4 month old baby - now my hair is falling out - should I chop it?

[peedieworky]

Hi all,

Pre-baby I had thick, naturally curly hair in a short bob. Not tight curls -just the soft ringlet type. It was an easy to manage style - wash and wear but couldn't put it up as was too short and had to be washed daily else curls were flattened while sleeping. While preggers it got thicker and thicker and was pretty unmanageable. Looked more wavy (at best) than curly but I grew it as wanted to be able to tie it back (so I could nap during day & still look presentable for visitors!). However, now DS is here and the curl still aint back. I had been straightening it or tying it back but now it seems to be falling out at an alarming rate. I don't look baldy (yet!) but it pretty disgusting - and almost driving me to hoover as there are hairballs forming on floors. So am wearing it in a ponytail all the bl**dy time (better than picking hairs out of my dinner..).

Just wondered if other Mums could advise whether am best to sit it out or chop it off? Now he's settled into a better sleep pattern am not really napping during the day (or if I am - I do it on days where noone is visiting!). Would cutting it help the curl return or is it gone for good? Am scared to chop it as have no idea how it will sit and I can't be hooped putting on make-up don't have the striking features to carry anything too simple. So style suggestions would be welcomed too!

Hi, just wanted to sympathise as my hair is falling out at an alarming rate too! My baby is 3 months old. It is not noticeable (yet) either and I shove it back in a ponytail. I have been advised to take iron tablets (bought Floradix as a friend who is a nurse recommended them), maybe try that before chopping off your hair.

It's so gross. Anytime I go to my DS I find myself picking my hairs out of his hands yeeurgh! Top tip re iron - cheers!

Pl go to your gp about this. It miht just be post natal hormones stuff and will setlle down in time. But there also some medical conditions that your gp wwill want to check for.he /she will Probably want to do a blood test

During pregnancy your natural rate of hairloss slows down so most women seem to have thicker hair when pregnant ( I know I had lovely thick hair for a change). Around 3 to 6 months after giving birth the rate of normal hair loss kicks in and you loose the extra. At the timeit seems like all your hair is falling out but if you wait it out for a few months things should go back to normal.

The curls I don't know about having poker straight hair myself although a friend with previously straight hair grew curly hair after her second child Perhaps it is just the longer length which is pulling the curl straighter?

The regrowth is worse than the loss ime. I ended up with a ridiculous mullet effect which then grew into a square headed style. I'd invest in some nice wide headbands, or a hat!

I'm a curly too. Just a thought, is it straightening as you are tying it back all the time? Try putting curl cream on it when it's wet and see if the curl comes back?

I'm a year in and hair seemed to full out by 6 months after dropping out at 4 months and is now back to normal. My hairdresser recommended the perfectil vitamins but I didn't bother as they are expensive and well it was back to normal soon anyway.

I had my hair cut short at about 6 months and it was the worst thing I ever did as I had to straighten it which IMO is a ridiculous task if you have a baby (takes too long and straighteners are very dangerous to a mobile baby..). I'm now back to longish curls thank god!

You basically don't have any or as many "shedding" phases in pregnancy due to hormonal changes, which is why your hair gets thicker and thicker. Then you have the baby and the hair starts to shed...a lot! Not everyone has this but for those that do it will be noticable. I had to get a guy in to sort my drains out it was that bad...some got stuck down there and started to rot.

You then grow a new layer of hair once the old stuff is shedded which you will notice when it gets to a couple of cm particularly round the hairline and nape, but its all over your head.

Its so common I wouldn't actually bother going to your GP about it unless you have other health concerns or a genuinely worried about it. Its really, really common. After these changes happen your hair will go back to normal, though some people say their hair texture is never the same after pregnancy in general, i.e their hair used to be dead straight and now has a wave, etc etc, but in terms of thickness it should return to pre pregnancy.

Your hair might not be as curly because its being weighed down by being longer and if you cut it you might well find the curl returns - have you had long hair previously and did you have a curl to it then or do your curls tend to drop when you get beyond a certain length?

Mentioned here on NHS website: "Women who are pregnant or have recently given birth may also have some hair loss"

Mine has just stopped falling out. My dd is 10 months.

Mine just went on for effing months. At no point did I look like I had thin hair though it has to be said. Just handfuls of the stuff. Obviously if you have long hair (I do) then it will feel like more because each strand feels a lot...and the average person loses 70 a day anyway, so 70 hairs for me would be a good handful or two I reckon because of the length.

My friend's husband had to buy a special hoover for pet owners when he married her! Hahahaha. And she has a bob!

Mine had a major fallout at about 9 months for both DC. Trouble is, I think a lot of the hair is now synchronised and every september it still seems to come out in handfuls then settles down again.

I am a curly same thing happened to me lasted about 6 months and took about a year to get back to normal. I took Spatone iron supplement as low iron can exacerbate problem.
My curly friends seemed to have it worse than our straighty friends.
I had mine cut to bob length and straightened it -saved on washing it every day-
It will come back as will your curls but give it a good 6-12 months.

Exactly the same thing happened to me. I lost a lot of hair, which has all now grown back down to fringe level, so isn't looking as bad as it was a few months ago. My curl completely disappeared and is only beginning to return now (DD is 12ms). I had a good haircut a month ago that put plenty of layers in - this seems to boost the curl a bit. I think the only answer is to wait it out. I've hated my hair over the last 6 mths, but it is beginning to return to its former glory.

Am so relieved is not just me! Am not baldy but do think my widow's peaks (is that what you call them?) are receding so may need to chop a fringe in. Know cutting it wont solve the problem but at least the hair will be less likely to clog up the plug hole!

I'm also shedding hair at an alarming rate - DD2 is 5 months. Never happened with DD1.

It's amazing how my hair is absolutely everywhere. Means my career as a cat burglar is on hold for now ...,,