A postpartum shed story - pic heavy.

[Ambystoma]

Hey everyone! I haven't been around for a while now since I had a baby in March, he's been keeping me pretty busy!

I wanted to share my postpartum shed journey so far with everyone here, I found it really helpful when mine started to see pictures of how it went for others. I'm only 7 1/2 months pp now so the shedding is still happening, some days good some days bad so I'll keep you guys updated :)
Here's a pre pregnancy shot from the front so you can see how my hairline looks normally:
http://i.imgur.com/4TGSlNt.jpg

Here is my pregnancy hair - you can see the drastic hormone induced colour change starting around ear length (I was around 6 months pregnant at the time):

http://i.imgur.com/X9BgA4d.jpg

And here we are before the shedding started, this one was taken around 3 months pp:

http://i.imgur.com/bWrdym9.jpg?2

5 months postpartum. I noticed the shedding starting at around 4 1/2:
http://i.imgur.com/hEVy7FZ.jpg

6 months:
http://i.imgur.com/k14PCUj.jpg?1

6 1/2 months, this is where it was the worst, the thinning area had moved back to above my ears, and my eyebrows had thinned a little too:
http://i.imgur.com/066hN0a.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/r1rUQ5D.jpg?1

[Ambystoma]

7 months, I noticed the shedding wasn't quite as heavy, and things were starting to fill in again a little:
http://i.imgur.com/4q6dSWx.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/4MMkuHB.jpg?1

7 1/2 months, starting to see a lot of short regrowth:
http://i.imgur.com/c7TBWwJ.jpg?1

Some days are still pretty bad, the average comb out looks something like this:
http://i.imgur.com/p2yslgj.jpg?1

So far, I'd say I've easily lost 1/4 of my hair, but it doesn't really show too badly when it's down. I cut around 5 inches once it started and I'm pretty happy with the new length. The worst part is just that it's quite flat on top and my ponytail feels light as a feather, but it's better than I feared it would be so far:
http://i.imgur.com/3N9YwJw.jpg


I hope this helps someone else about to go through the dreaded shed!

[katie9616]

Hi ambystoma, can i just say your hair is beautiful :-) I am 4 months pp and have been shedding for 2 months now, I know these things happen but is there anyway we can slow down the shedding? How long do you think it lasts for? I can't even wear my hair down anymore, I leave a trail of hair where ever I go lol it also seems like the more hair I lose the thicker my hair gets, wierd right?

[Hotrox]

Hi, I also had a baby at the end of February and shed heavily from about 3 to 6 months. It seems to have stopped now, luckily I can't see much difference between my pre pregnancy hair and my hair now, but I literally did not shed one hair in my last trimester!!

I also have a lot of wispiness around my hairline, in the same place as you. I am dreading it once they get a few more inches longer and will curl up and stick out like devils horns......

Your hair, thinned out or not, is still absolutely stunning. And it will be back to your perception of its former glory before you know it. Especially with the little ones here, I don't know about you but time is just racing by.

[mamaherrera]

Thanks for sharing, we always think "our" situation is the worst, so by sharing, we realize it's normal. I am 9 months postpartum (miss having her in my womb at times), but still like you, have good days/bad days, but also remember that autumn shed time is not helping. I noticed the "regrowth" hairs before I noticed the shedding, how weird! But lots of shorties, and because I couldn't relate it to "baby shed" I thought my terminal length was going down as I saw all these short hairs. I always have "short hairs" in my temples/widow's peak, but all of a sudden I had tons of them, and like I said, I wasn't even technically shedding yet, and yet, all these hairs were there, but I think in my last months of ppg, the few hairs I was shedding, were coming just from my front hairline!

[gnome82]

Your hair is stunning and so are you, I don't think anyone would notice your shed unless you pointed it out. I had a big post pregnancy shed too. My boy is 9 months old. I had a big chop which I regret. I miss my "long" hair, it would have been at solid waist by Christmas. Also miss being pregnant very very much.

[lapushka]

Almost everyone who's pregnant goes through a shedding period like this. You can't escape it. It's perfectly normal, but it's hell to experience, I can imagine. Looks like it's growing in nicely, though. Thanks for documenting your journey. :D :flower:

[Upside Down]

Let me just say you look great, shed or no shed ;)
I think mine is starting at 3 months post partum, I am shedding more but it is not drastic ... yet.

I cut some lenght too since it got too difficult to maintain with my little one around.

[MidnightMoon]

I have nothing to say regarding the shed, but you look very well to have given birth not long ago, and yo facial features + hair are lovely :p

[GetMeToWaist]

Your hair is beautiful, shed or no shed! And congrats on the little one. Are you def a 2b? Your hair looks so silky like a 1c

[LongCurlyTress]

Yep!! The exact same shedding in my temples happened to me. Just be very gentle with your hair, wear it in a low bun, with the sides very loose, and it will grow back. It might take a while, don't worry! It will grow back. You can rub some coconut oil on your temples where it is thinning ,and this might help to stimulate growth. It will grow back once your hormones go back to prepregnancy. This might take a couple of years, like it did with me, but then you will have your thick hair back. Just be very gentle with those baby hairs. Are you breast feeding? This might delay the hormones going back to normal, pre pregnancy levels. Good luck!

[captaincrunch]

I think it's great you documented this for others to know what to expect. This is exactly what my hair went through. It is now 8 months since I shed and the short hairs you show are about 4 inches long. You look great btw!

[ZeppHead]

For some reason I didn't go through shedding with my kids and I kept taking my prenatal vitamins after. .. Maybe that helped I don't really know. Regardless your hair is beautiful! Congrats on the baby!

[mamaherrera]

Thanks for sharing this. IT gives me a bit more of patience, to know that not EVERYONE gets right back to normal, but that it can take years for these hormoncitos to get themselves worked out . I'm a bit worried, because I didn't have a "MAJOR" shed, just went back to normal shedding pretty much, but I still had the noticeable "REGROWTH", looking at all the regrowth, you would think I had a massive shed just in my front hairline/temples, who knows, but since I 'm still breastfeeding, I'm hoping my MAJOR shed doesn't start after wearning!!



Yep!! The exact same shedding in my temples happened to me. Just be very gentle with your hair, wear it in a low bun, with the sides very loose, and it will grow back. It might take a while, don't worry! It will grow back. You can rub some coconut oil on your temples where it is thinning ,and this might help to stimulate growth. It will grow back once your hormones go back to prepregnancy. This might take a couple of years, like it did with me, but then you will have your thick hair back. Just be very gentle with those baby hairs. Are you breast feeding? This might delay the hormones going back to normal, pre pregnancy levels. Good luck!

[Laurenji]

I like your pictures! I should have documented mine. My temples shed really badly as well. I kept crying that I was going to be bald. Thankfully it's growing back; I call my regrowth hairs my little "horned owl tufts" because they fluffy and stick up on the sides. :)

[LauraLongLocks]

Ambystoma, you and your hair are beautiful. This was such an inspiring post to see. Thank you for sharing.

[Ambystoma]

Thanks for all the kind comments! :heartbeat I'll reply as I get a chance :rolling: Also, congrats to all the new (and not so new) mums :grouphug:


Hi ambystoma, can i just say your hair is beautiful :-) I am 4 months pp and have been shedding for 2 months now, I know these things happen but is there anyway we can slow down the shedding? How long do you think it lasts for? I
Thank you! All my healthcare workers and all the reading I've done say the same thing - it's a normal reaction to hormonal changes and that there isn't anything that can be done about it other than take care of yourself, eat well, make sure you keep taking vitamins, try not to stress too much and treat your hair gently (some of these things are easier said than done :laugh:). I've been told that it lasts anywhere from 3 months right up until a year pp, apparently it's different for every person and pregnancy.



Your hair, thinned out or not, is still absolutely stunning. And it will be back to your perception of its former glory before you know it. Especially with the little ones here, I don't know about you but time is just racing by.
Thank you! I'm looking forward to getting some regrowth so it's a little bouncier on top - I think I'll be a lot happier with it then. I absolutely can't believe it's been over 7 months already - I don't know what I did with all my time before!


Thanks for sharing, we always think "our" situation is the worst, so by sharing, we realize it's normal.
That's how I felt when I was dreading it happening - seeing other photos and timelines was really reassuring because I had a concrete idea of what a "best case" and "worst case" scenario could look like and be more realistic about how my experience compared. I would have absolutely freaked out if I hadn't been expecting not just a general loss, but the localised heavy thinning!


Your hair is stunning and so are you, I don't think anyone would notice your shed unless you pointed it out. I had a big post pregnancy shed too. My boy is 9 months old. I had a big chop which I regret.
Cheers! I feel like I got off lightly since I have the right hairtype to hide thinning - it's quite poofy naturally so that helps a lot :laugh: Hopefully I don't lose too much more before it calms down. I had a few people ask when I was pregnant "Oh, so what will you do with your hair once the baby gets here?" Gee, I dunno - leave it down all the time so it gets in the way constantly I guess :wink:

[Ambystoma]

Almost everyone who's pregnant goes through a shedding period like this. You can't escape it. It's perfectly normal, but it's hell to experience, I can imagine. Looks like it's growing in nicely, though. Thanks for documenting your journey. :D :flower:
Yep, it's no fun, especially still seeing that comb fill up every morning but since most women go through it after having babies I feel a lot better, since most women with kids don't seem to be bald! :laugh: I'll keep documenting it, the sticky-up regrowth phase should be fun ;)


Let me just say you look great, shed or no shed ;)



I have nothing to say regarding the shed, but you look very well to have given birth not long ago, and yo facial features + hair are lovely :p
Thanks guys! :heartbeat I gained a ton of weight while pregnant (over 70lbs :bigeyes: a lot of it was fluid but still, whoah) and felt pretty down on myself for a while, but I'm almost back to normal and feeling better about things as time goes on.

[Ambystoma]

Your hair is beautiful, shed or no shed! And congrats on the little one. Are you def a 2b? Your hair looks so silky like a 1c
Cheers! Here is a pic of my hair in something closer to it's natural state back when it was TBL and unlayered - I went jogging in the rain and it reverted a little at the ends. It's still chock full of 'cones here though.
http://i.imgur.com/GajWP3e.jpg?1

I use a heavy silicone condish plus a 'cone serum and dry my hair in a bun which straightens and "silkifies" it a lot, it's got that classic 2b beachy wave thing happening otherwise, which I love on others, but not so much on myself :)

[ukrworld]

Your hair has stayed beautiful and still quite thick. It looks healthy and happy. I shed almost as much as you did every day, and I am nowhere near postpartum. It seems your hair grows very fast, and will be thick again in no time!

[Adiro]

You are so pretty and so is your hair!
Yes I know about pp shedding, I have been through that twice in the last three years :) I have a 2.8 yr old baby girl and a 10 month old boy.

After my girl was born I had the exact type of shedding, with losses in the shape of V at the sides of my forehead, which now have filled in and are at about 15 cm long or less, looking like layers around the face.
Now I have been going through the second pp shed, after the birth of my boy. I am still taking prenatals and I am still breastfeeding heavily. My shedding brought me to tears, but this time around it happens all over, it's not localized. I checked with my dr and all my bloodwork came back ok, except Zinc. so now I am supplementing with zinc as well.
I have also started taking biotin and silica since last week, with dr approval, and I swear the shedding has been cut in half.

[Ingrid]

Gorgeous and I'm happy your hair is recovering!

I wasn't even pregnant but I went through a similar shed (temples and all around the hair line, lost more than 2/3 of thickness) because of prolonged iron deficiency so I can relate!

[browneyedsusan]

I feel for you.
After my kids came, Hairdresser actually gasped when she saw my hair! :justy: (I was all "Gee thanks. I hadn't noticed." @#$%! hairdresser!)
It's super scary while you're shedding, but it will quit, and grow back in.
Brace for "new hair". Sometimes a pregnancy changes things up a little. Your color or texture might grow in different from before. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes it does. :)

[Ambystoma]

Yep!! The exact same shedding in my temples happened to me. Just be very gentle with your hair, wear it in a low bun, with the sides very loose, and it will grow back. It might take a while, don't worry! It will grow back. You can rub some coconut oil on your temples where it is thinning ,and this might help to stimulate growth. It will grow back once your hormones go back to prepregnancy. This might take a couple of years, like it did with me, but then you will have your thick hair back. Just be very gentle with those baby hairs. Are you breast feeding? This might delay the hormones going back to normal, pre pregnancy levels. Good luck!
I live in a low loose Nautlius bun most of the time, as it helps hide the temples and wear it "down" (coiled up gently on top of my head but unsecured) when I get to snatch some sleep to treat it kindly. For me, I found that any oilings on my scalp increase shedding (I discovered that pretty soon after joining) so I just leave it be, and keep to my regular 3 day washing schedule. I'm still breastfeeding, but since he's nearly 8 months now he's discovered how much fun solid foods can be and is starting to drop or decrease feeds around mealtimes so it looks like we won't be nursing much after his first birthday. It'll be interesting to see what happens then!


I think it's great you documented this for others to know what to expect. This is exactly what my hair went through. It is now 8 months since I shed and the short hairs you show are about 4 inches long. You look great btw!
Thank you! It's been helpful to me too, to see pictures so I don't imagine that it's worse than it really is, plus seeing it get better is cheering :)


For some reason I didn't go through shedding with my kids and I kept taking my prenatal vitamins after. .. Maybe that helped I don't really know. Regardless your hair is beautiful! Congrats on the baby!
I've been really good about remembering to take my prenatals (and vitamin D, since my pregnancy bloodwork showed a deficiency) the whole time, perhaps without them it would have been worse? Thank you for the congrats!


Thanks for sharing this. IT gives me a bit more of patience, to know that not EVERYONE gets right back to normal, but that it can take years for these hormoncitos to get themselves worked out . I'm a bit worried, because I didn't have a "MAJOR" shed, just went back to normal shedding pretty much, but I still had the noticeable "REGROWTH", looking at all the regrowth, you would think I had a massive shed just in my front hairline/temples, who knows, but since I 'm still breastfeeding, I'm hoping my MAJOR shed doesn't start after wearning!!


I like your pictures! I should have documented mine. My temples shed really badly as well. I kept crying that I was going to be bald. Thankfully it's growing back; I call my regrowth hairs my little "horned owl tufts" because they fluffy and stick up on the sides. :)
It's good to hear from others going through the same thing! It makes me feel a lot better :grouphug:

[cat11]

i'm going to add this to my list of reasons why I never want to get pregnant and have kids lol.

Your hair actually still looks very beautiful though and it's obvious the shedding reversed! This would just give me so much anxiety.

[ARG]

Thank you for posting this! I'm expecting baby number 2, and I had very similar shedding with my first. I had this spiky halo of hair all around my hair line, so it was pretty even shedding, just looked really funny when I'd pull my hair back.

I felt like I was going bald, but looking back at some of the pictures, you can't even tell. DH swore he'd have to replumb the entire house, poor guy, lol. My newly grown in shed is 6+ inches long, and I'm curious to see if I'll lose it again.

[Ambystoma]

Ambystoma, you and your hair are beautiful. This was such an inspiring post to see. Thank you for sharing.


Your hair has stayed beautiful and still quite thick. It looks healthy and happy. I shed almost as much as you did every day, and I am nowhere near postpartum. It seems your hair grows very fast, and will be thick again in no time!
Thank you both! It does grow super fast, usually around an inch a month, which seems to be the same shed or no shed so that's a blessing!


You are so pretty and so is your hair! My shedding brought me to tears, but this time around it happens all over, it's not localized. I checked with my dr and all my bloodwork came back ok, except Zinc. so now I am supplementing with zinc as well.
I have also started taking biotin and silica since last week, with dr approval, and I swear the shedding has been cut in half.
Thank you :heartbeat. I always thought Biotin was off limits while breastfeeding, I'll have to ask my doctor next visit, since while the loss is drastic but manageable now, I worry how it will be in a few months time if it doesn't slow down.


Gorgeous and I'm happy your hair is recovering!
I wasn't even pregnant but I went through a similar shed (temples and all around the hair line, lost more than 2/3 of thickness) because of prolonged iron deficiency so I can relate!
Thanks! I've had two sheds before this one, one due to excess vitamin A, and one thanks to a rinse out 6 wash temporary colour and I've got to say, the second one was the scariest since It went on for 3 months and I had no idea if it would stop - I went from shedding 50 - 90 a day to handfuls coming out when I washed the colour out in the shower, and then handfuls whenever I touched it. The total loss from that one was slightly less than I've lost from this one, but that one *felt* way worse.



Brace for "new hair". Sometimes a pregnancy changes things up a little. Your color or texture might grow in different from before. It doesn't always happen, but sometimes it does. :)
My colour has definitely changed already, as soon as I got pregnant the hair started coming in easily one level darker. The texture seems the same so far but it will be interesting to see what happens! Weirdly enough, I've lost lots of the greys from the top...

[Ambystoma]

i'm going to add this to my list of reasons why I never want to get pregnant and have kids lol.

Your hair actually still looks very beautiful though and it's obvious the shedding reversed! This would just give me so much anxiety.
Cheers! The shedding is still going strong, although a little improved from the awful ropes that were coming out around the 6 month mark - a lot of the lost hair is starting to grow back though which is great! It is very anxiety provoking, not gonna lie! I can see how someone wouldn't want to go through this, pregnancy takes a real toll on the body, especially if you're not so young (I only missed out on the "advanced maternal age" category by a few months :bigeyes:). I'm thrilled to have the little guy though, he's really awesome <3


Thank you for posting this! I'm expecting baby number 2, and I had very similar shedding with my first. I had this spiky halo of hair all around my hair line, so it was pretty even shedding, just looked really funny when I'd pull my hair back.

I felt like I was going bald, but looking back at some of the pictures, you can't even tell. DH swore he'd have to replumb the entire house, poor guy, lol. My newly grown in shed is 6+ inches long, and I'm curious to see if I'll lose it again.
Congrats on both your babies, I hope your next shed is kinder! I'd be so anxious about going through another one on top of this!

[Johannah]

Thanks for sharing. And like others already said, your hair is beautiful and so are you!

[ARG]

Congrats on both your babies, I hope your next shed is kinder! I'd be so anxious about going through another one on top of this!

Its all worth it! Hair will grow. I'm thinking upping my protein intake drastically will combat it. I breastfed, and continued my prenatals, but I was toying with a vegetarian diet and I don't think I had enough protein in it.

I didn't notice any texture or color change.

[leilani]

Story of 2014, for me. Exactly.

Now I'm pregnant again so I get a break. And then in a year from now I'll be going through all this again. Joy.

Kids are so worth it though!!!

[Ambystoma]

Thanks for sharing. And like others already said, your hair is beautiful and so are you!
Thank you so much :flower:


Its all worth it! Hair will grow. I'm thinking upping my protein intake drastically will combat it. I breastfed, and continued my prenatals, but I was toying with a vegetarian diet and I don't think I had enough protein in it.

I didn't notice any texture or color change.


Story of 2014, for me. Exactly.

Now I'm pregnant again so I get a break. And then in a year from now I'll be going through all this again. Joy.

Kids are so worth it though!!!

He really is so very worth it! The luck of the draw gave me an easy baby, he's a little ray of sunshine most of the time :heartbeat

[Ambystoma]

8 Month update :)

I'm still shedding a ton, here is a post wash mess that came out during, and I'm very very gentle when I wash, and this is after being thoroughly combed beforehand :bigeyes::

http://i.imgur.com/2mht9a5.jpg?1

My overall loss so far is probably closer to 1/3, so I'm really hoping it slows down soon!

There's lots of new growth though, and the very sparse areas are starting to fill in to the point where I'm not having to arrange hair carefully over them to hide it anymore :cheese:

http://i.imgur.com/aRzhOCU.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/ShZLhDQ.jpg?1

I've always had a lot of finer, shorter hairs at the temples anyway, so this is looking pretty good :)

[browneyedsusan]

Looks like you've made a lot of new growth! Those baby hairs will become toddlers, then teenagers before you know it!
Happy growing, and enjoy your precious child. :)

[hairpleasegrow]

Your hair looks great.

Yes I had the temple shedding too. My son is 17 months and my hair is just getting back to normal. I thought I was going bald at about the 12 month mark. I could see through my hair to the scalp for quite a while and it really terrified me.

[Ambystoma]

Looks like you've made a lot of new growth! Those baby hairs will become toddlers, then teenagers before you know it!
Happy growing, and enjoy your precious child. :)
Thank you! :heartbeat


Your hair looks great.

Yes I had the temple shedding too. My son is 17 months and my hair is just getting back to normal. I thought I was going bald at about the 12 month mark. I could see through my hair to the scalp for quite a while and it really terrified me.
Oh wow :grouphug: I'm definitely hoping that the worst is behind me, but my Maternal nurse said often the shedding doesn't go back to normal until baby's first birthday so I just have to treat myself kindly and hope. I'm glad yours is getting better!

[pastina]

i am three months post partum, and i think my shed is just starting. with my first son (hes 22 months old now) it wasnt too bad.... but then, 1) i breast fed him until i was three months along with my new baby, and 2) i was much better at taking my vitamins then. hm. i should work on that! im nervous.

[Squiggy]

Great posts, Ambystoma! I was so glad I had been warned about the postpartum shed, because otherwise I would have seriously freaked out. It is not fun and can be quite scary. I'm not sure how much I lost overall, but it did all grow back over time. It took longer to fill back in with #2, maybe because the shed lasted longer with him. I shed for several months then, but only for a couple of weeks with #1.

The most frustrating thing for me was all the new wispies. Once the hair started growing back in I developed these super sideburns! Or at least, all the hair right by my ears started growing back in, and since they were too short to tuck behind my ears they just hung down like sideburns. Not a cute look! Combine that with the little baby hairs sticking up around my hairline like a strange halo, and I had several months of hair frustration.

But, like you and everyone else has said, they babies are worth it!

[lapushka]

8 Month update :)

I'm still shedding a ton, here is a post wash mess that came out during, and I'm very very gentle when I wash, and this is after being thoroughly combed beforehand :bigeyes::

http://i.imgur.com/2mht9a5.jpg?1

That is just half of what comes out in my case pre- & post-wash. But that's normal for me, whereas this is not normal for you. These things vary...

[Ambystoma]

Well, the last 5 days I've been shedding a completely normal, pre pregnancy amount! It's like a switch got flipped, one day loads, the next:
http://i.imgur.com/V6HapfTl.jpg?1
I washed it this morning after combing and lost maybe 15 - 20 during the wash, just like before bub :bigeyes: I hope it's back to normal for good now and I can concentrate on getting all the new fluffy baby hairs to join the rest :laugh:

Here's how it looked yesterday, not too shabby I reckon. It feels thinned but I don't think it would show unless I straightened it:
http://i.imgur.com/pHGkjvn.jpg?1

[Ambystoma]

The most frustrating thing for me was all the new wispies. Once the hair started growing back in I developed these super sideburns! Or at least, all the hair right by my ears started growing back in, and since they were too short to tuck behind my ears they just hung down like sideburns. Not a cute look! Combine that with the little baby hairs sticking up around my hairline like a strange halo, and I had several months of hair frustration.

But, like you and everyone else has said, they babies are worth it!

I totally feel you, I'm hiding some pretty silly owl tufts too :laugh:

[soleluna]

I am pregnant now (only 3 weeks to go) and am really scared of post part shedding, this thread has helped a lot.
Thank you :)

[Ambystoma]

Congratulations! Hopefully yours isn't so bad, I know it's so different for everyone :) I'm glad that sharing the good, the bad and the ugly here is helping :cheese:

[ARG]

Ambystoma , would you mind my posting my post-partum shed progress when/if it begins?

[Ambystoma]

Please do! The more different journeys we can show the better!

[Ambystoma]

That is just half of what comes out in my case pre- & post-wash. But that's normal for me, whereas this is not normal for you. These things vary...
Wow, that's amazing - It's crazy how different everyone is!

[mamaherrera]

At least your pre-pregnancy shed was only 15-20. I am now shedding 75-100 per day, I would love to be less, but I guess that's just me, as long as my ponytail measurement doesn't go down more.

[Ambystoma]

Oh, sorry - maybe the wording on that post wasn't clear - the 15 - 20 was just during the washing process, independent of combing, which for me is a normal amount to lose each wash. My normal shed is more in the 50 - 90 range per day, plus extra on washdays so still on the low end, but not that low! It's one of those things that I don't think can be compared from person to person, since as long as your ponytail is staying the same, then you're shedding the amount that's right for you :cheese:

[mamaherrera]

Thanks for correcting that, I thought, man I shed a lot!! We sound similar. My pony--here's the thing, after pregnancy it grew a bit (probably from all those months of no shed), it grew like .5 cm. Now after, I started shedding normally again, (75-100) range, it went "almost" back down to the pre-pregnancy measurement, so as long as it stays there, I'll be happy, but just seeing it go down has me a bit nervous, because I continue to shed the same amount as when it went down, so I get worried that it will keep going down!! Hang in there, this postpartum hormone rollercoaster is never perfect!

[Agnieszka]

10 months after delivery here and still shedding badly (200+ hair a day) :-( Went to the doctor and she said I need blood test for iron and to check my thyroid. She also said I look worn out :-( I have thin/fine hair to start with and now, after having a baby my scalp is so visible. I'm embarresed to show you pictures. I might buy one of this hair fiber thing you sprinkle on your hair to cover it up for now.

[soleluna]

Ambystoma , would you mind my posting my post-partum shed progress when/if it begins?

I was going to ask the same thing! I hope it's ok for you if I post about it too..

[Ambystoma]

Absolutely - I know I would like to see other peoples experiences, the more the merrier :cheese:

[ARG]

Well, DS was born on Saturday. We'll see how long it takes for the shed to begin. I should probably measure my circumference and get a good idea how many hairs I shed on average before the shed begins.

[Ambystoma]

Congratulations!

I found I was still shedding at pregnancy levels (i.e only 1 or 2 a day) right up until the shed started.

[mamaherrera]

Mine was more gradual. For a few months postpartum, I shed pregnancy levels, 5-15, and then it gradually went to double ( I thought, man it's picked up but not that bad ) and then it got a little drastic all of a sudden, but funny thing for me is when it was still not that much shedding, I noticed all these baby hairs at my hairline/temples, and I thought, why do I have these if I still haven't started to really shed. then my shed now, has stayed at normal levels 60-80 per day, but still my ponytail circum has gone back to normal, so I guess mine slowly went down, not a drastic OMG shed/drop in ponytail measurement.

[hennalonghair]

Hi Ambystoma,
Gosh that really was a massive shed . I'm glad it grew back for you.
Your hair is gorgeous and so are you

[RachelRose]

I don't Remember a real shed with my son 4 years ago . I'm pregnant with my second due April 2015 so I will be keeping an eye out . I'm encapsulating my placenta and drinking red raspberry leaf tea for hormone balance so hopefully that can offset it a little :/ you and your hair are beautiful tho :)

[Ambystoma]

Hi Ambystoma,
Gosh that really was a massive shed . I'm glad it grew back for you.
Your hair is gorgeous and so are you

Thank you - yep it was pretty drastic!


I don't Remember a real shed with my son 4 years ago . I'm pregnant with my second due April 2015 so I will be keeping an eye out . I'm encapsulating my placenta and drinking red raspberry leaf tea for hormone balance so hopefully that can offset it a little :/ you and your hair are beautiful tho :)

Good luck, I hope everything goes well for you, and congratulations!

So here we are 10 months post partum and the recovery has really stalled :(. All those short hairs around the temples don't seem to be growing at all, it's strange, I look at the 7 month pictures and see how short they all are and They've only grown maybe 1/2 an inch since then. It's super annoying since they stick up like curly owl tufts and it really limits how many styles I can do without looking silly.

I've had an overall growth stall in the last 2 months as well. My usual rate in around 1 inch a month, which I was getting consistently all through the shed, but I've only grown 1 inch in the last 8 weeks (I skipped my monthly trim last month so I'd get to cut the usual amount this trim).

Here's hoping it all goes back to normal as soon as possible!

[mamaherrera]

I have lots of that area that ALSO doesn't seem to get any longer, I'm losing hope!

[pastina]

quick update on me, since you'd mentioned you'd like other peoples' experiences! <3

this shed has definitely been worse than the shed i had with my older son, who turned 2 in january. (with him, i did lose hair, but it wasnt enough to phase me until my halo of regrowth was a few inches long and sticking up at the front of my hairline like badly cowlicked bangs. so, i cut in PROPER bangs, and they hid the growth very well. those hairs are all at shoulder length, now.)

baby number two is a week away from 6 months old. shedding started for me a little after the 3 month mark, and is just now beginning to slow down. i went from a circumference of 4.5 to just under 3.75 in that time. at its worst, my hair was coming out in giant clumps, and i'd lose a few dozen strands each time i touched my hair. now it's slowed, but i'm still losing more than normal. my husband says my hair isn't visibly thinned, i guess having very thick hair has saved me in that regard. but, i can see a change at my temples, where you saw your thinning. i can also feel a marked difference in my ponytail.

my hair has begun filling back in already-- the regrowth is a bit over 2" long already, and i've been maintaining a growth rate of approximately 1" per month. i hope the regrowth continues at that rate, as well!

good luck, everyone, and congrats to the new mommas!!

[mamaherrera]

I'm at 12 months postpartum, and for me, the shedding has picked up more now, but I'm wondering if it's because Im breastfeeding less and some days more than others, so it's messing with my hormones, but I don't like some of the new "thinner" hairs I'm seeing dispersed. I don't know what my ponytail measurement was before baby three, but I noticed more shedding after her, but throughout that shedding, my ponytail maintained the same: 3.75" Mine did go down after baby, but I measured it after baby, like 2 months postpartum and it had actually grew, like 1/4 of an inch, from all the no shedding, so now it has just gone back to normal =: 3.75. But in that short five months of having a "bigger" ponytail I got quickly used to it, so now I feel bad when I see it back at 3.75. I have to remember, it was just fantasy growth! The joys of being pregnant!

[Upside Down]

Hi everyone! :waving:
I'm 6 months pp, and it feels like I lost around 1/4 of hair. Also, the new growth is coming in and it looks ridiculous. I'll take a pic later I hope.

It's kind of sad when I baby my hair more than ever and keep it up all the time and it is still thinning.

also, when I had it cut at the salon I asked for a deep U hemline and got almost streight hemline instead. :hatchet: I didn't really pay attention at the time, but it bothers me now. Plus fairytale ends are gone so when curly my hair is pyramidal which I do not like.

Sadface. Off to smell my baby :lol:

[Roshini]

I am 11 months pp. I started shedding at 8m pp around the time I got my periods. It reduced 10m pp. But I am still shedding a lot. I also see some growth around my hair line. I shed less than 10 hair each day right from 4th month of pregnancy till 7m pp. So that's around 13m of hair loss.
I am still breastfeeding and noplans to wean anytime soon. wonder if that is going to add to the hair loss.
I have noticed an interesting thing that my scalp infection aka dandruff completely vanished during my pregnancy and returned along with my hair fall.
I am now contemplating whether to cut my bsl to sl or not.

[Ambystoma]

Hi all, an update at 22 months post partum!

The new growth is verrrrry slowly getting longer, it's nearly chin length now and still very fine and with a tendency to form corkscrew curls. I'm not sure if it's ever going to go back to normal? I'm still nursing 2- 3 times a day, so perhaps when he's fully weaned there will be some changes.

http://i.imgur.com/0fv1l7rl.jpg

It looks still quite thick though, so it's ok!

http://i.imgur.com/wIed19n.jpg?1

[maskedrose]

Oh Ambystoma, that last picture is STUNNING. How did you achieve the curls at the bottom?

[Ambystoma]

Thank you! After I wash it I put it up in a towel for 5 minutes or so to get it not dripping wet, then add a little silicone serum through from tips upwards to ear level, and then do a high nautilus bun and let it dry, the curls at the bottom are from being wound around the "shank" of the bun. My hair takes a curl really easily though :)

[Alex Lou]

This is useful for me to see. I'm 3.5 months pp and I'm shedding a handful of hair every day. I tempted to just cut it all off at this point.

[Ambystoma]

Another update, at 26 months post partum, the regrowth is finally back to normal! we're still nursing 2 times a day but all of a sudden, it just started growing properly - so if you're struggling and feel like it's taking too long, perhaps this will cheer you on!

[MidnightMoon]

It looks amazing! :cool: