“My hair’s falling out since the baby — on top of everything else”

Hair shedding a few months after childbirth (peaking ~3–4 months postpartum, often at the hairline/temples) is POSTPARTUM TELOGEN EFFLUVIUM — the synchronous post-delivery shed, very common, benign and self-limiting, recovering over ~6–12 months — warranting strong, accurate reassurance plus a ferritin (delivery blood loss/breastfeeding) and TFT (postpartum thyroiditis) check. But the examinable core is that the hair loss is the PRESENTING TICKET for an exhausted, overwhelmed new mother for whom it is "the last straw": behind it sit sleep deprivation, possible postnatal depression/anxiety, body-image change and loss of identity ("nothing about my body is mine"), and a sense of falling apart. Reassuring the hair alone misses her; the skill is to give the hair reassurance AND open the door to how she’s really coping, screen mood and risk, validate the body-image/identity change, and support maternal mental health (perinatal pathway, health visitor, talking therapy) — the hair is benign; the mother’s wellbeing is the case.