WeMoms
2 Apr 2024

Your Baby’s Hair and Lash Growth

Your Baby’s Hair and Lash Growth
At this point in your pregnancy journey, your little one is more than just a tiny bean.
They're becoming a mini-you, complete with hair sprouting in places you can't even see yet. Let's dive into the fascinating development that’s going on behind your belly.
  • Weeks 14-18: The beginnings of tiny hair follicles pop up, setting the stage for a future full of locks.
  • Weeks 19-24: Say hello to lanugo, a fine layer of soft, downy hair that covers your baby's body for warmth and protection.
  • Weeks 24-28: A little fringe appears! This is when your baby starts growing eyelashes, giving a whole new dimension to those adorable little eyes you'll soon be staring into.
What's All This Fuzz About Lanugo?
By now, you're probably asking, "What the heck is lanugo, and why does my baby need it?"
Well, mama, lanugo serves a critical function for your tiny human.
This delicate fuzz acts as a thermal insulator, helping your baby regulate their body temperature in their cozy uterine home.
It also aids in the development of the vernix caseosa, a greasy substance that protects your baby's skin from amniotic fluid. In short, lanugo is your baby’s first winter coat!
  • Insulation: Provides a cozy layer of warmth so your baby doesn't get too chilly in there.
  • Skin Protection: Helps to anchor the vernix caseosa that moisturizes and shields baby’s sensitive skin.
  • Shedding: Most babies will shed their lanugo before birth, absorbing it into their digestive system. If not, don't worry; it's usually gone within a few weeks postpartum.
A Peek at Those Peepers: Eyelash Development
As you reach the tail end of your second trimester, another exciting development unfolds: eyelash growth! These tiny fringes serve more than just a cosmetic purpose.
Eyelashes offer protection and sensory function, helping your baby navigate the world once they make their grand entrance. When your baby blinks or moves their eyes, the eyelashes act as sensory triggers, letting them know something is close to the eye. Think of it as a biological early warning system.
  • Sensory Role: Eyelashes act as touch receptors, sending sensory signals to the brain.
  • Protection: These little hairs help keep dust and other foreign particles away from those precious baby blues (or browns, or greens!).
  • Formation: The eyelashes typically take shape around the 24th to 28th week, completing the eye’s intricate development.
Hair Today, Here Tomorrow: The Long-Term Outlook
By the end of the second trimester, your baby will be well on their way to developing a full head of hair.
But here's the fun part: You won't really know the color, texture, or even the amount of hair until your little one arrives.
These traits are determined by a mix of genetics and hormonal shifts, and they can change over the first few years of life.
So, whether you’re expecting a curly redhead or a straight-haired brunette, the final reveal is sure to be a delightful surprise.
  • Genetics: Both parents contribute genes that will decide your baby's hair color and texture.
  • Hormonal Shifts: Various hormones can affect the eventual look of your baby’s hair, even lightening or darkening it post-birth.
  • Changes: It’s common for babies to lose their initial hair, making way for a new set that might look entirely different.
And there you have it! Your baby's journey to a full mane and fluttery eyelashes is a spectacle you'll soon get to witness firsthand. Happy pregnancy!
Explore more insights
D
Diamond
24 Aug 2023

Anybody believe in having heartburn means your baby will have a full of hair bc babbyyyyyyyy Lani got me on the flo’ 🤣🤣🤣 I had a lot heartburn with my son too and he had so much freaking hair !

3 comments
A
Amber
I do.... I have really bad heartburn with all my kids and so far they have all had a full head of hair❤️❤️❤️❤️
27 Mar 2024

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Tatyanna
Lol my first born daughter had a lot of hair when she was born. I haven’t gotten heartburn yet with my son though
27 Mar 2024

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Liliana
1 Jun 2023

Growth scan today. Apparently our baby girl Lucy has A TON of hair. All the fuzzy stuff in the middle is hair! And then on the right side it's sticking straight up! One other photo in the comments. 🤭😂🖤

1 comments
L
Liliana
Left side on this photo.
27 Mar 2024

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B
Brenda🫶🏼
11 Apr 2023

has anyone else's hair, lashes, nails, sky rocketed in growth after taking your prenatal gummies/ vitamins, like everything especially my hair is so much longer and I only started taking these April 1st😅

5 comments
M
Marie
Did wonder for my nails I now wear my real nails and I'm going to keep taking them
27 Mar 2024

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🌸🦋🍀Olivia🍀🦋🌼
Yes them gummies are a must
27 Mar 2024

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L
Latavia
6 Apr 2023

My son just touched my hair and glass for the first time. He reached up and felt my locs and my new growth, then slapped my glasses. 🤣🤣 He was so amazed. Then he started babbling. ( I'm so happy He is starting to explore at 4 months).

1 comments

K
Kenya
20 Jan 2023

Hello mommy friends. what do you guys use in your babies hair. My Daughter is 6 months and her hair is thinning and slowly falling out after having a head full of hair. I only use leave in conditioner and Castor oil

3 comments
K
Kait
We use Dr. Bronners baby soap. He was born with a head full and then around 4 months it started to fall out but by 5 months it grew back & he still has a head full.
27 Mar 2024

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K
Kenya
The unscented kind
27 Mar 2024

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E
Ellonda
20 Aug 2022

Baby hair and heartburn.... fact or fiction. Ok I had to figure this out because I hear it ALL the time. So technically it's not the physical hair that causes heartburn, BUT there's a correlation. "It is more likely that while baby hair doesn't cause heartburn, the hormones that cause it to grow do. Other studies have shown the hormones of pregnancy relax the esophageal sphincter, contributing to heartburn,” says Roberts. “It could be these same hormones that contribute to fetal hair growth.”

10 comments
M
Marisela
I had major heartburn with all mine and they were all born with a shitload of hair!! All 6!! We shall see with this baby!!
27 Mar 2024

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L
Liaha
Fiction. I had heartburn with my son he had hair. I had heartburn with my daughter she came out looking like Mr. Clean.
27 Mar 2024

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