Pale mixed race baby raising a few eyebrows......

[angelz]

My ds was born 3 months ago and surprised us all by coming out extremly pale with straight red hair, despite having a black father.

I myself am VERY pale, so found it more amusing than shocking as I know how funny genetics can be.

But lately my partner has said that while he loves our ds he is finding it hard as he cannot see himself, or any of his family in ds.

He has even mentioned a paternity test, and while I know in his heart he knows how ridiculous this is, he says sometimes he can't digest what he sees before his eyes.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?.... will our ds darken, or is it really possible that a mixed race baby can stay this white? Even his little ears have a pinkish hue, and his eyelids are almost see through!

Personally I would never have thought it an issue, but can see why my partner may struggle a little with it, people already have given us a few funny looks when I introduce him as ds's father

I offered dh a paternity test when ds1 was a baby because he looked so totally like my side of the family (Mediterranean) and nothing like either dh or his family

Dh declined the test and the last laugh was on me cause ds1 is, personality-wise, a carbon-copy extremely similar to his father even though no physical resemblance at all. So tell your dh to hang on in there, it is not all about looks.

Genetics are amazing. The story of Sandra Laing, the black south african woman, who had white parents will show that.

Sandra Laing

Sandra Laing Wikipedia

My friend is mixed race but quite dark with afro hair. Her exH is white with reddish brown hair. DD1's skin is olive and her hair is very curly but she looks spanish. DD2 and DS are twins. DD2 is as dark as her mum with afro hair. Ds is as pale as white can be with red hair. The HV went round to her house after the twins were born, looked at them lying next to each other and said "They're different colours! What are you going to do?"

OP my dsis in mixed race with dark brown hair, her partner is pale skinned with blond hair and thier son is darker than dsis with jet black hair. I am pale skinned with blond hair, ex is pale skinned with brown hair and our ds is olive skinned with black curly hair. As you say genetics gone mad in both cases.

I know a lady whose DH is carribean, with very dark skin and they have two children who have come out very white.

Genetics is amazing, and I'm sure there is something of your DH in there, he just expected it to be the colouring.

I went to school with a boy called Mohammed who was half Iranian and he was very pale with red hair and blue eyes. It is also possible for 2 white people to have a black child and vice versa.
I'm not sure whether they will darken with age (I'm a redhead myself and only tend to burn in the sun) but as kids grow older you can usually see bits of both parents in them even if they look a lot more like one. It could just be facial expressions or teeth or something but I'm sure your husband will find some traits your son has inherited.

Lovely update Angelz :)

My DD is blonde, fair & blue eyed and it does hurt me or did when she was a baby when people say oh she must take after her daddy, she doesn't look like you! (less so now as her features are far more 'me') because I am very olive, with black hair and dark brown eyes. However a lot of my family are also blue eyed & pale which wouldn't be obvious, so it doesn't surprise me.

I am English with blue eyes and blonde hair, ds is spanish with olive complexion
DD1 auburn hair and green eyes
DD2 black curly hair , brown eyes(looks mixed race)
DS1 blond hair , grey/blue yes

Go figure

Lovely to get the update. This thread really struck a chord as my mixed-race DD is much paler than the rules of genetics would predict...

Great to get the update.

I saw a bi-racial mum breastfeeding a pale white, blond baby the other day. The baby shared her features but not her skin colour at all. Fascinating how it works out.

My DD was born pale but is darkening now (her father is very olive skinned, always gets people assuming he is Turkish/Indian/Iranian - he's Scottish).

I knew an asian lady (quite dark) who was married to a slightly red headed man. They had a boy who was auburn and brown eyes and white.

They then went onto to have another child and found out that they were having twins during labour (no scans) and the twins were asian skinned with blue eyes.

You could tell that they were related but did look completely different skin colour wise.

Lovely update OP.

DS' friends family are mixed race

Eldest child - very dark skin, very dark straight hair, amazing beautiful bluey grey eyes
Second child - ruddy, freckly white skin, blonde hair, blue eyes
Third child - olive skin, light brown afro hair, deep deep brown eyes
Fourth child - pale skin, dark brown affro hair, brown eyes

The second child has raised a few eyebrows and is very sensitive about it but when you know the family he is a personality clone of his Dad.

What a lovely update - there was a mixed-race girl with the palest skin and a ginger afro at my school - such beautiful colouring.

My DS has just been born (I'm mixed black/white) and at 9 weeks is already almost as dark as me, despite DP being fair/blue-eyed. It really does seem to be random...

my cousin is white and her ex is black. Their oldest and youngest look typical mixed race but their middle one looks white - maybe Italian colouring with green eyes and straight brown hair.

Me and DB are mexican/british. DB has 2DC. DN is a nice tan colour with curly hair like me and DB. DN is pale pale pale my my mum with big blue eyes.