When you get pregnant, one of the first things you're likely to wonder is who your baby will look like. Will your baby have Mom's button nose, or Dad's strong jawline? Mom's hair, or Dad's height? The fascinating thing is that it's impossible to predict exactly how your baby will look, and who they will look like, as both parents are responsible for a baby's genetic make up. However, there is some evidence to suggest that many babies are born looking more like Dad, regardless of gender.
Mom Or Dad?
Bald, wrinkly, and a little bit of a tummy podge... There's no wonder many newborns look like their Dads! But is it all simply parental bias, or is there a very real reason babies are most definitely their father's child at birth?
It has been suggested that nature is responsible for our babies looking like their Dads as a bonding measure stemming from prehistoric times. At a time when men were predominantly little more than hunter gatherers, this evolutionary technique was established as a way to promote father-child bonding and to ensure longevity of the child. Today, the idea of helping to establish a bond still exists. While pregnancy, childbirth, and life with a newborn are difficult for women, some suffering more than others, there is often more of a bond between Mom and baby than there is between Dad and baby. It's not unusual for fathers to feel detached from the child, especially when Mom is breastfeeding, and essentially solely providing everything the child needs during those first few weeks or months.
Facial features resembling Dad's are thought to help ease men into fatherhood by creating a special bond with the baby that is just between the two of them, something Mom isn't a part of. However, it's also thought that nature has adapted in this way as a way of confirming paternity. While a Mom can be certain a baby is hers, the same can't always be said for Dads. Fathers who are able to see themselves in their offspring are believed to naturally be more accepting of the infant, subconsciously wanting to nurture their children to carry on the bloodline.
However, in recent years researchers have been seeing some changes in the number of women reporting their babies have Dad's genes at birth. Why? This is something that has interested geneticists and the notions are fascinating. As we're living in a time when marriage is no longer the sacred bond it once was, we're seeing more broken families, more merged families, and either more affairs or simply more willingness to discuss extramarital activities, are babies evolving to protect themselves and ensure survival? At a time when paternity is questioned and disputed more than ever, it's been suggested that babies are being born with Mom's features as a way to keep paternity a mystery. Whether this is true or not, no one knows, but it's certainly an interesting concept to consider.
Inherited Facial Traits
As for specific facial features and hair coloring, again it really can't be predicted in advance. However, what we do see is that children often inherit each feature individually from either parent, rather than a combination of their features. Adult height, adult weight, and even dimples are all traits that are typically inherited, and darker hair is dominant over mousy or blonde hair. It's also been found that sons inherit their Dad's masculinity, so if you're partner's a real manly man, chances are your son will be, too, but don't worry, this doesn't apply to girls! If you've got a facial feature you absolutely hate, don't worry too much about it. Evolutions and survival of the fittest means that babies are naturally more likely to take the best bits from both Mom and Dad, as the best way to ensure health and survival. And whoever your baby looks like, he or she will have friends and family just wanting to eat them up!