What will my baby look like?

This is a common quetion asked by pregnant women and their partners. Will the baby have my eyes, my partners build, my mothers nose. The speculation is endless, but there is a semi scientific answer to the question – “What will my baby look like”

Eye color is one part of the equation that can sometimes be predicted. Eye colors in order or dominant first is Brown, Hazel, Amber, Green, Blue, Gray, Violet .

A dominant color means that it will take priority over the other. It’s all down to genetics. Every person has two copies of every gene, one from their mother andone from their father.  If the two genes are the same, such as browneyes and brown eyes, then the person is homozygous for that trait; ifthe two genes are different, such as one brown and one blue eye gene,then the person is heterozygous for that trait, but the dominant traitwill always be expressed. If the person has two genes for blue eyes, then the person ishomozygous for the recessive trait and thus will have blue eyes– theonly way a recessive trait can be expressed is if the person has twocopies, or is homozygous, at that gene.  In our example, brown hair oreyes is always dominant to blue or green.  The trait green is dominantto blue, but is not within the same  gene, but only modifies the bluetrait.  This is why some people have hazel, or brown-green eyes.  Theeyes appear green only if they are on a background of homozygous blue.

If you are homozygous recessive, then you can only give a recessivegene to your offspring; likewise, if you are homozygous dominant, thenyou can only give a dominant gene to your offspring.  If you areheterozygous, however, there is an equal chance of giving either thedominant or the recessive gene to your offspring.

In your specific case, you are recessive and the father is recessive,so the baby will also be recessive; that is, green or blue eyes withblond or red hair, and probably fair skin.  It does not matter whatyour or his parents look like if you are both recessive– you bothreceived only recessive genes from your parents and thus can onlytransmit recessive genes to your child.  It is false to say that the”paternal grandfather holds the most powerful traits”: only you and thefather of the child hold the traits that the child can receive becauseyou make the sperm and egg that create the child.

I hope this gives you an idea of what your baby will look like.

So you have reached the “37 Weeks Pregnant” stage and you just can’t wait for baby to arrive. At this stage of pregnancymany women begin making preparations for delivery. Planning for their babies to arrive is first and formost on their agenda. The natural process of getting things in order, for the new arrival is the most important task facing a new mother. Even at 37 weeks of pregnancy, mother and child are continuing to develop and change as the big day gets closer. If you are 37 weeks pregnant, you will notice some new occurrences in your own body. All women experience pregnancy differently, but a number of things are common to this stage of pregnancy. At this time your cervix will begin to soften as your body prepares for the process of labor. You may have even felt some contractions.

Many women experience Braxton Hicks contractions which usually precede the real contractions. These are natural painful pangs that women experience. They are often mistaken for the onset of labor. Women, who are in their 37th week of pregnancy, need to familiarize themselves with this stage of pregnancy. Since many things will change quickly, it’s important to know what to expect. Things could start moving at a rapid pace over the next few days and weeks.

Some of the signs that labor is near are things like spotting or even the breaking of water. Being aware of your body’s changes could be especially crucial now. Spotting, although not unusual, must be monitored and you should inform you doctor if it occurs. And if a woman’s water breaks, she could potentially have only hours before her baby’s arrival. Getting to the hospital should be done straight away.

The baby has also significantly developed in that time. The baby is now able to practice sucking, turning, and breathing, all while inside the womb. This unborn child has officially reached the milestone of being a full term baby. He or she could be anywhere near 6.5 pounds.

You are approaching the end of the third trimester. Your focus now is on the birt and ensuring everything is ready when the baby comes home