Rebecca A. Muminovic, M.D. A cool mom and a great doc.
Ahhh, the glamour of motherhood. Sleepless nights covered in breast milk and spit up, does it get any hotter?
Well ladies, just when you think it could not get any worse from a personal grooming perspective at least, you peer down onto the shower floor in your half delirious sleep deprived state only to see a dead rat! Oh, no wait it’s not a rat, it’s just a pile of your hair. Honestly, at this point if you had enough energy you may sit and cry, but alas it is time to change another poopy diaper, so no time for that.
Motherhood is filled with a love that no one can truly understand unless they have experienced it. Mothers cherish their children from the moment they are born, that is undeniable. A less embraced reality is that motherhood is hard, really hard. Your body changes, your mood changes, and your life changes, and is never the same again. You would sacrifice your heart and soul for your child, but honestly does the hair have to go too?
After the birth of my first son, I vividly remember cleaning up my ever shedding hair in quantities that were certainly enough to construct Dolly Parton’s next wig. I can even remember sitting on the edge of my bed sobbing while holding a pile of hair in one hand and my hair brush in the other.
Pregnancy is known for the glow of beautiful skin and hair, growing lush and magnificent by the end of your gestation. This is the result of those wonderful pregnancy hormones that help grow not only your baby, but your hair and nails as well. Alas, once your give birth, those hormones change and with that your hair that has been growing at a fast pace, dies and is shed at a fast pace as well. This typically happens several months after giving birth and can continue for months after. New hair does start growing in its place, but takes time to fill in.
It is important to know that other things can cause hair loss as well, like thyroid disease. Other signs that you may have a malfunctioning thyroid include fatigue, weight changes, skin changes, intolerance to extremes of temperatures, amongst others. Hmmm, fatigue, weight change, hair loss….sounds kind of like….hmmm…. a new mom.
With this in mind ladies, do not neglect your health after you give birth. Listen to what your mind and body are telling you. Be sure to follow up with your doctor in your post partum months. Just like the oxygen mask on a plane, you cannot take care of others unless you take care of yourself first!
-Rebecca A. Muminovic, M.D. is a Real Richmond Mom of three and an Executive Physician for HCA.
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