Damn, I’m sorry. That was a really bad, punny title. Can’t help it, I’m cranky. Post-partum hair loss is the pits. The absolute pits. About three months after Finn was born, my hair started falling out – I still recall the horror I felt the first time I put my hand to my hair, and came away with a handful. It sinks my stomach just thinking about it. It was so utterly, utterly depressing, having a rapidly receding hairline. I really quite like my hair, you know. (And I can’t say that about many parts of me.) I was thrilled when it finally stopped, at about 7 months, and I started growing little wispy bits of fringe.
Anyway, almost since I first discovered I was pregnant again, I have been steeling myself for the advent of the next fallout. Three months came and went, and no hair loss. I found myself daring to think maybe this time would be different. Nup. It has begun. Crap. Crap. Crap.
Spare a thought for my poor vacuum cleaner in the coming months. I should probably cut my (remaining) hair a bit shorter now, to save the plumbing, too.
The good news? (Because I’m trying really hard to see a brighter side!) I read recently that worms apparently really like to eat hair (kind of ick, I know). So I’m collecting what I lose to put into our super-groovy new compost bin, and hopefully this will lure the worms in, and we’ll have some lush, rich compost in a few months time. It gives me a bit of a warm cycle-of-life kind of feeling, to be returning something to the Earth, despite how depressed it makes me in the meanwhile.
Bah. Forgive my self-indulgent moaning. I’ll get over it. It will grow back. I’m off to find all my cool stretchy headwraps now ๐
Yes, the hair loss. I happened to have no idea that it would happen. Imagine my surprise, when what seemed like clumps started coming off!! Horrified. Thankfully, they grew back, and have almost reached the length of my normal hair. Somehow, I had missed reading about this in my pregnancy books completely!
Oh yeah, I remember. The part that got me was “soon after birth, the hair that you were holding onto during pregnancy will begin to turn loose.” Okay, to me, “soon after birth” means within 4-6 weeks, not 4 MONTHS later. I was so upset! It didn’t last very long, maybe 3 weeks, and all of the wispy ones that grew back in are finally getting long enough to be managed. But still, as someone accustomed to having a full head of hair, and was thrilled for it to be even thicker while pregnant, I was way bummed when it turned loose. {{{hugs}}} to you.
Oh my gosh, are you serious? That’s crazy! I didn’t know that happened! I’m glad you have a good perspective on it. It’ll be back soon in full force, I’m sure. ๐