Is my post-partum hair shedding normal?

For every person giving birth, hair shedding afterwards will be different. One day you lose a handful, and the next you lose five. You slowly start seeing your hairline receding on the sides... and eventually all that is left is a tuft of 2 inch hair. You're wondering, what is normal?

Like it was mentioned before, it will be different to each person. For most, it begins around 3-5 months postpartum and tapers off around 3 to six months from onset. By a year postpartum, your hair shedding should be back down to normal levels.

As far as quantity goes, it is normal to lose 50% more than average strands per day after childbirth. While some normally lose 100-150 hairs per day, after childbirth many will lose something more like 200-250. A small percentage of people will lose 400-500 hairs per day during this period. For these people, it can take a longer time to recover. Unfortunately, a small percentage of those people will fail to regain the same amount of fullness afterwards.

Like most things relating to pregnancy, it has to do with hormones. While your hormones take a few years post childbirth to rebalance, your nutrition can make a difference in your overall hair and scalp health. Visit a doctor to check on your hormones, vitamin d, and ferritin to see if there's anything you can do to help during this time.

While some may lose minimal hair, that is not the average experience. If a friend/family member tells you that they barely lost any hair- and you're losing more, please don't listen to them. Hair shed is completely personal, and everyone's going to be different. Don't let them in your head!