WantNatural
Well-Known Member
Sorry - this is long, but I have to vent! Is there anyone else who is pregnant and transitioning, or transitioned while pregnant? My hormones are giving me an absolute fit! I'm 10 weeks pregnant and 4 months post relaxer. When I decided to transition, I had never even stretched before, I always relaxed between 5-8 weeks. I knew that transitioning without ever doing a long-term stretch would not be easy, but I made up my mind that I really wanted to see my natural hair, and I was tired of chemicals. I cowashed 3-4 times a week, DC'd 3 times a week, used no heat, kept my hair mostly in buns and some bantu knotout sets. Transitioning was great!
A few weeks after I found out I was pregnant everything changed. Now the thought of doing my hair literally makes me nauseous. I work full-time, have a beautiful two-year old son, am starting a part-time business, and because I'm in my first trimester, I'm exhausted ALL THE TIME!!!! It's not as bad as it was with my son (I used to cry when I got out of the shower because I was too exhausted to put on lotion in the morning!) but I do not have the energy to cowash, deep condition, manipulate my hair into a bun or twist my hair into a bantu knot set 3 times a week. I barely have the energy to moisturize and seal every night. The last three weeks I have only cowashed/washed and DC'd my hair once a week. Also, I have a little over 2 inches of NG, and it is growing outward, so even though I use water and gel on my edges, and use a scarf overnight, 3-4 hours into my work day my edges are unruly, and my edges over my ears are sticking straight out, so I look like I've stuck my finger in an electrical socket! I finally had enough, so last Sunday I blowdried and flatironed my hair. I kept it pulled back in a ponytail, and although my edges began to revert, it wasn't too bad. I was actually able to manage my hair, it did not take as long to moisturize, and it stayed smoothed down all day.
I'm just not sure what to do right now. I'm not sure blowdrying and flatironing my hair every week is the best thing for my hair. My hair thrived with no direct heat, cowashes several times a week, and buns, but I'm just too tired to deal with it, and my hair has reached a stage where styling for me is difficult. Extensions and braids are out of the question, they're just not part of the budget. I thought today that maybe I should look into a half wig, but my husband thinks I may have a problem finding one to match my hair color. My natural hair color is a medium brown with auburn highlights, in the summer the highlights are very red, and although I love my hair color, it is hard to match. I don't want to relax but I'm already tired of transitioning. I don't have the time to spend on my hair anymore. A friend of mine suggested that I go ahead and relax, and start over once the baby is born. But I'm already 4 months into this - I know that's not a lot of time to most people, but it is to me, and I can't stand the thought of going 4 months and then relaxing my hair. On top of that, seriously, all these thoughts about my hair turn my stomach! It's like my body is revolting against my hair or something!
I know I'm being difficult, I blame the hormones because I am easily irritable and aggravated right now, I'm on my own freaking nerves
....If you are or have been pregnant while transitioning, what is making or made your transition easier during this time?
A few weeks after I found out I was pregnant everything changed. Now the thought of doing my hair literally makes me nauseous. I work full-time, have a beautiful two-year old son, am starting a part-time business, and because I'm in my first trimester, I'm exhausted ALL THE TIME!!!! It's not as bad as it was with my son (I used to cry when I got out of the shower because I was too exhausted to put on lotion in the morning!) but I do not have the energy to cowash, deep condition, manipulate my hair into a bun or twist my hair into a bantu knot set 3 times a week. I barely have the energy to moisturize and seal every night. The last three weeks I have only cowashed/washed and DC'd my hair once a week. Also, I have a little over 2 inches of NG, and it is growing outward, so even though I use water and gel on my edges, and use a scarf overnight, 3-4 hours into my work day my edges are unruly, and my edges over my ears are sticking straight out, so I look like I've stuck my finger in an electrical socket! I finally had enough, so last Sunday I blowdried and flatironed my hair. I kept it pulled back in a ponytail, and although my edges began to revert, it wasn't too bad. I was actually able to manage my hair, it did not take as long to moisturize, and it stayed smoothed down all day.
I'm just not sure what to do right now. I'm not sure blowdrying and flatironing my hair every week is the best thing for my hair. My hair thrived with no direct heat, cowashes several times a week, and buns, but I'm just too tired to deal with it, and my hair has reached a stage where styling for me is difficult. Extensions and braids are out of the question, they're just not part of the budget. I thought today that maybe I should look into a half wig, but my husband thinks I may have a problem finding one to match my hair color. My natural hair color is a medium brown with auburn highlights, in the summer the highlights are very red, and although I love my hair color, it is hard to match. I don't want to relax but I'm already tired of transitioning. I don't have the time to spend on my hair anymore. A friend of mine suggested that I go ahead and relax, and start over once the baby is born. But I'm already 4 months into this - I know that's not a lot of time to most people, but it is to me, and I can't stand the thought of going 4 months and then relaxing my hair. On top of that, seriously, all these thoughts about my hair turn my stomach! It's like my body is revolting against my hair or something!
I know I'm being difficult, I blame the hormones because I am easily irritable and aggravated right now, I'm on my own freaking nerves
....If you are or have been pregnant while transitioning, what is making or made your transition easier during this time?
