I’d like to know how Beyonce is dealing with this.

Fun fact: most women don’t lose hair while they’re pregnant? So even though the rest of your body is bloated and stretching and swollen, your hair usually looks full and awesome.

Then, a few months after your baby is born, all that hair starts falling out all at once. So you’re exhausted and still trying to lose baby weight, and to top it off your hair is falling out by the fist full. When this was happening to me, I felt like I needed to be taken outside and brushed on the porch.

But THEN it grows back all at once. I wasn’t prepared for that step. I thought you were just losing extra hair or something.

And when it all grows back you get weird, chunky fly aways in places you didn’t realize your hair had thinned. They can’t be straightened, curled, or pinned back. They’re just there, like thin, miniature bangs that you don’t want.

You can sort of see mine in this photo (this is another white balance photo).

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They’re poking out under the hair tucked behind my ear, and puffing up on the other side. When I pull them down, they look a little like a mustache growing out of my part.

They started teeny and innocuous, but they’re getting worse before they get better. Until they blend with the rest of my hair, they fly free.

They’re sort of like vampires: hard to capture on camera. I took this photo after a run. See the halo of frizzy hair? And it’s not just at my temple, it’s behind my ear and the nape of my neck, too.

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This is a shot of my least-favorite re-growth — that weird, straight piece in the front.

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And the other side is just as bad.

Don’t think that they’re curly or cute. They are not. In these photos my hair is dirty, so what you’re seeing is the re-growth in its natural habitat: a frizzy mess.

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These photos were taken a few weeks ago, and I think they’ve gotten even worse. The fly aways (I’m calling them that, but they really aren’t. They’re short and thick, not pretty and windswept) have gotten even worse. The ones on the left stick straight up, the ones on the right sort of look like a peacock tail.

Add this to the list of “things about pregnancy no one ever tells you.” But then if you mention it in a group of moms, they’re all like “OH! THAT WAS HORRIBLE!!”

I’ve even heard that some moms get bald spots. Taken that into consideration, I’m not complaining.

But, seriously, moms, how do you make it through this awkward stage?

 

9 Comments

  1. Rachel November 30, 2012

    Headbands and hairspray. I spray the little suckers & sort of comb them/tuck them down, and then plop on a headband. Mine are also AWFUL. All around my head like a halo, giving me a perpetual ‘eletrocuted mommy’ look. I feel your pain.

    Reply
  2. Meredith White December 1, 2012

    Haha! I’ve got it too, though my hair is straighter than yours so the grow-ins seem to blend a bit more. For a while I used a Sweaty Bands headband while running to keep under control (but find their slogan "omg! They don’t slip!" To be blatant false advertising bc I needed at least 3 bobby pins to keep in place).

    Reply
  3. Kristie December 1, 2012

    Unfortunately, our hair is fine and curly-ish and grows SLOW. So they are more obvious and you may be stuck with them longer than most people. This may be the real reason behind getting the "mom cut". Just chop it off to blend it in. Or at least get bangs…that’s what I finally had to do.

    Reply
  4. Tiffanie December 1, 2012

    I’ve found that by Kid 2, it’s easier to ignore because my standards for personal appearance have hit rock bottom. Head Down, Power Through, and Ignore. Surely, someone’s got a choking hazard somewhere around here that needs removal.

    Reply
  5. Carolyn Bales December 2, 2012

    sO that’s WHY MY HAIR DID THAT. I thought it was just being weird. And it was: post-baby weird. you’re brilliant.

    Reply
  6. tomamanda December 3, 2012

    i use a band too, but i had to switch to a hat because my fly aways curl around the band and then stick to my face. nice. <br>hats are good for sun protection, too, so i figure it’s an ok trade.

    Reply
  7. teacherpollock December 3, 2012

    I finally had "normal" hair when I was pregnant- not thick, because my hair was so thin to begin with, but more of a normal thickness. Then about 6 months post delivery, it all fell out. Now I just have a few little baby hairs in the front, but that’s all in terms of regrowth. I think I’ll be registering for a weave come baby #2, because I’m going to have nothing left in the hair dept.

    Reply
  8. Laura @ Mommyrunfast December 3, 2012

    Oh yes, I forgot about those! I was too sleep deprived to do much about it. 🙂 Hope it all grows back quickly! But I bet you notice it more than anyone else around you.

    Reply
  9. Tizzie February 13, 2013

    I used to think this post was just amusing. Now I see it as useful. I thought I had managed to get by without the post partum fly aways, but recently my ponytails are singing a different story. Please tell me this gets better. I had settled into a nice habit of only showering every other days, but these jacked up ponytails don’t quite pass the work appropriate attire bar. Hmph!

    Reply

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