Postpartum shedding for a third time was not something I was looking forward to. I had already been there twice and I didn’t like the idea of it assaulting my edges again.
I absolutely hated that it would ravage the lush growth that I had obtained. If I knew anything from my previous experiences it’s that I should just eat right and not stress about losing my hair in a few months; so in a bid to help me prepare for it, all through my pregnancy I followed Pinkstarnute who had given birth a few months before me. Her experience left me feeling hopeful. She didn’t seem to lose any hair to postpartum shedding after her son was born.
Having been through it already I knew that there were certain measures I would have to take in order to bounce back quickly. With that in mind my New Year’s resolution for 2016 was to combat postpartum shedding but also to chronicle the experience so that I could test the theory that you lose less hair when it’s a boy.
Now merely a few days shy of his 1st birthday I can say that the postpartum shedding I experienced was something else.
Much of the Same at the Beginning
There was some of the same when I compared my experience to the shedding with the girls in that I lost the hair around the perimeter or the edges. The hair fall also started around 3 months postpartum. I was sure to maintain my regimen similar to how I did with the previous pregnancy:
Diet
- Homemade green juices at least twice weekly (callaloo, ginger*, cucumbers, pineapple, papaya, tomatoes)
- Milk daily
- Fruits Daily (usually bananas, rose apple, pineapples)
- At least 3 liters of water daily
- Nuts (peanuts, almonds, macadamia, pecan)
- potatoes, yams, plantains, dasheen, pasta
- Chinese food (before plastic rice was a concern)
Hair Care Products and Practices
- Mist with water daily, seal with castor oil* and raw shea butter*
- Co-wash on Sunday
- Overnight DC
- Clarify with Tre’Semme Shampoo once per month
Differences I Noticed
With the girls the shedding happened within the first 3 – 6 months postpartum. The shedding was quicker almost as though it was racing to get out of the way because usually by the time they were 6 months my new edges would be visibly thick and thriving, but with my son it has been slow and long. I have realized that my hair has thinned out far more than it did with the girls and my hair fall is far more than what I remember after the girls.
I guess I reasoned that since boy babies can leave their DNA in the brain of the mom, perhaps there are other things that they pass on such as some extra testosterone to aid in hair growth? Needless to say, I didn’t find anything that would support the theory. I suppose the team of scientists researching this microchimera haven’t figured out exactly how these extra cells from baby will affect mom, but if in future they find it does aid in hair growth, remember where you saw the theory first :).
In the final analysis my theory went bust but even if it didn’t, it is unique to the individual; some never experience shedding after giving birth and some may experience minimal hair fall. I know for me, I experienced and continue to experience more shedding after having a son. Well, let us know what your experience has been. Did you lose more hair after having a boy baby or was it just about the same as it was with the girl?