The origin of the word ‘Lanugo’ is Latin, means wooliness. Now the question is what is lanugo hair? Human fetus or unborn baby is covered with wool like fine hairs called lanugo hair.It is usually formed during 14-23 weeks of gestation.
How does lanugo look like? Do all babies have lanugo?
What is lanugo in pregnancy? Lanugo is a colourless wool-like downy hair and begins to grow by 14-16 weeks of gestation. At the end of 21-23 weeks of pregnancy, the fine downy hairs cover all most all the body of your unborn baby except feet soles, palms, nails,leaps, and glans of the penis. Sometimes it is referred to as ‘monkey hair’. It starts to shed in-utero during the last month of pregnancy. So, you may not find it on your baby.
How and why lanugo occurs on the fetus?
Do you know how is a fetus grow and develop to a baby in your womb? Do you have watched how your toes and fingers get wrinkle during 20-30 minutes bathing? Your unborn baby floats in amniotic fluid during the entire period of pregnancy still the baby’s skin remains undamaged. How does it happen? The answer to how and why lanugo occurs on fetus lies here. In fact, your baby is covered with a cheesy or waxy substance coating over the skin which is vernix. You can understand how it will be felt if you slather a mixture of cheese and petroleum jelly on your body. Lanugo grows on the fetus to protect the baby’s skin from the vernix. Perhaps you know that fat keeps the body worm and your unborn baby during early and middle stage of pregnancy looks pretty skinny due to an absence of fat in its body. Your body heat keeps your baby worm. Lanugo also acts as an insulator that regulates the unborn baby’s body temperature. Fat in an unborn baby grows during the last phase of gestation when the fine lanugo begins to shed out and your unborn baby swallows it. Your just born baby eliminates it called meconium as sticky black poop.
Is your baby born with lanugo need treatment?
Sometimes babies are born with lanugo on some particular area of the body such as back, head, and shoulder. These regions of the body sometimes take more time to shed out the lanugo. But never worry if your baby is born with lanugo. Some parents become upset and stressed feeling ugly due to the presence of lanugo in the body of their infant. Pregistry suggests never try to shave your toddler. Some cultures are there to apply massage on baby’s body to shed out the lanugo. Always remember that presence of lanugo on your infant is nothing wrong rather it is a quite natural phenomenon and healthy for your baby. We say It does not need any treatment or even doesn’t require any traditional process to remove the hairs. It will surely be shed out maximum within four months after birth and then you need to take special care of your baby because at this point of time your baby may be attacked by an infection or may suffer from the nutritional disorder and that should attract your attention to consult with a pediatric.
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