Old Wives Tales for Gender

 

 

You just found out that you are pregnant! Congratulations! Now you will have many things on your mind such as if your baby will be healthy, but chances are the baby will be fine! That is just one of the few worries that start in parenthood! However, you will be curious before you even think that way about whether or not your baby will be a boy or a girl.

                           

That means your egg was either fertilized by the sperm that had the X- chromosome, which would create a girl, or the sperm carrying the Y-chromosome which would create a boy. And the only ways to really find out before giving birth is through several ways.

 

The first way is through a test called chorionic villus sampling (CVS), where a piece of the placenta from the fetus during 10-12 weeks of pregnancy is taken. This is a somewhat risky test and it is only recommended if one of the following situations applies to you. If both you and your partner carry a mutation that could affect the baby, you may want to undergo the test. Additionally, if you want to know if there is a chance you could pass down defects that you were warned about previously, or if there is a significant reason your doctor is encouraging you to take the test, you may also want to take it. Gender can be revealed this way, but because this test is risky, finding out the gender alone is not a reason to take it.

 

The same goes for amniocentesis, which is a test done for the same reasons but later in the pregnancy by taking a sample of amniotic fluid which can tell you everything about the baby you are carrying.

 

Finally, a good ultrasound technician can tell you the gender of the baby around 16-20 weeks if the baby allows the technician to have a good look!

 

However, there have been some Old Wives’ Tales about the baby’s gender that consists of folklore, superstitions and made up ideas that were exaggerated, passed down from wife to wife over many generations. Plenty of these are of unknown origins.

 

The majority of Old Wives’ Tales were made up to explain why certain things in a pregnancy were happening, but the odd thing is that maybe some have a grain of truth in them. That is hard to really know, but these are fun to examine regardless. Listed below are common Old Wives Tales about an experience a pregnant woman has that shows that she is carrying one gender or the other:

 

  

Mom’s Belly Shape

 

If the mom-to-be’s belly is round and large, then it is said that she is having a girl. If her belly is smaller and sticks out a lot, then it is said that she is having a boy. 

 

Wedding Ring Direction

 

If you hang your wedding ring from a string over your belly, the direction it’s going will tell you whether it is a boy or a girl that you are carrying. If it swings back and forth,  then your baby is a girl. However, if it swings around in a circle, then it is a boy.

 

Fast Heart Rate

 

It has been said that if your baby has a fast heart rate, closer to 170 beats per minute, then you are carrying a girl. However, if the heart rate of your baby is closer to 150 beats per minute,  then you are having a boy. Some OBGYNs actually do believe there is a grain of truth to this tale.

 

Mom’s Face Shape

 

If the shape of your face is round, then a baby girl is on the way. However, if your face is long and narrow, then you are having a baby boy.

 

The Mayan Tale

 

The Mayan Tale involves you taking the age of the mom at conception and the year of conception, then you add them together. If the result is an even number, then the baby is a girl. If the result is an odd number, then the baby is a boy. The same concept goes for the Chinese Lunar Calendar Tale.

 

The Key Test

 

If you are compelled to pick a key up by the top,  then you are having a boy. However, if you pick the key up at the bottom, then you are having a girl.

 

The Drain-O Test

 

Take a tablespoon of Drain-O and pour it into a cup. Then get mom to urinate in it. If the mixture turns green, then it’s a girl. If it turns blue, then it’s a boy.

 

Acne Myth

 

If there is an increase of acne on the face during pregnancy, then it is an indicator that you are having a baby girl. If there is a decrease of acne, then it is a sign that a boy is on the way.

 

Cravings

 

It has been said that if mom is craving salty foods, then a boy is on the way. If mom is craving sweet foods, then it’s a girl.

 

Whether or Not you Smell Like Garlic

 

If you eat a clove of garlic, you will usually smell like garlic for a long time whether you are pregnant or not. However, if mom eats a clove of garlic, and the smell comes out of the pores- then it’s a boy. If there is no smell at all, then it’s a girl.

 

Morning Sickness

 

It has been believed that if a pregnant woman has no morning sickness in the first trimester, then she is carrying a boy. If she has a lot of morning sickness, then it’s a girl. The origin of that belief can be traced back to hormonal level changes. More female hormones caused by carrying a girl can make mom very sick. However, there are many pregnant moms of boys who had a rough time with sickness in the first trimester.

 

Changes in Pupils

 

If your pupils dilate when you look at yourself in the mirror for a minimum of a minute, then you are having a boy. If your pupils don’t dilate whenever you examine yourself in the mirror for a minimum of a minute, then it’s a girl.

 

Changes in Hair

 

If your hair has become far more full and shiny, and the hair on your legs has been growing quicker, it is a boy. If your hair has become thinner and duller, and the highlights in your hair seem to be turning red, it is a girl.

 

There may be more Old Wives’ Tales when it comes to gender. However the above are the well-known ones. Again even if there is a trace of truth to some of them, other than having the gender confirmed through an ultrasound or other prenatal test mentioned above, consider these ways of predicting the gender of your baby nothing but entertainment. Fun if you have been trying to conceive a girl or boy in particular, to put these tales to the test.