{"id":315,"date":"2022-03-31T02:41:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T02:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.austinbirthed.com\/?p=315"},"modified":"2022-03-31T02:41:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T02:41:14","slug":"postpartum-hair-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.austinbirthed.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/31\/postpartum-hair-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Postpartum Hair Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Jeanne Reilly, Registered Dietitian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hair loss is completely normal part of postpartum recovery, and tends to peak around 3 months after birth. As many as 40-50% of women will experience postpartum alopecia or hair loss.  However, there are things you can do to help slow it down and\/or prevent extreme hair loss. You don\u2019t have to deal with the bald spots around your hairline that many of us have accepted as part of the postpartum journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahhhh\u2026hormones.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the shiny, thick, lustrous hair (and beautiful, strong nails) you had during pregnancy? Hardly a hair fell out for 9+ months! You can thank sky-high estrogen and progesterone levels for that. They keep hair and nails in the growth phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After birth, your hormones begin to plummet (this is the transitional phase for hair growth) then tend to level out around 3 months postpartum (this is the resting phase), which is when hair is released from the follicle and begins falling out\u2026followed by new hair growth. Anyone else loathe that crown of baby hair coming in all around your hairline? As annoying as this rate of hair loss can be (about 400 strands per day!!), it\u2019s your body\u2019s way of catching up after very little hair shedding during pregnancy. By about 6 months postpartum, most new mothers see a slow down to the normal rate of hair loss (about 50-100 strands of hair per day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foods & Vitamins To Combat Postpartum Hair Loss<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some of that hair loss is unavoidable, there are ways you can prevent excessive hair loss, support healthy re-growth, and return to a normal hair growth cycle as quickly as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No surprise, foods rich in vitamins and minerals that support your body\u2019s natural processes are our first recommendation. We also know the vast majority of mamas are depleted in nutrients after growing, birthing, and especially if breastfeeding a baby, so bringing your body back to nutritional status quo is the first step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n