PC: @christine_simplybloom
Eye development starts very early in pregnancy, even before most people know they are pregnant. The eye is a miraculous organ that allows us to connect with one another in ways that we don't even fully understand. For a lot of us though, we will wonder what color eyes our baby will have while they are still getting ready to meet us in the real world. While you are wondering what color their eyes will be, let's take a look into their development and talk about ways to maximize the potential of those peepers!
By week 4 of your pregnancy (usually before that pregnancy test says, You're Pregnant!), the optic nerves are forming (millions of nerves bundled together to allow for communication between your eyes and brain), and cells that will form the lens of the eye are mobilizing (this will allow your child to see near and far).
By week 8 of your pregnancy, the retina is forming (this allows your child to perceive and process light).
By week 16, the retina is actually picking up on light.
By week 26, your baby's eyes are just about fully developed! This is toward the end of your second trimester! Their eyelids can even open and close.
What you can do:
Make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins!! This is an important step, and a good rule of thumb is to take them even if you are not pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. Because sometimes those little cuties take us off guard and we want them to have everything thing they need!
An important vitamin that has been specified in Vitamin A. This can be found in leafy green veggies, some fruits, and dairy products.
Recent studies have found that exposure to light WHILE THE BABY is in the womb is very important to a child's eye sight. Most of us will not have a problem exposing our child to light, just taking a walk outside while it is light will do the trick.
Some of those photons (light particles) enter into the womb and stimulate a pathway of development which includes blood vessels and nerves to form in patterns that will be crucial to sight. This exposure to light is most critical in the last few months of pregnancy. Those of us that are in very dark places of the world may need to expose ourselves to special light lamps for a few minutes a day so that the child can receive that stimulation by those important photons.
Stay healthy and get prenatal care! Your doctor will help manage your to-do list as an expecting mother, and that mid-pregnancy ultrasound can help take a look and make sure everything is on track.
So while you are dreaming about what color eyes your little darling will have, keep these things in mind so that they can be all they are made to be!!
