Old Wives Tales: Baby Gender

Hi all!

I'm just shy of 20 weeks pregnant and am the only person that I know who is not finding out the sex of the baby until I deliver.  Adds an extra level of mystery to my first pregnancy, but my hubby and I think it's old fashioned and exciting!!

A number of people have theories about my baby's gender based on old wive's tales, such as how I am carrying, the shape of my belly, the way my skin looks, etc.  So I was wondering...what old wive's tales have you heard about determining the sex of the baby?  I think it's fun to see if any of them will be right.  Please share!!

This old wives tale seems to really work...the rumor is this method is used to determine the sex of birds.

You take a ring and tie it to a couple feet of string, then have someone with a steady hand hold it over your belly. (I layed the ring on my tummy, then lifted it uo to give it momentum) If it circles, it is a boy....back and forth a girl. Worked with my girls (and I thought I was having boys both times...and worked on my sister) Who knows??

Good luck with your bun in the oven :)

I just had my 4th and people were constantly doing the ring test on me before we found out the sex.  The test kept saying boy but she was a girl!!  With both my girls I carried them in a way where everyone thought I was having boys (low).  My first daughter (3rd in line) was a surprise!  I already had 2 boys and if I was having yet another boy I wanted to keep the fantasy of a little girl alive for 9 mos.  What an emotional birth that was!  I didn't even see her face when she came out...I went straight to the nether region to see what she was.  We all burst into tears of such extreme joy that the doctor even commented on it.  He said he hasn't experienced that in a while.

Ok, back to your topic!  The only old wives' tale I found to be true from all my pregnancies is the one where they say that if your pregnant with a girl she takes all the beauty from you.  You just feel ugly, not fresh, blah.  This was COMPLETEly true with mine!!  When I was pregnant with my boys I had practically no symptoms beside some mood swings.  With my girls I had body acne, ance on my neck and oily hair.  My body hair got darker and grew like I was drinking Rogaine!  I just never felt pretty.  I thought I looked lke my 80 year old grandpa the whole time!!  Lol!

Have fun with all the "tests" and maybe even keep a cute scrapbook or journal of when people test and the result to look back on later!

Don't know any - just wanted to wish you best of luck!  Post photos!

My dad guessed the gender of both of my kids by their heart rate. My daughter's heart rate was always around 175-180 and my son's was 140-150. He said above 160 is a girl and below it is a boy. Worked for my nephew, too!

My sister-in-law decided not to find out the gender of their son until birth. I threw her shower and we had a great time with guessing games. She also withheld the names until birth. We still don't know what they would have named my nephew if he had been a girl!

Good luck!

In Ireland it's extremely uncommon (& considered very unlucky!) to find out the gender of the child- so we're pretty much experts on gender prediction- not saying it works- but we've fun guessing! LOL! Try some of these... You're more likely to be carrying a boy if...

• Your baby's heartbeat is lower than 140 beats per minute

• you're carrying all out front

• you're carrying low

• you're blooming in pregnancy

• you didn't suffer from morning sickness in your first trimester

• your right breast is bigger than your left

• you look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute and your pupils dilate

• you crave salty food or protein, such as cheese and meat

• your feet become cold more quickly than before you were pregnant

• you tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it moves in circles

• your skin becomes dry

• you combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is even

• your hair has become more full-bodied and shiny during pregnancy

• the hair on your legs has been growing faster during pregnancy

• you are more prone to headaches

• your pillow faces north when you sleep

• you're asked to show your hands and you present them palms down

• you lie on your left side when sleeping

• your urine is bright yellow

• you were the more aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived

• you eat a clove of garlic and the smell seeps out of your pores

• your previous child's first word was "dada".

You're more likely to be having a girl if...

Your baby's heartbeat is faster than 140 beats per minute

• you're carrying all round

• you're carrying high

• you've missed the "blooming" period altogether

• you suffered morning sickness during your first 12 weeks

• your left breast is bigger than your right

you look at yourself in the mirror for at least a minute, but your pupils don't dilate

• you crave sweet things, such as juice, fruit and sweets

• you tie your wedding ring to some thread, hang it over your stomach and it swings from side to side

• your skin is soft

• you are more moody than usual

• you're asked to show your hands and you present them palms up

• you were the less aggressive partner during love-making when you conceived

• you eat a clove of garlic, but you don't smell of it

• you combine your age at the time of conception with the number of the month you conceived and the resulting number is odd

• your hair has become thinner and dull during pregnancy

• you lie on your right side when sleeping

• your pillow faces south when you sleep

• your urine is dull yellow

• your previous child's first word was "mama"

Thank you all so much!!  I think, according to everything posted, it's a boy!  For example:

The ring circled over my belly (although I was holding it, not someone else);

I look great (my complexion does anyway)--my beauty has not been stolen;

Baby's heart rate is usually in the 140's (although that seems to be controversial, as irishmum and bier have two different theories);

I'm carrying all out front, and low-ish;

No morning sickness;

My right breast is bigger than my left (but I've been inbalanced like that since puberty, in all fairness!); and

I'm craving salty foods, especially cheese.

The little one is very, very active, but I'm not sure that indicates gender either way.  Anyway, I'll have to let you all know once the baby comes (which won't be until February).  Thanks again!!

 

 

I had no nausea during my pregnancy with my daughter. I was sick until 14 weeks when pregnant with my son.

I personally say 160 as the defining heart rate because my son's was in the 150s for our first two appointments and then stayed in the upper 130s to lower 140s the rest of the pregnancy. My daughter's never dropped below 170.

Yay! I love the excitement. Can't wait to find out!

How exciting! Keep us posted and let us know!

I am 10 weeks pregnant and something tells me its a boy...not sure what.

Cant wait to find out!

XOXO! Much love to you!