I Had a Baby and Then I Went Bald

Sunday, 18 January 2009

I Had a Baby and Then I Went Bald
by Mama Giraffe
I know it's normal to lose a lot of hair after you have a baby. I certainly did after Baby #1 and Baby #2. However, the hair loss I'm experiencing now that Baby #3 has been born is above and beyond anything I experienced before. After every shower, I clean out the little drainy thing and it's so much hair that I look like I have a mouse in my hand or something. It's crazy!
In fact, the other day, my husband kind of looked at me quizzically. "WHAT!!?" I said. He said, "I don't know, you look different. Did you get your haircut?" I was crushed. I had NOT gotten a haircut. "No," I moaned, "I'm just going bald." I've literally lost so much hair that it looks different.
Now that winter is here, when I go outside I notice my thinner hair when the wind blows. Our couch, my pillow, the headrest in my car are all covered in my hair. When will this ever stop? If it doesn't stop soon, I'm going to have to get a wig or something.
Has anyone else noticed an increase in hair loss with each pregnancy?

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Comments (18)

yes, everyone has noticed how thin my hair has gotten. it's depressing. try nexxus. Mane & Tail also works awesome, i was using that before they made it for humans.
- 1/18/2009 11:25 AM
- spicycajun@xanga (message)
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I just had a baby and I'm dreading the day I find all that hair in my drain too... every day I tug on my hair to see if it's started to fall out. Yikes...
- 1/18/2009 12:09 PM
- injeannieous@xanga (message)
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I have had a lot of hair loss. I think mine is age, stress etc. You may want to have a dr. do a blood work up to make sure you aren't short and any vitamin or nutrient. Then try Biotin supplements. You can ask your dr. about it, but I have found that it really helps.
I joke all the time that I need to get a wig. My daughters have promised to go shopping with me for one!!!!
Keep a sense of humor if you can.
Blessings to you.
- 1/18/2009 12:15 PM
- sugartomyhoney@xanga (message)
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Oh...I didn't know pregnant women lost a lot of hair after having their babies. Yikes. I'm about to have mine in the next 4 weeks, so...we shall see...
- 1/18/2009 12:15 PM
- PoetMcChick@xanga (message)
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Go to the doctor tell him/her about this. Its your hormones, and its normal. If it doesn't resolve itself, get your thyroid tested and when all else fails, try Nioxin shampoo and conditioner. I could see right into my scalp before I finally stopped shedding and leaving hairy tumbleweeds all over the place.
- 1/18/2009 12:48 PM
- that_friggan_knitter@xanga (message)
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@spicycajun@xanga - thanks for the tip! im going to try that shampoo!!
- 1/18/2009 2:19 PM
- willfindmyself@xanga (message)
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Ugh, after 3 kids my hair just falls out too. It seems to go through phases. It will thicken up... then all of a sudden thin out REALLY bad where people question me or make jokes about being bald. It falls out in clumps. My hair gets everywhere! I mean EVERYWHERE. Its terrible. :(
- 1/18/2009 2:21 PM
- willfindmyself@xanga (message)
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@PoetMcChick@xanga - What they say is that we all lose hair every day but when you are pregnant you don't lose hair like normal. So then after your baby is born your body "catches up" on the hair loss. You will definitely feel like you're going bald, but you do stop losing as much after a few months when your hormones settle somewhat. :)
- 1/18/2009 2:32 PM
- TashaDW_18@xanga (message)
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Go get your Thyroid level checked. If its low you can be put on a synthetic hormone to bring it back up. Hair loss and dry skin are 2 of the top symptoms of low thyroid hormone levels. Pregnancy can also cause the thyroid to malfunction, so its not a bad idea to get it checked. After I had our girl, I was still losing lots of hair, had dry skin and was tired all the time, so on a whim I had them check it. Low and behold it was very low, so now I am on Synthroid and it is coming back into normal range and I feel and look better.
- 1/18/2009 2:45 PM
- SnowFrog@xanga (message)
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Hi there! I experienced the same thing when I had my first baby! I didn't even know that I had it til I found a bald spot near my ear. I thought that it was only the skin above my ear but I searched for my whole head if there were any more and I found out that I had 3 bald spots. Anyway, I told my physician about it, so we did some blood work to check if I had diabetes or a dysfunctional thyroid gland. Everything turned out well, so she referred me to a dermatologist. The doctor prescribed me some kind of ointment but I forgot what it was. I also applied/ rubbed some coconut oil on my spot and 5 months later, almost all my spots were covered w/ hair. I suggest that you talk to your doctor about this. This is nothing to be ashamed of. It really happens because the heightened hormone you had when you were pregnant-- made your hair really thick, so now you're no longer pregnant, it's gone and you're losing hair. I heard that vitamin E will help but I never really found out more about it. You should also tell your partner about this because if stress is the main reason why this is happening, you should find a way to express and let all that emotional stress you might have. Having 1 child is not easy, and you have 3 so multiply that by a million times!... We moms tend to neglect ourselves and I guess it's okay to worry about ourselves once in awhile.. Wishin you good health! Take care!
- 1/18/2009 2:47 PM
- bebe_nxnx@xanga (message)
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@TashaDW_18@xanga - Ah, okay. Thanks for letting me know! I did know we lost hair less when we're pregnant...I was just hoping it was extra hair for awhile...I guess. :P
- 1/18/2009 6:57 PM
- PoetMcChick@xanga (message)
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I think I had a double whammy with mine. My boys are only 15 months apart, so I had not really started losing much of my hair after my first was born, because I was breast feeding. Then when my second was born, I did not even have a period until after I stop breast feeding and THEN my hair REALLY came out. ACK! I really lost a lot in the front of my scalp, and now that my hair is a bit graying (premature Gray, side effect of being celtic so I hear), I can see my scalp. I pout about it and my husband says, oh shush, you have plenty left. Yeah, except when I braid it, It is so skinny! I know part of it is age too. I did however recently hear that for some people with curly or course hair, high chlorine in the water can make your scalp lose more or prevent growth. Gonna try that. and the suggestions about going to the doctor are good too! Also, if you are on any medications, ask your pharmacist if abnormal hair lost can be a side effect especially if you take two or more medications together.

Nancy Louise
- 1/19/2009 7:09 AM
- NanLou4@xanga (message)
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I had the same thing happened after having my two boys. Like the others say, it can also be caused by various factors besides the normal hair loss, especially if it does not grow back. So do check with your doctor if you are concern and also with your pharmacists if you take medications that might cause hair to fall out or not grow back.

Nancy Louise
- 1/19/2009 7:42 AM
- NanLou4@xanga (message)
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I experienced some hairloss with each baby, but after my 4th it was ridiculous and assumed hormones. I was having my hair done and the hairdress said - yeh that's normal, until she washed my hair and ended up with big clumps of my hair in her hands, she said, "maybe you do want to talk to your doctor about this." I did and nothing was wrong. My 5th baby was the same way - she's 7 months now, and I'm not losing as much, and new stuff is growing back in (which looks funny cuz I have these little wisps of new hair growth sticking out all over the place). anyway - yes I can relate. I was even afraid of cooking anything, because I knew somebody would end up with some in their food. : (
- 1/19/2009 10:36 AM
- beverly4@xanga (message)
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This happened to me after my second pregnancy and I was continuing to lose hair even after he was a year old! I started using Biolage shampoo to wash it and every night I would let Biolage conditioner sit on it for 3-4 minutes. It worked like a charm and my hair has grown thicker and is back to normal. It is a little pricey, but a bottle lasts forever and it is the best stuff ever. Good luck.
- 1/19/2009 12:02 PM
- SoMuch_4_theAfterglow@xanga (message)
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i hated that too. i'd have to clean the floor of the bathroom every single day. hoping not to lose that much more with this next one. yikes
- 1/19/2009 6:26 PM
- mamajoyjoy (message)
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@willfindmyself@xanga - me 2!
- 1/30/2009 3:59 AM
- OxoLaBeLLaViTaoxO@xanga (message)
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wow I didn't know this happened! good luck!
- 2/17/2009 9:39 PM
- black_lie@xanga (message)
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About the Author

From: mamagiraffe
Name: mamagiraffe
About Me: I am the mother of a 4 year old girl (Giraffe1) a 3 year old boy (Giraffe2) and a 6 month old baby boy (Giraffe3). I absolutely love being home with my kids and watching them grow and change every single day. I work part-time from home which is very challenging, but perfect for our family's needs.