Last week, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson was born. The first baby for Prime Minister Boris Johson and his fiancé Carrie Symonds was notable for a number of reasons - firstly that he entered the world just after his dad had left intensive care while being the Prime Minister during a worldwide pandemic.
But there was also something else – the baby (as revealed on his mother Carrie’s Instagram account) had a proper full head of hair. It was something noted not only on social media, but the front pages, with one saying: 'He's Got Daddy's Hair!'
Why are some babies born with lots of hair?
Well, no one seems sure – and babies born with loads of hair can also shed it pretty quickly, so there are no guarantees it means a lifetime of good hair days. But, as with everything else, it seems to just be down to genetics. Which, with Wilfred, seems to make sense if you look at this picture of the Prime Minister as a baby...
Does having a baby with lots of hair give you heartburn in pregnancy?
The old wives’ tale about experiencing heartburn in pregnancy if you're carrying a hirsute baby could actually be based in scientific fact. Hormones like oestrogen can cause the sphincter at the bottom of the oesophagus to relax and cause heartburn and some studies say that more of those hormones are released in the production of hair, so if your baby has lots of hair in the womb, it could make the heartburn worse.
Dot, 33, experienced just that. ‘I never really had heartburn before but when I was pregnant I really suffered,’ she says. ‘It came to stage where the doctor had to put me on medication. People kept saying that it meant the baby would have loads of hair but I dismissed it as an old wives’ tale. But, when my baby was born with a full head of hair, I did wonder if it was connected. I’ve since seen scientific research that contends that the two are connected. I guess it’s an old wives’ tale that’s based on some truth.’
What's it like having a newborn with lots of hair?
Yeen, whose daughter was born with a gorgeous head of thick hair tells us: 'It has its pros and cons. I had to have a ventouse delivery. The suction kept on breaking as it would not attach to her head of hair. Eventually it worked but it was a scary moment.
'As she was a winter baby, I had to use a hairdryer to dry her hair after a bath to make sure she wouldn’t get cold. I was very nervous about burning her little head.
'The plus point is that I could style her hair quite young, add buns and hair accessories. It was also nice that people would stop and comment about her full head of hair. She is 18 months now and has curly hair down to her shoulders. I haven’t given her her first hair cut yet.'
And here are some more cute babies with lots of hair… Because why not?
Baby Chanco has gained almost 400,000 followers because of her famous locks. She even featured in a Japanese Pantene advert.
Asked about how she cares for the baby’s incredible hair, her mother, Mami Kano told People: ‘Brushing and just let her live as she is.’
Junior Cox Noon also gained fame when his incredible barnet became worldwide news.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson And Carrie Symonds Have Named Their Baby Boy