old wives' tales & gender prediction

these are fun but there is definitely no science behind it. according to all the old wives' takes, it's more likely that i am having a girl. WRONG! there is no doubt that baby O is a boy. he's shy about showing us his face but not so shy when it comes to his boy parts. 

below are just a few i've heard over and over again but there are so many out other ones out there. some are just outright silly. did you fall for any of these?

old wives' tale #1: the telltale carry. one of the most common gender-predictors is the way you carry your baby. legend has it that if you’re carrying low, you’re carrying a boy; a higher bump means a little girl. some claim that if you carry in front, you’re expecting a boy; expand horizontally and wait for a girl. i am carrying more horizontally. in fact, i'm carrying all over the place! i believe the way one carries is according to your personal anatomy. because i am quite short, my organs have no where to go but up and out. my waist size has expanded and my rib cage has also expanded for sure. i wish i was carrying in front! this old wives' tale was WRONG for us.

old wives' tale #2: heart rate decoder. this old wives’ tale claims that the fetal heart rate of a girl will exceed 140, while that of a boy will be slower. baby O's heart rate has always exceeded 140. early on it was in the 160s. at our 18 week appointment it was in the 150s. and at our 28 week appointment, his heart rate was in the 140s. this old wives' tale was WRONG for us.

old wives' tale #3: body clues. a girl steals her mother’s beauty. a girl causes acne. dry hands indicate a boy. cold feet point to a boy. a larger left breast indicates a girl. dark nipples are signs of a son. not sure if i look better or worse this pregnancy. but A tells me i look good pregnant. i'll take that as a compliment and that baby O is not stealing my beauty. i also have some pregnancy acne. it's not bad but i am getting more than when i'm not pregnant. no dry hands here. cold feet? i always had cold feet so it's nothing out of the ordinary. okay and the last two are a little TMI but lets just say that this old wives' tale was WRONG for us.

old wives' tale #4: ring test. using a string, hang your wedding ring over your belly. if it swings back and forth, expect a girl; swinging in a circle promises a boy. not sure if i did this test correctly or not, and i only had yarn around. my rings (i tried it with my engagement ring as well as my wedding ring), and they just sat there. i finally shook it a little and it swung back and forth a few times then circled a few times as well. i'm not sure what to think about it but let's just err with caution and say that this old wives' tale was WRONG for us.

old wives' tale #5: chinese gender chart. legend says that the gender chart is more than 700 years old and was discovered in a royal tomb. it predicts your baby's sex based on your chinese lunar age at the time you got pregnant and the chinese lunar month in which you conceived. the chinese gender chart says i'm having a girl. in fact my chances of having a boy is only 4 in 12 or 33 percent! this old wives' tale was WRONG for us.

old wives' tale #6: morning sickness. if you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. if you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl. during the first trimester, i was maybe nauseated for a week but it's been smooth sailing since then. finally, this old wives' tale was RIGHT for us.