to wonder where my redheaded blue-eyed baby came from?

[retrocutie]

So, we have just had a gorgeous little DD. We are very happy, she is lovely. Her brothers love her and everything's great. We were just a bit shocked by what she looks like...

My DH is Mediterranean, so very swarthy and dark. Our DS's look just like him. I am pale with light blonde hair and green eyes. Our DSs have dark hair and eyes like DH.

However, DD has bright ginger hair and blue eyes! How did this happen? I didn't think it was possible, genetically speaking? I feel that people are a bit and wondering if I had an affair (I didn't). Has anybody heard of this before? I just want to have an answer ready for the next time somebody asks me. Thanks.

Maybe her eyes will change colour?

Me and dp are blonde hair green eyes but we have a red haired blue eyed dd. Its not quite the same but we were pleasantly surprised.

didn't think it was possible, genetically speaking?

Sure it is - these are recessive genes. You won't get a dark-haired, dark-eyed babe from two light-eyed, fair parents but blond and ginger hair and blue eyes pop out of the genetic mix if you've both got those genes hidden in you.

To be fair, if she's very little/new you don't really know who she looks like

My dd2 was born with ginger hair - it didn't last, she's dirty fair strawberry blonde. My dd3 is almost 2, she has the palest blue eyes I've seen in a long time, a lot of people comment on them, my other two dds have the darkest brown eyes [shrug]

Ps I have very dark eyes and my husband has green eyes.

What colour was your hair when you were little?

Many children have red hair that changes as they get older. And blue eyes often change as well.

They are both recessive genes so its definitely genetically possible. You were both carrying the genes but as they are not dominant you weren't displaying the characteristics. Enjoy your lovely redhead. I have one too, although both myself and dh have dark hair, but there are some redheads in both our extended families

Red-headed genes are carried all across the world, and pop out in all sorts of strange p;aces. Either you or your husband could be the donor of that gene.

Again, you DD has inherited recessive genes for the rest of her looks, either of you could be responsible, but probably you.

If you were both blond-blue-eyed recessive gene types, you wouldn't be able to have browm-eyed dark haired children, but darker people can carry recessive genes, hence your daughter.

These traits lurk somewhere in your family history. No doubt someone someday will say "ah yes, but Great Auntie Ethel.was a red hed".

Im.brunette, DH is too, and every baby born on my side of the family EVER is a brunette. Yet DD is blonde. Its very odd. I just joke that the Milkman is blonde.

My DH is ginger-y haired and green eyed and his mother and both his siblings have brown hair and eyes - v. Mediterranean looking. I think his father had blueish eyes but not sure. Think that many people carry the 'ginger gene' and often it doesn't show up in many generations. I used to be friendly with a Sicilian lady who had bright red curls. Someone will be along with a scientific explanation soon.

Just wanted to say congratulations retro, your little daughter sounds gorgeous. No idea on the genetics, but Im sure someone will know.

All of dps nephews are blue eyed redheads whilst everyone else in the family has olive skin, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Mil recalls a great aunt with red hair so we imagine that the genes just skipped a few generations. Could that be the case here?

Not all red haired children have red haired parents. I'd say it's fairly common for a blond & dark haired couple to produce a red haired child. I'd certainly say there's many many children who look dissimilar to both parents. My ds for example has lovely dark brown eyes even though me & dp are both hazel. I don't understand genetics well enough to explain why it happens but I certainly think it's common enough for people not to question your faithfulness. X

I also have a DC with a beautiful mane of red hair. We were so surprised when he was born as there are no redheads on either side of the family. Like us, you and your DH must each carry the recessive gene, giving you a 1 in 4 chance of having a redheaded child (I think!) We got LOADS of 'oooh was it the postman?' comments, which I found quite funny. And loads of 'don't worry, it's not that ginger/might change colour' comments which made me absolutely livid and really upset. It's gorgeous - enjoy your flame headed girl!

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If you look at this you cavn see that for the recessive genes to express both parents have to be carriers, but you can carry recessive gene down many generations without it ever being expressed if it only ever meets dominant genes. Hence someone, somewhere in your husbands ancestry had these genes, but they've only expressed because you carry them too.

Ds is completely different colouring to us even down to the eyes - we have blue/grey and he has brown!

To have a red headed child both parents have to have had red heads somewhere in their family.

Not quite the same, but dd1 is pale, blonde haired with blue eyes like dh.

Dd2 was a shock, but I was pleased, she is olive skinned, dark hair (almost black) with blue eyes, which are turning green

I think the red hair can skip a generation too. My dh is blonde, his middle sis has brown hair, and big sis is a redhead. They all look different too.

It is genetically possible.

Don't worry about it! She sounds gorgeous and as previous posters have said - almost anything is possible genetically and in any case hair and eye colour in young babies often changes.

Other people can be so rude. Our DD has blue eyes and dark brown hair, beautiful, but we are both blond! I've had a few very stupid people wonder aloud how that is possible, but I know for a fact that it is: I just have to look at DD.

Now at 5 months her hair is starting to get lighter actually.

We've got a red-head with blue eyes! I'd only just got over the shock of her being a girl (convinced it was a boy) then I noticed her bright orange eyebrows! I knew it was a possibility as my day's mum was Irish and red haired, and I have 9 red haired cousins! Didn't know DH had it on his side til she was born and they found a pic of a great aunt with red curls.
I think it's lovely - had dreamed of a little boy or girl with dark hair and eyes like me, but she is a beauty - and her red Mohican (totally natural, just sticks up) get LOTS of attention
A friend of mine is Chinese, DH ginger and blue eyed. She joked throughout her pregnancy that her baby couldn't have ginger hair because her genes were dominant... You guessed it, he came out ginger!!!

Doesn't brown hair and blonde hair sometimes produce red hair?

I wouldn't worry she sounds absolutely stunning.

Not all red haired children have red haired parents.

In my family none of the redheads have redheaded parents. My grandmother had dark hair with just a ginger streak. It seems to skip every other generation.

Your dh being mediteranian might be a clue, there are a lot of red haired Israelis.

I have a friend who is black, her daughter is white. Another dark haired, dark eyed friend was married to an Arab.

Her children were progressively lighter, the eldest shared his colouring with his da, the middle one with his mum and the youngest was blond with blue eyes.

Off topic but can someone tell me why hair can grow back a different colour after chemo?

My mum was always mousey and then mousey with grey but her hair is growing back after chemo and it is black.

I know it's not uncommon to change colour or grow back curly but why?

My eldest two are fair dirty blonde with very blue eyes
It's definitely possible, well obviously. I felt quite strange when our pfb didn't look anything like I envisaged!

DH has blue eyes and black hair.
I have dark brown hair and green sludge coloured eyes
Our newborn is too little to tell I think.

My grandparents are fair so I guess it comes from me?
DH's family are all dark haired.

I however look like no one in my family!

I guess chemo affects the hormones which determine hair colour?
The same thing happened to my friend.

melika both parents have to have the red in their family somewhere along the line, doesn't matter what colour the parent's hair is.

Phew! Thanks so much for your replies, I feel reassured! Also, it is so interesting to read about other people's families and what their DC look like.