Well, let me start off by saying that during my pregnancies, for both my son and daughter, I relaxed my hair - yup! that's right. My doctor gave me the "okay" to go ahead and perform my chemical services as usual. I relaxed every 3 months so a total of 3 times (approximately) during my pregnancies. With each pregnancy I used my usual ORS Olive oil relaxer Lye Normal Strength. I experienced no adverse affects and my kids are healthy and strong!

Just one month after giving birth (recovering from a c-section), I started back with my usual hair routine. I somehow found the strength (Lord knows its a struggle when you have an infant) and maintained my exact same regimen i.e. wash every week, deep condition with protein first then moisture, moisturize daily etc. My hair thrived and still is!

Shedding
Where shedding is concerned, I haven't experienced the excessive postpartum shedding that we all HATE and DREAD!! After having my son, when he was approximately 9-10months old, I began to shed terribly. I believe it was stress and diet related due to me going back to school, work etc. My diet and nutrition took a huge hit as I was constantly on the go and had zero time for meal prep, vitamins etc. as a new mom. Back then, I restored my hair by being consistent with my regimen and doing a Black Tea Rinse every so often to combat shedding. I know that shedding is a natural process! It's inevitable to escape as hair that has been in the "growing" phase during pregnancy and will now begin to shed due to decreased levels of estrogen in the body.

Nutrition
Now that I am home for the year with my baby girl, I am exclusively breastfeeding so what I consume is crucial in producing milk for her and I think my diet has kept the shedding at bay. I know that vitamins and nutrition are vital for healthy hair growth and preventing hair loss.  So daily, I ensure I get at least 3 servings of lean protein i.e. eggs, fish, diary products, meat etc. per day. I also drink a TON of water (so necessary for milk production) along with fruits and veggies - not to mention I keep up with my daily vitamins.

I'm currently taking Nestle Materna Pre/Postnatal Multivitamins (1x/day), Evlution Omega 3 Fish Oils (2x/day) which help to keep my scalp hydrated and JamesonVitamin C (2x/day). Vitamin C helps my body absorb iron as well as produce collagen which is known to strengthen the hair shaft. I believe that all of these practices combined i.e. hair care, diet, nutrition etc. have played a role in delaying the postpartum shedding and improving the health of my hair.

Overall, my hair has been pretty good to me, I can't complain! My edges are still in tact and no major shedding to report.  Trust me, having an infant and keeping up with a hair regimen is definitely not easy PLUS I'm always tired..LOL.. BUT I try to find the time i.e. deep conditioning overnight or on the go, moisturizing with baby in the cuddle carrier etc. It's all about multitasking and maximizing your free time to maintain good hair care habits.