Becoming a mom changes your hair care routine significantly--some days, you may be lucky to jump in the shower, much less be able to blow and smooth your hair into your pre-baby hairstyle. While some changes to your hair may be expected, spotting lots of shedding in your hairbrush or the shower drain can make you worry that you might be losing your hair.
Identification
Most women shed around 100 hairs every day, a normal process which allows new hair to replace hairs that have gone dormant, according to BabyCenter.com's medical advisory board. After you give birth, you may notice you're losing more hair than normal, a phenomenon known as telogen effluvium. As many as 50 percent of women who give birth experience this postpartum hair loss, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Time Frame
According to the American Pregnancy Association, most new moms start to notice hair loss three months after giving birth. Though your hair might start to thin immediately after giving birth, postpartum hair loss usually peaks between three and four months, just before shedding begins to slow down. By the time your baby turns one, BabyCenter.com's medical advisory board says your hair should be back to normal shedding.
Cause
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, post-pregnancy hair loss is actually caused by normal hair loss that gets postponed because of pregnancy hormones. Pregnancy interrupts your hair's normal cycle of shedding and regrowth, holding on to hairs that would normally be shed. After you give birth, your hormones return to their normal non-pregnancy levels, and you essentially shed nine months of hair in a short time.
Prevention/Solution
You can't stop your hair from falling out, but you can make it less noticeable. BabyCenter.com suggests using a thickening mousse on your hair or styling it so that your shedding hair is less noticeable. The American Pregnancy Association recommends bypassing styles that contribute to additional breakage, such as cornrows or braids, and avoiding heat styling when you can. Using a shampoo or conditioner that contains biotin and silica may also help, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Warning
The hair you shed can pose a hazard for your baby, warns BabyCenter.com's medical advisory board. Long strands of hair can twist tightly and painfully around your baby's fingers, toes, arms, legs or penis. If your baby is crying as though he's in pain and you can't figure out why, check for potentially painful hairs.
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