Pregnancy, Heartburn, and the Hairy Baby

Now that I am in my 26th week of pregnancy, I am experiencing some serious heartburn.

Unlike my previous term pregnancies, I now understand that heartburn means something more than a burning esophagus every time I bend down, drink a cup of tea, or eat an orange. It may also mean that my fetus is growing hair.

According to a Johns Hopkins study published in Birth, there is a correlation between the severity of a pregnant woman’s heartburn and the amount of hair her baby has upon birth.

The researchers speculate that the same hormones that cause me to wake up sloshing with digestive fluids may also be the ones that dictate my daughters’ hair growth.

Based on the results in my own family, I believe this theory is true.

While pregnant with my first daughter, I had occasional waves of heartburn, like a strange, almost cool sensation that would rise up my esophagus. It was never abjectly uncomfortable, and I didn’t require any form of medication or diet change.

My daughter was born with a sprinkling of hair—just a token of dark brown newborn strands that were replaced with blonde curls after a few months.

The pregnancy with my second daughter, however, was characterized by severe heartburn. After every meal, I’d rub my chest and wonder if I was having a heart attack. Even the act of drinking a full glass of water would send my esophagus into acidic overdrive.

All of the spicy and sugary foods that I craved during that pregnancy—Indian, Ethiopian, and steak—made me miserable. If I ate any food in quantity, the result would be surprisingly painful heartburn.

As I sat burping and squirming, people comforted me by telling me that my unborn daughter was sure to have nice hair (apparently, the heartburn-hair connection was an old wives’ tale long before the Johns Hopkins research).

Next: “Whoa! This kid has a lot of hair!”