This woman posted a postpartum hair shedding video to Instagram, and it’s gone viral

Pregnancy is filled with a ton of surprises — and while you’ve likely heard about cravings and muscle cramps, you may not have heard about hair loss. One woman posted a video of postpartum hair shedding that’s making everyone talk, since it happens to be both a little upsetting and very intriguing. It’s also completely real.

While your bundle of joy (or bundles, if you’ve had more than one) is worth the strange symptom, it’s good to know why postpartum hair loss happens. Called telogen effluvium, it usually happens between one and five months after delivery — and according to the American Pregnancy Association, around 40% to 50% of postpartum women experience it. The reason? Your hair is adjusting back to its normal growth cycle. For most, it’s only temporary — and usually doesn’t cause bald spots. But it’s still an adjustment that many new moms have to deal with. (And since having a baby is a huge adjustment itself, let’s just say new moms have it pretty hard for the first few months.)

Of course, it’s something you have to see to really believe. The video was posted by Christina Kreitel, the owner of Intrepid Studio Salon. “I’m going through this myself and like to collect it on the wall of my shower,” Kreitel admitted in the caption. “So grossly satisfying.”

The video was viewed over 5 million times, and gathered a ton of comments from women who could sympathize. “I don’t think I went through this but I would have cried!” one woman wrote. “This is scary.”

If this video is a little too relatable, the What To Expect website has a few tips on how to battle the shed.

First, you’ll want to be gentle on your hair — and shampoo less, if you can. They also recommend continued use of prenatal vitamins, and saying goodbye to your hot tools for awhile. Just remember — postpartum hair shedding is usually only temporary.