Post-pregnancy hair loss

Q The saying goes that around the same time a baby starts drooling, a mother will have hair loss. This seemed so for me. It was most obvious when I washed my hair after giving birth. Instead of the usual few strands, I was losing a tidy heap. Is this hormonal? For how long does this go on and is there anything I can do about it?

A Hair growth and hair shedding patterns go through many natural cycles during a person's life. Events like pregnancy can interrupt the natural cycle and result in a temporary change in these hair growth patterns.

At any one time, about 90 per cent of the hair on your scalp is growing. The remaining 10 per cent is in its resting phase. After two to three months, the resting hair falls out and new hair starts to grow in its place.

During pregnancy, more hair goes into the resting phase. A rise in hormones during pregnancy keeps your hair from falling out. After delivery, these hormones return to pre-pregnancy levels which allow the hair to fall out and return to the normal cycle.

The normal hair loss that was delayed during pregnancy may occur all at once and this can be particularly distressing to the new mother.

This condition is known medically as telogen effluvium. It usually peaks three to four months after delivery and between 100 to 300 strands of hair may be shed each day. This hair loss may be most apparent when you are brushing or shampooing your hair. It is a temporary condition and hair loss usually returns to normal in six to 12 months.

I was reading this from a stall
at Compasspoint B1. And ya, I have
been losing alot of hair recently.
I guess it was about the same time
Daven started drooling alot, which
is about 4 months old. I guess,
this is going to last for awhile longer...