We all know how adorable a newborn baby is when they are first birthed, and we can’t get enough of their unadulterated wonder and enthusiasm for life. One of life’s greatest miracles is the development of babies and how they transition in growth to becoming full grown adult. Until death calls, humans transitioned through their mother’s womb, where they begin their development as embryos and continue through infancy and adulthood. But when do babies get eyelashes?
In some newborn babies, it is possible that some traits such as hair are not noticeable while they are still at their early stages. In a normal pregnancy, the development of the baby’s hair typically begins around week 14 to 20. These hair includes the newborn eyelashes, newborn eyebrows, and others.
The importance of babies’ eyelashes cannot be overstated, but they may not be apparent until they are older. The same way that it’s not every newborns have Eyebrows from birth, it’s applicable to newborn eyelashes too. Depending on the nature of a child, they may not have noticeable eyelashes from birth.
In this article, we provide all of the information you need if you’re still feeling concerned that your baby doesn’t yet have eyelashes, and want to know when do babies get eyelashes and whether eyelashes grow early or late.
Continue reading to learn the answers to the majority of the questions you could have concerning babies’ eyelashes and some additional information.
Table of Contents
Do Newborns Have Eyelashes When They Are Born?
During pregnancy, a baby’s eyelashes begin to develop in the mother’s womb, just as the hair on his or her own head does. Pregnancy eyelashes begin to grow at 20 weeks; they continue to grow until the baby is born and even after. The absence of eyelashes in newborns is rather typical, and unless your doctor indicates otherwise, you should not be alarmed if this happens to your child.
Because newborn eyelashes tend to be pale and sparse in the first few months, it’s unlikely that you’ll notice them much. Newborn eyelashes frequently fall off within the first few days of life.
In addition to their aesthetic value, eyelashes perform a number of crucial functions. Our eyes are protected from dirt, debris, and bacteria because they assist in the opening and closing of our eyelids. They are equipped with lubricating ducts that channel tears into our eyes to keep our eyes clean.
When Do Babies Get Eyelashes?
It’s understandable that you’d be concerned if your newborn was born with sparse or nonexistent eyelashes. Eyelashes begin to develop more visibly in a healthy newborn between the the first 4weeks. The human eyelash growth cycle predicts that a baby’s eyelashes will be fully developed in two to three months.
In certain situations, newborns eyelashes, and eyebrows, begin to form in the womb around the 20-week point. The newborn baby’s eyelashes are practically the first hair that a child grows, and the baby’s first hairs are so fine yet virtually invisible at earlier stage. In some cases also, babies are born with a lighter hair color that gradually darkens as they grow up.
Newborn babies often have very fine hair, making it difficult to distinguish between their eyelashes and other types of body hair. Their look varies greatly from baby to baby – some have dark hair and dark eyelashes, while others have blonde, pale, practically imperceptible lashes.
As with any newborn, if eyelashes haven’t grown in after a few months, speak with your doctor to rule out any underlying health concerns. Having no eyelashes may be a sign of an underlying medical problem that limits hair growth in children and adolescents.
Below are useful things you might need to know about babies’ eyelashes, especially if you are worried about when babies get eyelashes.
The Controversy On “When do babies get Eyelashes?”
On the 22nd April, 2010, an anonymous lady with username, leighsxm, came complaining in the babycenter community 1 about how her newborn baby came to life without eyelashes. In her words, she said:
Hi everyone, i gave birth on tuesday morning to a beautiful baby boy! one funny thing i noticed is that he doesnt seem to have any eyelashes?? i tried googling it but couldnt find anything. anyone elses LO have none? should i be worried? thanks ladies.
By Anonymous name, at Babycenter community
Almost every parent in the thread said that it was normal as it did happened to their own baby.
One of the replies by Christine Wilkes said:
My son had no eyelashes when he was born and now at age 2 he has beautiful thick dark lashes like his daddy. They will grow in.
Christine Wilkes, at Babycenter community
Aside this, on quora, there have been trending discussions on this and why it is of great concern to many first time mothers.
So aa lady by name Lacey Lof, replied on one of the threads on quora 2 about when do newborns get eyelashes, in her reply, she said:
Let me tell you a brief story. I was induced two days before my due date. The doctor broke my water and started me on pitocin. Then she left. Three hours in I had dilated to a 9 1/2 and I was afraid the doctor wasn’t going to make it back in time. She did make it in time for me to begin pushing. Forty minutes later she told me to stop pushing as the baby’s head had finally started coming through and she was able to help my beautiful girl the rest of the way out. The first words after she asked me to stop pushing came from one of the assisting nurses. She exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! Look at those beautiful long eyelashes!”
Over the next two days of our stay at the hospital, other nurses exclaimed similar things. For example, “She’s so beautiful! She’s got such long eyelashes. I’ve never seen them so long on a baby before!” Etc.
Baby’s are born with them as far as I know. In the womb the eyelashes, eyebrows and other hair begins growing around week 20–22 according to BabyCenter.
Here’s my baby girl when she was 2 days old 🥰
If you zoom in a little you can see how long her eyelashes are/were.
By Lacey Lof, At Quora
Lacey Lof also shared cute pictures of her baby to support her assertions.
While there maybe different controversies on when a newborn baby should have eyelashes, majority of parents have insisted that it is normal as not all babies get eyelashes that looks very visible in the first few days of childbirth. The latter have been supported by many doctors also, unless otherwise there is an underlying health concerns which they found out about your newborn baby that may have been the reason for no newborn eyelashes in your own case.
Adding to the research that I have gathered, and my personal experience as a mother, here are some of the proven emphasis that should satisfy your curiosity to know if newborn babies get eyelashes from childbirth or not.
The Eyelashes Of A Baby Develop While It Is Still Inside The Mother’s Womb
Newborn eyelashes, like eyebrows, develop in the womb during pregnancy. When they are roughly 20 weeks old, the eyelashes begin to grow, and it can be fine, yet difficult to notice, just like the rest of a baby’s hair.
Consider the brows of an infant or the hair on the top of their head, for example. Even if babies are born with sparse hairs in the areas that will eventually become their eyebrows, these hairs are so feint that it would take a genius some minutes of deep looking to barely see them.
Some Babies Don’t Have Newborn Eyelashes.
In the same way that some kids are born without hair on their heads, some babies are also born without eyelashes. In this circumstance, babies may have been affected by their mother’s hormones while still in the womb, which may have caused them to have a delay in the development of their newborn eyelashes.
It is also possible that the hair follicles are just present but have not yet begun to grow. The majority of babies born without newborn eyelashes will eventually develop them later on.
As Babies Grows, So Does the Newborn Eyelashes
As with everything else on your child, newborn eyelashes will grow in tandem with the child’s development. As he grows in height, his eyelashes will become longer as well.
Throughout a newborn’s life, their eyelashes will grow as needed and stop growing when nature demands. This is the beauty of creations, we have to accept life as nature places it’s role.
The fact that your newborn hair follicles were a little too early and your baby didn’t have eyelashes yet or was born with short eyelashes doesn’t make your baby permanently cursed to be without eyelashes forever. Do not worry as within the next couple of weeks, you shall start seeing some significant change!
Newborns Eyelashes Take More Time to Grow in Premature Babies
Generally speaking, the growth cycle of premature newborns should be the same as that of full-time baby. But it is usually not so because they were born prematurely – it will take longer for their eyelashes to develop; however, for women who has just conceived, you should not be worried that your preemie may be born without eyelashes, unless otherwise it calls for special attention, then you should consult with a pediatrician as soon as necessary.
A baby that is born at 30 weeks has not had the opportunity to grow eyelashes as long as other newborns since circumstances couldn’t grant them the time for many in-the-womb growth process to take place. Premature babies need to be given more time to catch up with other newborns who are born at 40 weeks.
The fact that a premature newborn’s eyelashes are not as visible as you might have expected should not cause concern; this is entirely normal and should only be cause for concern if the doctor suggests that there is a more significant issue.
Each Baby Have Different Time to Grow Newborn Eyelashes
In the same way that some kids take time to develop prominent eyebrows while others do not develop them for months, varied lengths of time can be required for babies to develop prominent eyelashes in newborns.
Some kids will be born with light eyelashes, while others will be born with none. Another possibility is that some newborns will have newborn eyelashes at two weeks, while others will not have them until they are six weeks old.
Take it easy as you wait for your baby’s first eyelashes to grow out. Babies having newborn eyelashes from birth and not having black, long eyelashes for months are both natural occurrences that do not need you to be concerned about.
Observe Your Newborn’s Eyelashes a Little Closer
Given the fact that newborn hair can be quite feint, it is essential to examine it carefully. Some babies have short, blonde baby eyelashes when they’re born, which makes it difficult for parents to see their children’s eyes, and hence feel the newborn never had it.
A quick tip to know if your newborn baby have eyelashes after birth is to try taking a close-up photo of your newborn with your phone’s flash on; making sure that they are asleep with both eyes closed. Then after taking the photo, zooming through your phone to visibly notice the presence of small growing eyelashes will clarify your doubt.
Wrapping Up
Newborn babies and older adults benefit from long, thick eyelashes for their overall eye health. Eyelashes aid the moisture of the eyes and prevent them from dust, debris, and other particles that could get into them. Aside from the obvious appearance benefit that the eyelashes adds to us as humans, they are also useful for defense mechanism. That’s why you get an involuntary blink of the eyelashes anytime your eyes senses some threat.
Eyelashes are made up of these main components: keratin, a protein, and water. While pregnant, your baby may have encountered some underlying health problems inherent from you.
A condition that prevented them from developing the eyelashes normally if they are birthed without one.
Having too much or too little of a specific hormone is called a hormonal imbalance and it is often with pregnant women. So keep calm and worry less about your baby’s eyelashes, everything will fall to place.
In the internet today, you would see anecdote practices claiming that using clip to shave down the baby’s eyelashes will help speed up their growth. But the truth is cutting your eyelashes will not result in longer lashes.
The dangers of trimming eyelashes in order to encourage their growth are more to infants. Trimming your baby’s eyelashes can compromise their ability to keep their eyes healthy and clear of infection. So be advised that such practices should be aborted for the good health ọ your child.
The use of eyelash strengthening or growth serums on infants should be avoided at all costs – these types of artificial hair nurturing are not suitable for use on newborns. Keep in mind that certain factors, such as breast milk and consistent formula feedings, will aid the baby in the development of a healthy eyelashes. Poor hair growth can result from a lack of sufficient nourishment on a constant basis. Zinc, biotin, and iron, all contribute to the promotion of healthy hair development.
You shouldn’t be alarmed if your baby doesn’t develop newborn eyelashes for the first few months. Some newborns’ hair is so feint and light that it’s nearly impossible to tell it apart from their skin.
You should consult your doctor if the absence of hair/eyelashes growth persists for more than a few months.
Verifiable References- Community discussions about babies eyelashes by parents in the Babycenter online forum, dated 22/4/2010[↩]
- When do babies get eyelashes, opinion by Lacey Lof on the 7th of February, 2020[↩]
