3 Steps You Can Take to Minimize Hair Loss Following Pregnancy

The months following the birth of your baby can be especially stressful ones for you. Although you’re filled with joy, you are also just plain tired. Your baby cries at all hours of the day and night, older children clamor for your attention, your house looks like the pits, and the laundry always seems to multiply on its own. Then, just when you think you are finally making some progress, you may begin to see your hair starting to fall out. In most cases this is a normal process that will soon correct itself, but it can still be devastating in a life that already seems out of control. There are things you can do to help avoid this problem, at least to some extent.

The first step is not to try and take on the world all at once. If your house does not get as clean as you’d like it, the world isn’t going to come to an end. Too many new moms get into the habit of putting their babies down for naps and then rushing around trying to get all the work done. The housework will wait, and maybe you will be able to get your husband to pick up a few of the chores to help out. Do not spend your afternoons trying to prepare gourmet meals. A couple of nights of take-out every week isn’t going to kill anyone. Take the bits and pieces of time you can carve out of your day and use them to nap when your baby is napping. A lack of sleep can cause the condition of your hair, as well as the rest of your body, to deteriorate.

Now this is really important piece of this specific theme. Try not to let yourself become over-stressed about things that are outside of your control. For example, if your in-laws really stress you out, talk the situation over with your husband and then try to minimize your contact with them. Maybe your husband could take them and your baby out to dinner while you get some more well-deserved rest. Remove stressors from your environment as much as possible, too. You can buy paper plates and cups to reduce the number of dishes you need to do, hire a part-time cleaning lady, remove clutter from table tops and other furniture which will eliminate extra dusting, or have everything take off their shoes at the door to avoid getting floors so dirty. The key is to relax as much as you can.

Although it is easy to devote all of your time to your new baby and your other children, you need to make time for yourself, too. You’ren’t going to feel any more positive about yourself if you allow your hair to hang down limp and dirty or you start smelling bad for lack of proper hygiene. Snatch moments to relax in a hot tub of bubble bath or to shampoo your hair. Indulge in a sitter for a couple of hours so that you can pamper yourself at a spa or salon. You will be a better mother for your efforts, and you will help keep your hair loss to a minimum.

For more tips and information on vitamins for hair growth? Get tips, articles and advice on female hair loss here: Causes of Hair Loss.