6 Weird Baby Questions --- Answered Why does a baby's first head
of hair fall out? Basically, for the same reason you find
yourself shedding like a Saint Bernard after giving birth: a
drop in hormones. "High estrogen levels in your body during
pregnancy cause both your and your baby's hair to grow, with
less resting or shedding," says Jennifer Shu, M.D., an Atlanta
pediatrician and coauthor of Heading Home With Your Newborn.
Postpartum, your estrogen levels plummet -- and so do your
baby's because he's no longer getting his hormones from you. You
both enter a shedding stage called "telogen effluvium." This
lasts about six months for your baby, possibly longer for you.
Will your child become as bald as Bruce Willis? It depends on
his hair's texture and whether he sits up early (then he won't
spend as much time rubbing his head against mattresses and
activity mats). All the while, though, new hair is sprouting.
Just don't be shocked if this do is way different -- most
infants' second headful is darker and coars