While breastfeeding is it normal to loose some hair?

Question

I have been nursing my baby for four months and just within the last few weeks I am loosing a lot of hair. In the shower and just consistently throughout the day. Is this normal? Also is grey hair normal too? ... when I am nursing of course

Answer 1

Grey hair is from age or stress but loosing hair can be from stress also never heard of loosing hair while breast feeding

Answer 2

Many people believe that breast feeding causes hair loss. Nursing women do notice a lot of hair falling out about the second or third month after delivery, but this is not because of breast feeding. The fact is a condition called telogen effluvium.

Telogen effluvium is brought about by a stressful event, like childbirth. A large number of hair roots go into a resting phase, called the telogen phase. About two months later, these start actively growing again, and the old hair shaft is shed. The problem occurred at the time of delivery, and went unnoticed; when the hair loss was seen, it signalled the normalisation of the process. The hair will soon grow back; baldness is not going to occur!
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Geekangel is right on the ball. It is all about your body returning to normal from the weird hormone cocktail it has been on with the pregnancy.

While a woman is pregnant, her body produces hormones to stop the child from miscarrying. A side effect is that leg hair slows in growth, the hair on your head stops falling out and on the downside there is morning (or afternoon, or evening, or all day) sickness.

After the child is born, hormones can settle back to normal meaning menstruation returns and so forth but breastfeeding can delay the process with its own hormonal rollercoaster.

Generally those women who found they had great hair during pregnancy (because their bodies stopped shedding on a daily basis) may find that when their hormones go back to normal, their hair will start shedding. And this means either in small daily amounts (unnoticeable) or in great wads and clumps at a time!

Mine came out in handfuls and freaked me out!

Not sure about the grey though, could be coincidence or something else. Check with your doctor or health nurse if really concerned.

Answer 4

Loosing hair has nothing to do with breastfeeding. You should notice that you lost less hair while pregnant. So after the kid is born, the hair loosing is catching up. It's all in the pregnancy hormones, they are fading. Grey hair probably is just in your genes, nothing to do with breastfeeding either.

Answer 5

Every pregnant woman I've ever known loses hair at about 4 months... When you are pregnant your body is producing cells like mad. Then you're not, thus the hair loss. It will stop in a couple of months and normalize.
Nursing has nothing to do with it.

Answer 6

The hair loss is a normal post-partum thing, and has nothing to do with nursing. It should go away soon.

Answer 7

Hairloss & color change aren't normal side effects of breastfeeding. Ur hairloss can be typical postpartum hairloss. It isn't unusual for it 2 not happen til now. It's just from hormone changes & any meds u had during and/or after delivery.

Answer 8

Yes it is normal. Your baby is taking a lot of nutrients out of your body through breastfeeding. Are you still taking your prenatal vitamins? It is recommended to keep taking them while breastfeeding.

Answer 9

Yes it is. My wife lost quite a bit. It stopped falling shortly after weaning. Grey hair? I don't know...

Answer 10

I've breast fed four and I can't remember losing hair what did the doc say?