That Awful of a Mom's Hair Loss

Hair All over the floor, the bed, the bathroom and every corner of the house. It seems your scalp will be gone bald soon. It's freakingly annoying.

When I was with my sister and her husband in Pangasinan to help take care of their first born baby my sister always complained of her falling hair. Who wouldn't when it comes off in cluster. They said it was normal for women who gave birth some months ago and nothing to worry about. Elders said that the hair also comes in a stage where it needs to be replaced with a new one after giving birth. Ohh? That sounds reasonable.

Hairfall or hair loss is one thing I dread after couple of months from giving birth. And because I already have four that I am experiencing it the fourth time. This postpartum hairfall comes two to four months after having your little bundle of joy. For first time moms it would really freak you out. Not two, not three, not four but many come off when you comb your hair. When you get up from bed expect that hair is all over your pillow, some on the blankets and on the mattress.

When you sweep the floor, you will surely get numbers of fallen hair into the dustpan. When taking a bath, a cluster of hair would block the bathroom drain which you need to pick and put in the thrash bin because if not it will cause clogging...

There are times I don't brush my hair because the numbers of hair that comes off is unimaginable. And I tell you, I cut my own hair the shortest I can get and that is making my nape naked. I do this when my baby is already five months old when he already knows how to stretch his hand and gets hold of anything he can touch. And you know how strong babies grips is? That will make you question your ability. You can't just open up their palm.

Imagine the baby's hands both grabbed and gripping at your hair and you have a long one. Babies love pulling your scalp off. You can't just simply say "let go, baby" and he will. So you were able to get his one hand open and off from your hair. Now, you have to work on the other. What you don't expect is he will grab again with the other which you just freed... Hahaha... It's a lot of effort.

Moreover, you can't just pull the baby's hand from your hair because their skin is very soft and sensitive that the friction would cause cuts on his delicate hand. That's why wearing short hair is better so that you can get the baby's hands from your hair easier. It would also prevent the hair from falling all the more.

Most often, you will find one or two hairs on the inside of baby's clothes he's wearing. Some even get stuck on their groin. And I tell you some even get wrapped around baby's neck. That really is a horrible site that could frighten a first time mom.

There are incidents when you find a strand wound up in his toes or fingers. However it ended up there, it is always good to check on your baby's feet especially when he's wearing socks. Coiled hair on baby's toes could get pretty tight and could probably hurt the baby. This hair entwined on baby's toes is called hair tourniquet.

If possible, let your baby's feet bare especially when the weather is hot so that you can spot hair in it easily.

Sometimes I tie my hair even when we go to bed to stop it from spreading when asleep. It will be easier to take off fallen hair from the ponytail.

So, what exactly cause postpartum hairfall?

Just like any changes during pregnancy, hair loss is also caused by hormone- estrogen. It drops after giving birth as the body return to its pre-pregnancy state. Hence, making the awful hair fall temporary and not something to be worried.

Hair shredding is a normal phase in recovery from pregnancy where hair was at a phase where it stops growing and resulting to a fuller hair volume. This phase would last until the first birth of the baby... Urgghh. It's a long time. Expect your hair to be as thin as it could get.

After the baby has turned one year old, the loss hair is replace by new growth. Just as how hair fall is noticeable so does with the growing new strands. These new growths however is not the most pleasing sight 😁. It stands proudly at its end as it grows most especially those at the top of the head.

Being a woman means not only being a woman. She undergoes many phases that hormone is responsible of. She has that monthly period that turns her sanity upside down before, during and after. When married, there's pregnancy, postpartum and everything in it. And when she gets older comes menopausal stage that would make her even more crazier caused by hormonal changes... Haiiszzt. Unending it is.

12-24-21

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