Post-Partum Hair: WTH Happened?

One of the most glorious parts about being pregnant is your hair. Whether it looks more shiny and beautiful or not, it gets thicker than normal because it doesn't shed. For someone like me, who has very thick hair, your hair gets super thick! I didn't mind so much except when it got warm out and I wanted that thick mane off of my neck.

It has now been over 4 months since I gave birth to Grace. About three weeks ago, it started. The shedding. My head finally decided to let go of all that excess hair. It has been shedding in clumps. Every time I comb out my hair or wash it, loads of hair falls out. Every time. My hair has gone from super duper thick to very slightly thick. It is thinning daily though so I'm sure it won't be in the thick category much longer.

My hair post-partum with my oldest daughter, Ginny.
The hair didn't change. It stayed as curly as normal.

There has been another interesting development with my hair this time around. The character of it has changed.

When I was little, my hair had a little bit of wave to it, but for the most part it was straight. It was like that through high school, except on the rare occasions where I got a perm. I got my last perm soon after high school graduation, the spiral perm which was big at the end of the 80s.  Unfortunately, the perm started to fry my hair so during the spring of my freshman year in college, I got the perm taken out and cut my hair shorter to get rid of all the fried hair. Not long after this, I found that my hair seemed awfully curly. I thought that the perm must not have come out fully and just assumed that for a long time. Then, one day, I realized that my hair was getting curlier. The nature of my hair went from slight waves to curls. Every year, no matter how long my hair was, my hair got curlier and curlier.

My hair now. It has wave and some curl, but not nearly the
same as before.

Until now that is. My hair seems to have reverted back to the way it was in high school. It has definite waves and some curl, but it is no longer as curly as it was. It also requires that I wash my hair more often. When it was curly, my hair dried out faster and I washed it every 3-4 days. Since it is straighter, I find myself having to wash my hair every other day.

I'm not sure what to think. Is this change temporary or permanent. I guess only time will tell. Until then, I guess I will have to pull out my curling iron to style it since letting the curls go natural no longer seems to work.