“…My baby is going to have an afro!” my friend exclaimed this morning.
I responded, “well that makes sense, because my son is bald and I had no heartburn!” We laughed, knowing this old wives’ tale is anything but scientific. Regardless, it’s still fun to joke about, especially when it holds “true” for someone like it did for me. I had one bout of heartburn during my pregnancy, and my 9-month-old has just barely enough hair to create some cute bed head fuzz in the morning.
Apparently, however, there has been some research that suggests there might be something behind this old wives’ tale. A couple years ago, a John Hopkins nurse conducted a study with 64 women and found a strong correlation between women who reported severe heartburn and the thickness of their babies’ hair. A little over 80 percent of the women with strong heartburn had babies with lots of hair, and a little over 80 percent of the women with no heartburn had babies with no hair.
I’m dying to know the reason for this correlation. What could heartburn possibly have to do with your baby’s hair? Then again, my dad did always say eating spicy food will put a little hair on your chest… and spicy food does tend to cause heartburn. Am I on to something here?
Heartburn is a common concern among pregnant women. Between hormones relaxing the stomach muscle that keeps acids down and the baby continually pushing up on the stomach, it’s no surprise that many pregnant women find themselves in pain after a meal. Certain foods, such as spicy foods and caffeine can make it worse. I always found that a nice cold glass of milk can quickly relieve heartburn. Antacids are also safe for pregnant women. If you find yourself popping those antacids frequently, I would suggest buying extra baby shampoo. (Just kidding!)