Gender Prediction

For millennia, women have been trying to predict the sex of their babies — leaving a trail of old wives tales that many women still turn to for gender prediction. With the miracles of modern science, women don’t have to wait too long to find out the gender of their babies. Regardless of if you choose to find out the gender of your baby, playing the gender prediction game the old fashioned way is good fun for you and your loved ones. You may choose to wait until the baby is born to find out, or keep the gender a secret from your friends and extended family until the big day. More than likely, not finding out will provide plenty of fodder for speculation and conjecture for the people around you — whether you want to hear it or not.

Nearly everyone will have their opinion regarding what your baby will be — even strangers in a store. It seems silly to think that a person can predict the gender of your baby on the spot, based on what you look like, but some women are frighteningly good at gender prediction. The following is a list of old wives’ methods of gender prediction:

• Morning Sickness: Some say that if you’ve experienced a lot of nausea, you may be having a girl.
• How you carry the baby: If you carry high, some believe you’ll have a girl; if you carry low, it’s a boy.
• Cravings: Sweet cravings indicate — natch! — a girl, while sour or salty cravings indicate a boy.
• Baby’s heart rate: A heart rate lower than 140 supposedly means you’re pregnant with a boy, and a higher heart rate is a girl.
• Wedding Ring Test: If you suspend a wedding ring (or needle, pendant, etc) from a string over your belly, it’s a girl if it swings in a circle, a boy if it swings side to side.

There are many other supposed “indicators” that people use in gender prediction, including:

• Do you look better or worse during pregnancy?
• Are you craving protein or fruits and veggies?
• Is your leg hair growing faster or slower than usual?
• Does your pillow face north or south in bed?
• How much weight has your husband gained during your pregnancy?
• Are you feet colder than usual?
• Has your nose gotten wider during pregnancy?
• Is your urine a bright, or dull yellow?

Obviously, the best chance any of these methods have of successfully predicting gender is 50-50, so take them with a grain of salt. One other favorite method that is widely accepted is the Chinese Gender Chart, based on the month of conception and the mother’s age at conception. All of these methods of gender prediction are available online, and may be fun to look at while you’re waiting to find out through more scientific means.

If you really want to know the gender of your baby, your doctor can help. Currently, you can determine the gender of your baby with blood tests, chorionic villus sampling (CVS), ultrasound and amniocentesis. If you choose to wait, some internet sites can help you pull together a pool of your friends and family so they can make their predictions, whatever they may be based upon!