Pregnant and long-haired well... on a wheelchair

[valkyrie90]

So I found out a couple days ago that I'm 6 week pregnant . I'm on top of the world at times and the opposite the other times. I mostly feel so nauseated I can't bring myself to carry on the previous haircare I've been doing for almost 2 years now . So I just keep it in a bun most time and the pregnancy hormone makes it so much more greasy . At this point my mom suggests that I get a major cut which means pixie . I look at my greasy hair and say no mom I can deal with it . But to be honest I don't know if I could . I also have CP that keeps me on wheelchair. That means I can only wash my hair while sitting . I don't know if it would be comfortable or even possible for me to do that when the bump getting bigger and bigger . I'd do anything for my little one but also don't wanna cut my hair . There's always a solution , right ?

[Lady Stardust]

First of all, congratulations! What wonderful news :-)

I’m sure it’s different for everyone, but I found the first trimester, so up to at least 12/13 weeks, exhausting. It didn’t matter how much sleep I got, I still needed more. The thing is that stage passes quickly and then I had much more energy during the second trimester. So, I would wait a while before making a decision because how you feel in the next couple of weeks isn’t necessarily how you’ll be feeling in a couple of months.

I don’t remember my hair getting more greasy, maybe it did at first and I didn’t notice because I used to wash every day. After a while though I realised my hair wasn’t getting greasy and I only had to wash every week. I know that the hormones changed significantly because I got migraines until I was 20 weeks and then they just stopped.

I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to wash your hair sitting down even in late pregnancy. I wash upside down and that wasn’t so easy towards the end but I managed. I did stop henna though, just couldn’t be doing wih it.

So, my advice would be to wait at least until the second trimester to see how things are then. Benign neglect will be your friend. My hair was pixie short so I can’t say what it would be like to be pregnant with long hair, but it would be such a shame to lose length for a temporary situation. Pregnancy goes by fast!

[leayellena]

Hi and congratulations on your pregnancy. I wish you and your child health, love and may your wishes fulfill. I tried the inversion method when washing my hair and I don't like it. My back hurts. So I actually have to stand up to wash my hair. I like sitting in the bathtub to wash my hair but that is also when I don't have back pains. Hmm maybe you should get someone to help you, to hold you while you wash your hair. Or ask a doctor for some kind of chair for bathtub so you can relax while washing your hair.
Pixie is a chore both in washing and styling. It greases fast and you can't hide it. Maybe you should try a blunt Bob or at any length is comfortable for you. At least ponytail length... So you can ponytail it fast whenever you have to or wash it quickly.
After pregnancy you may want longer hair and pixie takes a lot of maintaining. Try to spend more time to relax instead of keeping up your haircut at a saloon

[lapushka]

So I found out a couple days ago that I'm 6 week pregnant . I'm on top of the world at times and the opposite the other times. I mostly feel so nauseated I can't bring myself to carry on the previous haircare I've been doing for almost 2 years now . So I just keep it in a bun most time and the pregnancy hormone makes it so much more greasy . At this point my mom suggests that I get a major cut which means pixie . I look at my greasy hair and say no mom I can deal with it . But to be honest I don't know if I could . I also have CP that keeps me on wheelchair. That means I can only wash my hair while sitting . I don't know if it would be comfortable or even possible for me to do that when the bump getting bigger and bigger . I'd do anything for my little one but also don't wanna cut my hair . There's always a solution , right ?

Yes, congratulations. They say the first trimester is always the worst, and the nausea could pass after 12 weeks or lessen. Or, it may not, but I want to keep hope alive here. :flower:

Could you sink wash? There's this tool that you can get, and it's quite easy. My mom got it for my grandma when she had to be in a wheelchair after a stroke. This:
https://monozorg.nl/product/verrijdbare-haarwasbak/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwibDXBRCyARIsAFHp4foeLAJuutc3cG6zW98 UHLqlh4YsQMGIXXSKH1SzZElRTNt8QWw_x1oaAvq7EALw_wcB

And they also have this, so you can lay down (much much more affordable):
https://www.puntzorg.nl/haarwasbak-opblaasbaar-61764179.html?channable=e33643.MTE4NzM0NzQw&gclid=Cj0KCQjwibDXBRCyARIsAFHp4fqZPjHGc64s6LpB-VomZwrWWyCDOOGszkKvNdzsJjgSD_WjeFQx0eIaAh-QEALw_wcB

You can probably find something similar in the location you are in!

I think a pixie cut would probably be more difficult (because you have to style that probably daily if you have some texture to your hair). If you are in the 1s, though, it might be a solution. But you are still going to have to wash it, and much more frequently if it's that short and oily. If longer hair gets oily, you can bun a couple days at least.

[Lady Stardust]

If you did decide to cut, there’s a lot of benefit in keeping it long enough to tie back. It makes growing it out much less awkward, and there will be times with a baby when you’ll want to keep it out of the way. They go through a hair grabbing stage, and also you don’t want it falling forwards when you’re changing their nappy!!

I think it would be a shame to cut when it’s just for a few months. It’ll probably come down to what’s most comfortable for you at night, if you’re anything like me :-)

[Joules]

Congratulations on such wonderful news!

I agree with everyone else: pixie is not a solution.

First of all, this whole thing is temporary, less than a year. Growing out a pixie takes way longer, and it can be a much bigger pain in the behind.

Secondly, you still need to wash a pixie. It would be just as much of a problem with a wheelchair and a growing bump. Also, styling! I've never met a person who can get away with washing and not styling their short cut. And extending washes would be impossible, with ong hair you can at least make a ponytail or a braid. So, unless you are willing to completely shave your head, no haircut is going to help you. Long hair is much less maintenance.

I think it would be best to ask others for help. I know people who go to a local hair salon for a simple wash once a week, it shouldn't be that expensive.

I wish you and your growing baby all the best :blossom:

[Lumienkeli]

Congratulations! Pregnancy is so fun, exhausting and of course an emotional rollercoaster, but what I remember now is just the fun factor!

I cut my hair from BSL to shoulder than APL to shoulder at the beginning of both of my pregnancies. I liked it for a while, but the heavily layered cut I got lost its shape so fast and I grow out my hair with a mullet. And my little ones loved to grab my hair so i pinned it back all the time. I had no real benefit from cutting it that short. If I would cut it again i would cut to a bob, what I can tie up and let it grow.

I washed my hair sitting in a bat hub. It wasn't more exhausting than anything else to deal with my 100 cm circumferenced belly. Actually to find a winter shoe I can easily take on was a bigger problem ;)

Don't cut your hair becouse someone told you you should. Only cut if you want it short. Short hair really don't make things easier at all. It makes only different kind of problems than long.

[missbexy]

Congratulations!

I agree that you may find a pixie cut more aggravating in the long run. Pregnancy hormones gave me horrible greasy hair and spots for the first trimester or so but it did ease up. I liked to wear the tunnel shaped multifunctional bandana's and big soft headbands to cover up the top of my hair when I didn't have the energy to keep washing it as much as it needed. I also like having long hair with the little ones because once you get into the habit of putting it up its nice to be able to get it fully out of the way in a bun.

After the baby is born you might also feel like you're not so much yourself anymore and having a drastic hairstyle you don't really want could really amplify that feeling.

[YvetteVarie]

When I was pregnant I neglected my hair. I had hyperemesis gravidurum and gestational diabetes, so I barely had the energy for hair maintenance.

What I would suggest is to pick a style you know you can easily maintain. Like everyone else, I think a length you can pull into a ponytail would be good for the days when you just cannot be bothered.

Many blesaing to you and your little one

[Lady Stardust]

I just wanted to add something, and missbexy has mentioned it too - you go through a lot of changes during and after pregnancy. When the baby is born everything you do is for them, as a mum. I felt it was very important to keep my identity. At least my hair looked like “me” even if the rest of me didn’t :-) I wanted to express my personality beyond just being someone’s Mum.

I had a pixie for years before I was pregnant, it was something I very much wanted and enjoyed. Even so, growing it out was a pain. I can’t imagine going through all that awkwardness if a pixie hadn’t been what I wanted in the first place. Also, a pixie is a very dynamic look. You have to enjoy it to carry it off. And yes, it still needs care. Mine didn’t need styling but it still needed washing and I don’t think it would have been any harder if it was longer, unless it was very damaged and tangled.

[neko_kawaii]

Washing my pixie often enough postpartum was a challenge. It may take a little less time to wash and certainly to comb shorter hair, but that is offset by needing to wash more frequently.

[spidermom]

Well there's nothing wrong with short hair, so do what you gotta do and don't feel bad about it. Do keep in mind, however, that taking care of long hair is NOTHING compared to taking care of a baby.

[lapushka]

Well there's nothing wrong with short hair, so do what you gotta do and don't feel bad about it. Do keep in mind, however, that taking care of long hair is NOTHING compared to taking care of a baby.

Yeah, there's that. :flower: Hope everything goes well with your pregnancy and labor/delivery, OP!

[valkyrie90]

Thanks for your blessings everyone ! I know it's nothing wrong with short hair . I had pixie and bob since I was 13 until 2 years ago when I decided to grow it out . Now I'm almost at hip length . Having to deal with nasty nausea most days I don't have the right mood to go through all the natural hair care that I used to enjoy A LOT ( oiling and herbal washing and so on ) But a haircut is not my willing choice . I guess I just change to low-poo hair care and see how it goes from there . If I get to the point where I can't wash it myself I will go to the hair salon and bring my shampoo and conditioner with me and get them to wash my hair . It only cost 1$ so it'd be nothing as I only wash weekly. My cousin said what's the point of keeping my hair long only to loose it later on after the baby was born :)) . I wish to dead it's not gonna happen to me :(

[Alex Lou]

Oh postpartum shed can be bad, but it's not as if you loose all your hair. Your current plan sounds great. :) Consider simplifying your routine. Wait and see how you fare. I did end up cutting a few inches after postpartum shed, but only a few inches and it felt right for me.

In addition to what Lady Stardust said about identity... I felt very discouraged about my body in the postpartum period. My clothes didn't fit, my belly was loose, my breasts were swollen, leaking, and with new stretch marks. At least my hair looked pretty to me. Dirty, but pretty!

[Kibrah]

I belive, but could be wrong, that what you are shedding postpartum is hairs you would have she'd while pregnant. Shedding goes down a lot during pregnancy due to hormone shifts. When the hormones go bqck to normal after birth you lose the hairs you kept while pregnant that you normally would have shed. That's how it seemed for me anyway.

[Jo Ann]

Congratulations, Valkyrie90!

Why is it that, with some people, they think you should get your hair cut when you find out you're pregnant?? :shocked: I've never understood that!

Anyway, a tub or shower seat, coupled with a handheld shower, should help you out tremendously! You can still sit in the tub and do your business (and it can be removed for others in your household to take their bath/showers), and the handheld shower will be much easier to get all those hard to reach places. You can get a handheld shower that attaches either to the tub faucet or replace the current shower head. Bonus: You can use it to bath the little one when it's time to bathe it!

Remember: pregnancy is a temporary condition. I'm sure you can find ways to help deal with any issues that come up! Motherhood isn't a job--it's an adventure :) May your pregnancy and delivery be easy! Blessings!

[missbexy]

My cousin said what's the point of keeping my hair long only to loose it later on after the baby was born ) . I wish to dead it's not gonna happen to me

Sometimes I feel like people just enjoy worrying pregnant women. I think my ponytail might have seemed a little thinner after my second child was born but I really never noticed post-partum shedding so I wouldn't put too much of you decision on what things 'will' be like once the baby is born. As Kibrah said, the shedding should just be loosing hairs that didn't shed during pregnancy due to the hormone changes. I think I might actually like my hair more since I had kids (it seems to have a bit more wave to it).


Do keep in mind, however, that taking care of long hair is NOTHING compared to taking care of a baby.

I'm not so sure; I can change a nappy whilst barely awake but it can take me 15 minutes to get a bun to stay up properly :p

[lithostoic]

DON'T DO IT. You will regret not being able to ponytail it later on and I can only imagine you'd have to wash it even more frequently.

[CopperButterfly]

Sounds like you have a good plan. If you do ever end up feeling like the length is getting too difficult, just cut back a little. Maybe to waste, no shorter than bsl. then you'll still be able to bun, but have a length that's easier to wash and detangle. Congrats!