• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Pregnancy Logo 2018

Pregnancy Magazine

Pregnancy and infancy news, tips, and reviews

Ad example
  • Pregnancy
  • Labor & Delivery
  • Baby
  • Breastfeeding
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Buyer’s Guide

Does pregnancy heartburn mean your baby has a lot of hair?

12/09/2013 by Pregnancy Editors 3 Comments

Was your baby’s hair the cause of your heartburn?

While searching for natural pregnancy tips to relieve heartburn, you may have come across claims surrounding the link between heartburn during pregnancy and the amount of hair that your baby has. Some people think that if your baby has a lot of hair, this could be what’s causing  pregnancy heartburn. But is this true, or just another pregnancy myth? Here’s what you need to know.

Science weighs in

It might sound like another ridiculous old wives’ tale, and that’s exactly what doctors thought it was – until they actually tested it. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted a study to find out once and for all if heartburn and the amount of hair newborns have were in any way connected. To their shock, it actually was.

The study, which was published in the journal Birth, involved 64 pregnant women, 78 percent of whom reported experiencing heartburn. They rated the severity of their heartburn and the researchers kept track of the results. Then, after the women gave birth, photographs of their babies’ heads were given to the researchers, who used a scale to rate the newborns’ hair volume.

As it turns out, of the 28 women who had moderate to severe heartburn, 23 of them had babies with average or above-average amounts of hair. Meanwhile, 10 of the 12 women who reported no heartburn had babies with little or no hair.

Read more: Shorter moms have shorter pregnancies 

Not necessarily cause and effect

While it sounds like there’s a link between the amount of pregnancy heartburn you experience and the amount of hair your baby has, it’s not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship. In other words, it’s probably not the hair on your baby’s head that’s actually causing you to feel the burn.

Other studies have shown that high levels of estrogen and other hormones, which surge during pregnancy, can relax the sphincter at the bottom of the esophagus. This can cause stomach acid to leak through and cause a burning sensation. Still more studies have found that these same hormones can play a role in how much hair fetuses grow in the womb.

Therefore, if you have these high levels of hormones, you’re more likely to have heartburn episodes during pregnancy. Your infant is also more likely to have a fuller head of hair when he or she is born. However, you can rest assured knowing that it’s not your son’s or daughter’s tresses that are somehow touching your esophagus and making it burn – that’s physically impossible!

To learn more about how to choose and talk to your new OB, download our special guide by clicking below:

Download our Guide to Prenatal OB Visits

Filed Under: Pregnancy Health Tagged With: Pregnancy Health

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. artavia vaughn says

    01/24/2017 at 1:53 AM

    ok this helped a lot i’m haveing a girl on april 26 2017

    Reply
  2. leah says

    07/06/2017 at 8:08 AM

    This has helped ALOT…….i suffer with acid and bad heartburn throughout my whole pregnancy…..Hope she has hair!!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. OMG! My Little Girl Has SO Much Hair! Crazy Ultrasound Pics - BabyandBump says:
    01/04/2015 at 11:47 PM

    […] being inclined to give you heartburn. Its interesting to say the least Here are some articles: https://www.pregnancymagazine.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/does-having-heartburn-during-pregnancy-mean-your-baby-has-a-lot-of-hair http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17150070 […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

More to See

The perfect workout for pregnant women (sponsored)

03/28/2019 By Isa Herrera, MSPT CSCS

reduce stress during pregnancy

How can soon-to-be-moms reduce stress during pregnancy?

01/11/2021 By Sammi DeRosia

get better sleep

10 Ways New Parents Can Get More Sleep

12/10/2020 By Elizabeth Pantley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36AXWAaiU5o

Footer

Copyright 2021 Pregnancy Magazine Group

Emails powered by Wishpond: PregnancyWishpond

Dedicated WordPress hosting: PregnancyFlywheel

WordPress Theme: PregnancyTheme

This website provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for an examination by your healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

 

Recent

  • Second baby: Is it time to grow your family?
  • How can soon-to-be-moms reduce stress during pregnancy?
  • 10 Ways New Parents Can Get More Sleep
  • Parental regret: It’s OK to regret becoming a parent
  • Is it Postpartum Depression (PPD), or is Baby’s Sleep Causing You Stress?

Search

© Copyright 2021 Pregnancy Magazine Group · All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.