Haircut

Oaklynn has been pulling her hair out for a long time now. It started about a year ago with her just twirling her hair in her fingers every once and a while. It progressively got worse so that she is pulling her hair out and doing it ALL the time. She created bald spots on the top of her head and her hair is SUPER thin on top. I consulted my Rett family facebook page to ask the other parents if their child did this and what they did to help the situation. Surprisingly quite a few responded saying that their daughter pulled her hair out too and after trying everything, they shaved her head and by the time the hair grew back in, she no longer tried to pull her hair any more.

I thought, "There is NO WAY I would ever shave my daughters hair! It's too cute!" After talking to Austin and thinking it through, we came to realized that this probably was the only and best option. I knew that the longer we waited, the more likely she was to pull it all out on top and create a mullet. Then if she pulls it out enough, she can eventually stop hair growth in spots. After talking it through with Austin, we realized that this was the best decision for her. Being a hairstylist, this was a very hard decision for me (not to mention being a hard decision as a mom). I kept telling myself that I need to do what is best for her and not think about what I want. I was as ready as i would ever be (I would never get to the point that I would say, "I WANT to cut her hair and can't wait.") We took her into the bathroom and Austin held her on his lap while I started cutting.

I started doing it with shears and then realized that it would be too difficult with how much she moves. I brought the clippers out and started with size 8 (1 inch). We cut just the top (the part that she pulls out) and let go of her hands for a couple minutes to see if she could still pull it. She was still able to get it so we went to a size 6. We waited again to see if she would be able to pull it and she had a very hard time getting a hold of it so we decided to do a 6 all over. 

I bawled the whole time I was cutting her hair. She has the prettiest hair that is thick and blonde. Then i would look at the top of her head and see how bare it was a realize that I needed to do what is best for her. I am still having a difficult time but I need to keep reminding myself that hair grows back and this is what is best for Oaklynn. Austin is doing a VERY good job and talking me through it. He is doing an awesome job with everything.

She is still the same little girl with an amazing personality and a contagious laugh. Here are some pictures from right after the haircut.

 I put her in pajamas and realized that I don't like her in blue, lol. I put her braces on so that we could keep a bow in her hair so she would look more femanine. I then changed her out of her pajamas and put her in more of a girly outfit and realized that she didn't try to pull the bow out at all! She kept putting her hands up (I think more out of habit) and she would touch the bow and headband (so she knew it was there), but she left it alone! Here are some pictures in a skirt...

She is already doing SO much better at leaving her head alone. She puts her hands up and realizes her hair isn't there and then drops her hands and relaxes. I feel like she is paying more attention to us when we speak and can respond so much better. She reminds me of my 9 month old Oaklynn...

I really hope this helps.