A question of genetics..?

Question

My son was born last month and has brownish-auburn hair. My fiance has the blackest hair imaginable and I have black hair. We cannot figure out why he has almost reddish hair. Any ideas? And please no smart *** answers..yes, the baby is his in absolute surety. He was born a month early, although I cannot see what that would have to do with it.

My Mother has dark brown hair and my father has black hair. My fiance's parents both have black hair. It really is no big deal, but just a small mystery to us..although I will say he looks EXACTLY like my fiance in the face..so no mysteries there.

Answer 1

i've heard of two black couples who had a light skinned baby. i turned out that they both had white ancestors. heredity can go far back.

Answer 2

I'm no doctor, however I have had countless biology courses at a major university; each covering genetics to some extent. From what I have learned I can only offer this...yes, genetics is a science, but it's not an exact science. We can only predict certain features to appear in our offspring. If I had to guess, and I'm almost certain you'll get a lot of this suggestion, is that one (if not both) of you are carrying the gene for the babies hair color. You should research on the web genotypes and phototypes. One is what's expected and the other is actually what shows up. There is of course also the idea of dominance in certain traits, which is usually the darker features as in your husbands hair color. But it's not always dominant. People pay thousands of dollars to have physicians and geneticists predict their babies features (and more importantly certain medical issues) but they are only predictions. Well, anyway hope this gets your started, as I said I'm not a doctor, but genetics is very interesting. I guess as long as the baby is happy and healthy, you wouldn't care if he had purple hair and polka-dot skin! haha

Answer 3

It is genetics. While black hair is dominant, If both you and your husband had a gene for reddish-brown hair and you both gave your son that gene, that's what he gets. The hair color could have been from a relative fairly far back in your family trees, with the gene being passed along, but never "doubled up" until now.

Answer 4

1. Your son is a newborn. His hair could very well change color very soon or during late childhood. Ask your parents if you were born with the exact same color hair as you have now.

2. Dark hair is often considered "dominant" over light hair, but hair color is not as simple as that. There are many genes involved that determine what your hair looks like. Some people here have given you misleading information about how the genetics of hair color works. There is no ONE gene for hair color. This "skipping of generations" thing people keep bring up is INCORRECT. But they have the right idea, you and your husband may have ancestors with red hair and it is now showing up in your children.

I have Vietnamese ancestry. My husband has Spanish ancestry. We both have dark hair. My older son has dark brown hair. My younger, 11-month old son has very light, blondish-brown hair and BLUE eyes. If I had not seen him pop out of my very own stomach, I might not have believed that he is my own. When my mother-in-law showed me pictures of my husband at 1 year we couldn't believe it. My baby and my husband looked like identical twins....just 40 years apart in age. It happens!

Answer 5

Well it could be a recesive gene one of you has. Ask yoour parents around, there must be someone along your family tree who had red hair. Great grandparents maybe.

it's the same with twins, it takes about three generation to have twins in a family again.

I say look it in the positive way, you're kid will be unique, not everyone has red hair.
A friend of mine, she's dark haired too, and her husband is blonde, their kid has red hair.

I've got green eyes, and both of my parents have brown eyes. So It's something on the genes.

Its all to do with the allele, if i remember right, hair is controled
by 2 allele (not sure if its a plural word) that are inherited by
father and mother, each child has a random allele from both parents,
as red hair is a resesive allele it must mean that both parants have
one resesive red hair allele in there genes, in this case the
following has happened

R = red RESESIVE ALLELE
B = Blonde DOMINANT ALLELE
BR = Brunette DOMINANT ALLELE

R-BR R-B
| /
| /
| /
| /
RR

Answer 6

My husband and I both have pitch black hair. My first son was born with brown hair and blonde highlights. My second son was born with light brown hair. It's really funny. Genetics is a really funny thing.

Answer 7

The gene for hair color can come from many generations in the past. Similar to right or left handedness. Hair color in infants often changes as they grow a little older, also.

Answer 8

My son has the fire red hair- neither me or my husband have anything close to red hair. I use to get teased (b/c he was conceived in Ireland) that he was the milkmans kid. I don't know exactly how it works but somewhere in either of your families you'll probably find close to his color. My grandmother had some red in her hair- My other son has brown hair- so you just never know!!

Answer 9

Well neighter my mom or dad have my blonde hair. I get it from my aunt . So one of the family members has brownish-auborn hair and you've just havn't cared to notice.good question i can see why youed be concerned

Answer 10

Actually... red hair is a genetic mutation... I have brownish auburn hair but my mom was blonde and my dad's hair is black... noone on my family lines have red hair, unless it was dyed..

Answer 11

look at your families. does anyone have lighter hair. my parents both have dark brown hair, but my brother was born with the blondest hair you'll ever see. my grandfather was the one in the family with the blonde hair.