Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

OMG, I am losing my hair!

"Doris, don't be silly.  We are all losing hair all the time.  It's called 'shedding'.  It's one of the characteristics of being a Kung sister."


I know, we shed hair at a ridiculous rate.  I remember when we were living in Bellevue, our carpet was perpetually covered with our strands of departed hair.  I even told one of my college roommates how we could run our fingers in a circular motion over our carpet, and come up with a small tangle of long, black hair. I think she laughed only to disguise her extreme discomfort at the thought.  Heh heh.  I like to think of our hair as our secret power.

Tim complains about how much I shed, but I have to point out to him that my hair is long and black, and therefore seems to be everywhere.  His hair is short and blond, so it seems invisible, but I am pretty sure he sheds as much as I do.  But what I have going on here is unbelievable!  I am pretty sure it has something to do with postpartum hormone regulation, although I think it is interesting that it didn't happen with Evie.  With Evie, instead of losing hair, my hair started growing out very wavy, but only on one section of my head.  It was like one quarter of my hair decided to go late 80's for awhile.

About a month ago, I realized that my hair was starting to fall out at an amazing rate.  In the shower, every time I massaged my scalp, my hand would be covered in strands.  When I brushed my hair or was blow drying my hair, I was dropping them everywhere.  It seemed that all I needed to do was toss my hair and then there would be a loose strand floating down.  I thought, maybe this isn't as bad as I am thinking.

Last night, I found proof that I am not imagining things.  THERE IS A SMALL BALD PATCH ON MY HAIRLINE!!!  It is in an area to the side of my forehead where the hair is naturally thinner (but to us, naturally thinner might be normal to others), and there is NOTHING THERE.  I got anxious and started checking my head.  The hair on the back of head feels thinner.  My hair, when gathered up for a ponytail, is definitely lighter and less in mass.  IS MY HAIR GOING TO KEEP FALLING OUT UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT ANYWHERE?!

I asked around and some mamas have said their hair stopped falling out around 5 months or even 8 months postpartum.  At this rate, if I have to go one for a few more months, I will surely be bald.    Someone told me to eat more "stable fats" like cod liver oil (?).  Maybe I should invest in a wig?

It's a strange new world.  I have never imagined a world where I would be bald, but now that it is here, I guess I am going to take less showers to keep the hair I have.  And that's saying a lot, since I am now getting a shower in every 2 or 3 days. Philadelphia, watch out!  Greasy-haired mama coming your way!