Are you expecting a cute little addition to your family? Then you would have surely heard tales about ways to determine the gender of your li’l one. Take a peek into the old wives’ tales that have existed since ages.
Eat Garlic to Know the Child’s Gender!
A famous myth says that if the mother eats a clove of garlic and doesn’t smell of it, she will have a baby girl!
You might have heard several old wives’ tales that make predictions about the sex of the baby, which you often begin to hear as soon as you reveal the “good news.” All the older ladies at home will have different methods of knowing whether the cute li’l bundle in your womb is a girl or a boy! These myths have existed ever since people started having babies.
The most common gender prediction you may have come across is the one related to carrying your unborn child low or high. It is said that if you are carrying low, it is boy and if you are carrying high, it is definitely a girl. Can someone be so sure about the gender of the baby by simply looking at the baby bump? This HerHaleness write-up has put forth a collection of some old wives’ tales that claim to be able to ascertain the sex of your baby. Although they are myths, which are prevalent even today, you can have fun reading through them.
8 Myths About Predicting Your Baby’s Sex
Mixing Drano to Urine
✘ Myth: People believe that if you stir drano into your urine, you will notice a color change. If it turns green, you will have a boy! However, there are no real colors that are mentioned anywhere that can determine the sex of the child.
✔ Fact : The test only suggests a urine color change if you are about to have a boy but no color change is specified in case you have a girl! Moreover, there is no acidic or alkaline level change in the male and female chromosomes. So, the color change is merely due to the components present in urine. Doctors suggest that pregnant ladies should not even smell the chemical, leave alone playing around with it.
Cravings for Lots and Lots of Sweets
✘ Myth: If during your pregnancy days you develop a sweet tooth, you are going to have a baby girl, but if you crave for sour foods, it is a boy!
✔ Fact : Your baby cannot demand chocolates and ice creams if they are still in your womb, can they? There is no scientific evidence to support this claim that the cravings are in any way linked to the baby’s sex. In fact, it is yet to be declared whether the cravings are real and not imaginative!
Your Face Looks Fuller
✘ Myth: Some believe that if your face is round, rosy, and a lot fuller than before, you will have a baby girl.
✔ Fact : The shape of the face can surely not determine the sex of the baby. The rosiness may be just because your inner happiness reflects on your face. And if you have gained immense weight, your face is bound to look fuller.
Fetal Heart Rate Reaches 140
✘ Myth: This myth claims to have a scientific backing, but it doesn’t! If the fetal heart rate will be above 140, you would have a baby girl, and if it is below 140, you would have a baby boy.
✔ Fact : The truth is that the baby’s heart rate cannot, by any means, determine the sex of the child. However, during labor, the girl child’s heart rate will increase.
Baby Keeps Moving
✘ Myth: If your baby is restless and keeps moving, i.e., if the baby is active, you will give birth to a baby boy.
✔ Fact : Does that mean the baby girl is not active in the womb? Doctors say that the fetal activity is a mother’s perception. So, if she is not working and sitting relaxed, she will feel more of the kicking activity, but if she is a working woman, she will not feel them. So, it is a matter of mere perception.
Looking Tired
✘ Myth: There are various versions of this theory. Some say that if the mother is less attractive, then she will have a girl. Another version of the same says that she will have a baby boy!
✔ Fact : With so many versions of the myth, its credibility is already lost. But if we believe the first version, it is believed that the girl child takes away the beauty of her mother while the baby boy will make her look tired because of the hormonal mix.
Chinese Lunar Calendar
✘ Myth: The Lunar Calendar is believed to take into account the age of the mother and the month of conception to determine the gender of the baby.
✔ Fact : Though there is little scientific backing for this, the method is believed to be 50% accurate. But even 50% cannot be held good enough, can it?
Experience Morning Sickness
✘ Myth: If you are experiencing severe morning sickness, you will have a girl. Though this theory has existed since ages, recent studies have somewhat supported it.
✔ Fact : Women who suffer from morning sickness have hyperemesis gravidarum, because of which they are likely to give birth to girls. The reason: hCG levels that trigger morning sickness increases if the mother is carrying a baby girl.
There’s More …
❀ If the father puts on weight during pregnancy, the couple will be parents to a boy.
❀ Heard about the famous pendant method? Swing a gold pendant on the belly. If it swings back and forth, it’s a girl; if swings in circles, it is a boy!
❀ If the mother develops lots of acne, she is going to have a girl.
❀ If the pregnant lady picks a key from its thin end, she will be blessed with a baby girl.
❀ If the mother’s feet are colder during pregnancy, it is a boy.
❀ Here’s another legend similar to the golden pendant method. Hang your wedding ring from a strand of the father’s hair, and swing it over your belly. If it swings back and forth, it is a boy, and if it moves in circles, you will have a baby girl.
It’s a Boy If …
- You are carrying low.
- Your nose widens.
- Your hands are getting dry.
- Your urine is bright yellow in color.
- Your pillow faces the north while you sleep.
- You have frequent headaches.
- The hair on your legs grow faster than usual.
- Your areolas are getting dark.
- Your right breast looks bigger than the left one.
- You are carrying out front.
- You sleep mostly on your left side.
- You show your hands palms down when asked to show them.
- Your age at the time of conception added to the number of the conceiving month is an even number.
- You didn’t suffer from morning sickness in the first trimester.
- You are clumsy during your pregnancy days.
It’s a Girl If …
- You are carrying high.
- You are carrying all round.
- Your skin is soft.
- You are moody than you used to be.
- Your left breast is bigger than your right breast.
- You suffer from severe morning sickness in the first trimester.
- Your hair looks dull and becomes thin.
- You lie on your right while sleeping.
- Your pillow faces south while you sleep.
- Your urine is dull yellow in color.
- Your age at the time of conception added to the number of the conceiving month is an odd number.
- Your face looks less charming or appears dull and tired.
- You gain extra weight near your hips and rear.
- You were the less dominant partner during the intercourse before conception.
- Your teen acne has revisited you.
All these are just myths, which lack scientific backing just like the other pregnancy superstitions that exist. And it said that in 70% cases, the mother knows what she is carrying.
For expectant parents, it is fun to guess the sex of the unborn, but don’t take it too seriously. When the child is born, you will know for yourself if you have a cute baby girl or boy.