Stress/Feeling cranky all the time leading to hair loss?!

[Carmen2]

DD is almost 5 1/2 months old. Since then, I've been taken on a long roller coaster ride. Some days are better than others, but it seems to me that the bad days are countless!

DH and I had several fights because he said that I am too stressed... I try to be a supermom and super helper to DH's work. DH works 15 hours a day and 7 days a week.... on his days off, he tries to help to take care of DD but doesn't seem to understand her needs that much because he's been working so hard hoping to save as much as we can in order for us to buy our dream house. I feel so guilty not being able to help financially at the moment since DH suggests that I take care of DD until she's a little older.

I've been losing a lot of hair recently... and mentioned this to my doctor and she said it's probably related to stress... anyone experience that much hair loss? I think I have almost lost 50% of my hair... what happened?

[Trillian]

It's completely normal in the months after having a baby that you loose a lot of hair - for some women it is huge amounts and for others it will be minimal. My baby is 7mths and I am only just starting to loose mine. During pg some women retain a lot of their hair in pg, giving the appearance that it is really thick or growing really quickly because of the hormones (in a normal un-pg women you shed and regrow hair all the time) and once bubs is born the hormones settle down and your hair goes back to its normal growth patterns.

[~Trish~]

Yep, Trillian is right! I am losing heaps of hair atm (DS is nearly 6 months old) and I lost loads of hair a few months after my first DS was born too. It will slow down eventually, but it is different for everyone.

Time to stop feeling guilty about not earning money! You are doing the most important job in the world at the moment by looking after your DD. They are only babies for such a short time so just enjoy her. There is time to think about going back to work later. It must be hard having your DH work such long hours, do you have any family or friends who can help you out every so often?

[Lulu]

Oh listen to your Dp and please stop stressing!! I totally agree with the above posts, however my Dp was a lazyass so I collected a few days worth on the pillow and showed him "see what you do to me" I said he heeee heeeee!

[Carmen2]

Maybe you gals are right... I really should just focus my time on DD since time flies and these moments are just so precious. I have been telling myself the same thing too and do try to be as cheerful as I could. But some days are so rough that I just feel like hitting myself on the head.

Before DD was born, DH and I made an agreement that he will do his best to come home on time to have some time for DD... (we were both brought up by our grannies and hope that our child(ren) will not go through the same thing - not knowing the parents). Like I mentioned in my first post, the reason to his excessive work hours is the money that we could save to buy our house. I'm happy that DH is so caring, but on the other hand, I find that he's always tired because of working too much. When I ask him to go to bed earlier (before 1am) so that he could get up for work at 8am... he thinks I'm a nag...

We are not broke or anything, but with a baby, the expense shoots up the sky which is why he tries to compensate by working harder... but with that, we don't talk as much, or see each other that much, and he hasn't really had time for DD... What should I do?

I guess all the stress + post natal effects lead me to the excessive hair loss?!

[KatieRabbit]

Carmen- sounds like you and DH could have a chat about your priorities? Are they still the same? Have they changed? Does DH know what you would like of him? It is so tricky after having a bub as things change so much it is normal to have disagreements etc that you may not have had before. I know you are saving for your dream home but it seems to be causing a huge amount of stress for both of you. Could you delay your dream home goals by a year or two to allow DH to spend time with Nicky while she is young and also to nurture your relationship together?
By the way I have stopped asking DH to get to bed. I go when I am ready and if he wants to sit up and watch TV to 1am he does and he bears the consequences the next day. I figured that I am his wife not his mother! So now I don't say anything!
Do you want to share what you are finding rough everyday?