hairdryer. Now, eight months after having ds it is still falling out in handfuls - and yes, into his nappy - but there's still plenty there. I'm off to a v expensive hairdresser next week to see if he can tame my v strange hair. Also much greyer than before. I feel like having ds has kickstarted the ageing process at double the speed of before - definitely more wrinkles and grey hair. Is this nature's way of telling me I am now redundant??

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tigermoth · 27/05/2002 10:56

Aloha, I'm not meaning to scare you, but I have read about some research that apparently 'proves' that having children speeds up the aging process. The more childre you have, the more aged you appear.

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Crunchie · 30/05/2002 20:14

Oh at least I am not alone, I didn't get that falling out hair until about 8 months after the baby was born, but now she's 15 months I have that fuzzy halo thing. It is also driving me so mad I've invested in some straighteners to keep it smoothish. I never had frizz before

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SimonHoward · 30/05/2002 21:29

Thank god men don't have to deal with this form of hair loss as well as the rest of them.

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monkey · 31/05/2002 08:28

If you are concerned it might be worth getting your gp to check your thyroid. Hair loss is perfectly normal afetr birth, but it can always be a symptom of abnormal thyroid function. My thyroid went to pot after both births, and my hair loss was noticably worse. In fact the second time the hair loss was the first sign my thyroid had gone hay-wire again.

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wmf · 04/06/2002 21:30

I didn't lose any hair until dd was several months old, and then it practically leapt off my scalp. The GP said that hair-loss well after the baby is born is not hormonal but most probably nutritional or stress-related. He suggested that I try multi-vitamins first of all. They helped a lot, and when my PND was diagnosed several months later and I began treatment for that as well, the hair-loss reduced to what I would consider a normal amount.

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aloha · 04/06/2002 22:02

I've had my thyroid tested because I thought of that, but it was normal. Also taking multi-vits, but hair still coming out. Hairdresser has helped a bit, I think I'll just have to ride it out. Oh, and thanks Tigermoth for confirming my worst fears

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aloha · 04/06/2002 22:03

Or should that be

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Lil · 24/07/2002 14:35

Hair loss - at exactly 4 months. Bang on!! Doncha just love this site!!

To add insult to injury I just forked out 120 pound on a cut and colour last month. What a waste. To all you guys who wrote on this thread - when did your hair stop falling out? I really don't have much left. If its stress related then I might as well go and buy a wig, cos this is never going to stop!!!

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JaneyT · 24/07/2002 16:28

My hair started falling out when my dd was about 5/6 ms. It carried on for a fair few months and got noticeably thinner, esp at the front. The dr said he could see new hair growth - I went after about 4 mns of hair loss! - and just to stick with it ! I had my hair cut shorter, but also tied it back more. The same thing happened after dd2, but not as severe - but then they are close together in age so I didn't have so much hair to lose! I also get the halo effect, and have found wax to help a bit. I think you tend to notice it more yourself - my dh and mum didn't notice until I told them - or were they just being kind?!!

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ionesmum · 24/07/2002 17:37

My hair started to fall out almost immediately after dd was born, but it's almost stopped now that she's 5 mo.

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leander · 24/07/2002 18:25

Same here , my hair started falling out just after i had my DS he is now 6mth old and its stopped but i do have that fuzzy little halo others have mentioned!!!!!!!

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