A few months following the birth of her third child, amid the sleep deprivation and endless nursing sessions, 29-year-old Alicia Midey?s hair started coming out in alarming clumps. ?It really started to accelerate three months after I gave birth,? says the Chesapeake, Va., mom. ?I knew it was a part of the postpartum process, but that didn?t make dealing with the bald spots around my hairline easier. It was worse than it had ever been with my first two children.?
Stephanie Black, a 38-year-old mother of one from Charlton, Ont., had a similar experience, though her hair loss was delayed. ?In my case, it didn?t start until about a year after I had my son, and it happened so fast I thought I was going bald,? Black says. ?My doctor said it was likely pregnancy related, but I was surprised that it took so long to take effect, since I only breastfed for a few months and didn?t go back to work until months after my hair started falling out.? Shedding hair at a noticeable rate in the first two to six months after having a baby is not unusual?online parenting groups and social media status updates are full of new moms posting, ?Is this normal" I?m freaking out!? But the experience can vary among women.
?Not all women will experience this condition, and some may experience it in one pregnancy but not another,? says David Salinger, the Sydney, Australia-based director of the International Association of Trichologists. (Trichologists specialize in the treatment of scalp and hair i...