Wednesday 4 January 2012

It is somewhat of a hairy situation!

As a big fan of beards and facial hair in general - as already expressed in a previous blog - there have been several jokes made about the possibilities of Creature being bearded at birth - especially if it turns out that Creature is indeed a boy!

Hairy babies aren't that uncommon.  Now, when I say 'hairy' I am not just referring to the hair that grows on top of their heads.


If Creature turns out to be as hairy as the above-portrayed kidlets, I will probably be giggling to myself for a good few days!  Oh the fun one can have with their spawn's hair!!

Anyway. Back on topic.

All foetuses go through a hairy stage whilst still in utero.  They are covered with a coat of fine hair called Lanugo which can make its first appearance as early as on your 14th week of pregnancy.  This is thought to be a remnant from our primate ancestors as really and truly there is no need for our very own humane fur coat whilst still snug inside our mothers' womb.  On average, the temperature in there is about 37°C [a.k.a. 98.6°F].

If a baby is born prematurely, or even slightly early, they usually are covered in Lanugo.  Some full-term babies still have some Lanugo present and it usually is shed after a few weeks from birth.

Lanugo on Baby's shoulder.

Lanugo on Baby's face

Though I know that Creature is highly unlikely to be born with a full beard, it is still fun to imagine 
 what that would be like.  The Lanugo will be covering Baby’s whole body except for his/her palms, the sole of his/her feet, his/her lips, penis, nails and sides of his/her fingers and toes.


Fun fact: A newborn boy has as much testosterone as a 25 year old man.  The levels drop drastically, and then start rising again once the boy hits puberty.  This means that some babies are born with more testosterone than their own fathers!

"So where does the Lanugo go when it is shed in utero?" you'll be asking.  Good question! Apparently, the Lanugo is somehow absorbed by Baby and sits in his/her bowels, ready to be pooped once Baby is evicted out of his/her mother's womb.  It is used to make up the Newborn Baby Poop called Meconium, along with other special ingredients such as cells, mucus, bile and amniotic fluid.  I will spare you the details of what it looks like and whatnot.  IF you'd like the details, they have been covered in this previous blog.

2 comments:

  1. That is so cute...this blog is making me broody. Can you imagine if Creature just popped out with a beard? "Err...what are you staring at?"

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  2. Awwww haha I get what you mean - there were times when watching pictures and reading stories about other people's kidlets had a similar effect on me :D It would be pretty epic if Creature had a beard :D

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