Lanugo (/ləˈnuːɡoʊ, -ˈnjuː-/; from Latin lana "wool") is very fine, soft, usually unpigmented, downy hair that is sometimes found on the body of a fetus or newborn baby. It is the first hair to be produced by the fetal hair follicles, and it usually appears at about five months of gestation. It is normally shed before birth, around seven or eight months of gestation, but is sometimes present at birth. It disappears on its own within a few days or weeks.