Gender Predicting - Old Wives Tales

Gender Predicting Old Wives Tales

March 9, 2008

There are a lot of old wives tales regarding pregnancy. However, there are certain old wives tales that are specific to the gender of your baby.

Shape of Moms’ Belly Some say if the woman’s belly is big and round it means that she is carrying a girl. Likewise, if her belly is smaller and sticking straight out than she is carrying a boy. The way a woman carries her baby has nothing to do with the sex, but has everything to do with the body shape and type that the woman naturally has, when not pregnant.

Direction of the Ring Many people believe in the good old ring test as a way to tell what the sex of their baby is going to be. In this test you hang your wedding ring from a string over your belly. If the ring swings back and forth your baby is a boy. If it swings around in a circle then it is a girl. This is not very good indication of whether or not you are having a boy or a girl. Fact is, if you hang your ring over any object or person it is going to swing.

Fast Heart Rate Tale Some people believe that if your baby has a fast heart rate, near 170 beats per minute, then that means you are having a girl, and that if your baby’s heart rate is closer to 150 beats per minute then you are having a boy. This also is false. You baby’s heart rate will get faster and stronger during the first trimester as he/she grows. Then the heart rate fluctuates in speed during sleep and active times for your baby, just like an adults. So depending on when you listen to your baby’s heart rate, it might be faster or slower than it was the day before, or even earlier that same day.

The Shape of Moms Face Some people believe that the shape of your face determines the sex of your baby. If your face is round then you are having a girl, long and narrow means a boy. This is just a myth however because where a woman stores fat and water during pregnancy has nothing to do with the sex of their baby. Along with that some believe that if your nose starts to grow or widen then you are having a girl because daughters “steal” mom’s beauty. While this sounds like something out of a fairy tale, it is simply an old wives tale.

The Key Test Then there is the key test. Some say that if you can tell your baby’s sex by picking up a single key. If you pick the key up by big, round (top) part then you are having a boy. If you pick it up by the narrow part on the bottom then you are having a girl. Then, as if it isn’t detailed enough, if you pick the key up by the middle you are having TWINS!

The Mayan Tale If you are Mayan then you may follow their beliefs and use numbers to determine the sex of your baby. The Mayans take the mothers age at conception and the year of conception and add them together. If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way! The Chinese have a similar way of determining the sex of a baby.

Drain-O Test So many people believe this old wives tale which is completely false. They are told to put a tablespoon of Drain-O in a cup and pee into it. If the mixture turns green you are having a girl. If it turns blue you are having a boy. Supposedly there is something in the moms’ urine that mixes with the Drain-O causing it to change color and determine the baby’s sex.

Acne Myth Acne during pregnancy is caused by hormones, not the sex of your baby. However, many believe that if you have an increased amount of acne during pregnancy then it means you are having a baby girl.

Cravings This one sounds good and can be an “explanation” for many of moms’ cravings, but is it true? Some people say that if you crave salty food while pregnant it means you are having a boy and if you crave sweet food while you are pregnant it means you are having a girl. Does this mean that baby girls are sweet and baby boys are salty?

Do You Smell Like Garlic? The question should be, “Do you WANT to smell like garlic?” There are people that swear that the garlic old wives tale is true. They say that if you eat a clove of garlic, and the smell comes out through your pores then you are having a boy. If no garlic is detected then you are having a girl. Who really wants to find out THAT bad though?!

Call First Impressions at (901) 834-2930 and schedule your gender determination ultrasound.