Am I having a boy or a girl? It is probably the most-asked question by any pregnant woman. Luckily, we can find out the gender as early as 9 weeks by doing a blood test. But, if you are like me you would want to know even before then. I can’t wait nine whole weeks to find out the gender, and that is if my insurance would allow me to do a blood test. So, sometimes we need to go back to history for answers. You can follow an old wives tales gender predictor that is believed to have actually worked for many people. Some have science to back them up; whereas others are proven to be wrong by science.
Whether you believe in it or not, that is always up to you. But, it doesn’t hurt to give it all a try. There are many theories out there, so if you are interested keep reading.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. This is for informational purposes only. If you would like to find out the gender of your child, see a professional. Also, this post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission.
Ways to Find Out the Gender of the Baby
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NIPT
The NIPT is also known as non-invasive prenatal testing. It is a blood test done as early as ten weeks to determine if your child has any genetic abnormalities that may cause certain genetic diseases. Such genetic diseases include down syndrome and fragile x syndrome. It does this by reading fetal DNA. If the test picks up on the Y chromosome, the test would indicate the baby is a boy. If it doesn’t detect any Y chromosome, the test would indicate the baby is a girl. This test is pretty accurate. Yes, some mistakes occur as always but it is rare.
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Amniocentesis
Amniocentesis is a procedure done at 15 weeks. It is usually done only if a problem is suspected because there are risks that come with this procedure. A needle is inserted into the amniotic sac to take a sample. The amniotic fluid is filled with cells that the baby has released from itself. Each cell contains DNA. So, the sample is tested for genetic problems. Through this, the baby’s gender can accurately be detected.
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Ultrasound
An ultrasound can be done as early as 14 weeks to determine the baby’s gender. But, most doctors would probably not tell you the gender until your anatomy scan which would be done between weeks 18 and 21. That is because they want to be more sure and all of the organs of the baby can be seen by ultrasound at that time.
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Home Gender Detector Tests
A home detector test is a test that you buy and mail it in. You follow the instruction accurately, and they promise to send you the results back. No one knows how accurate this is, but keep n mind the SneakPeek test has great reviews. You send in a blood sample and they give you the results in three days. Can you believe that? They search for Chromosome Y in the DNA sample.
If you are interested in the SneakPeak and want to know more about it, click here.
Old Wives Tales Gender Predictor
1. How are you carrying?
Girl: If your belly is high, or you are carrying high, it is a girl.
Boy: If your belly is low or you are carrying low, it is a boy.
Now, let’s go back to science. According to science, this is a complete myth. An OB/GYN names Kirtly Parker Jones says there is no truth to this myth. She states the more babies you have, the more likely you will carry low because your abdominal muscles have stretched out more than once. They become weak and you will not be able to carry high.
2. Ring Swing
Girl: If the ring moves back and forth, it is a girl.
Boy: If the ring moves in circles, it is a boy.
There are two ways to this method.
- The first involves placing a very important ring to you into a string and moving it over the pregnant belly.
- The second involves moving the ring on the string over your left hand from pinky to thumb and right back (thumb to pinky) and you keep doing this until the ring stops moving. You read the results every time you find moving it over your hand. This means it would tell you how many babies you will have and what is the gender of each one.
There is no science to this, but many claim it works very well. it is up to you to determine whether it is true or not.
3. Baby’s Heart Rate
Girl: If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 beats per minute, it is a girl.
Boy: If the baby’s heart rate is lower than 140 beats per minute, it is a boy.
Now for the science behind this. This is totally false. A baby’s heart begins beating between 70 to 110 beats per minute starting from 6 weeks. Then it gradually increases. Both boys and girls can have heart rates of about 140 beats per minute. In both my pregnancies (one boy and one girl) both their heartbeats were over 140 beats per minute.
4. Cravings
Girl: If you are craving sweets or citrus food, you are going to have a girl.
Boy: If you are craving salty foods, you are going to have a boy.
There is no scientific data suggesting this is true. In a matter of fact, sometimes your body craves something because you need it. Like for example,
If you are craving salts like pickles or chips, your body may need sodium.
If you are craving sweets like ice cream your body may need Calcium.
You may crave bananas if you need potassium.
5. Chinese Gender Chart
Girl: Click here to know.
Boy: Click here to know.
The Chinese Gender Calculator is quite popular. It relies on the history that the Qing Dynasty family of rule can predict genders. But no science backs this up. Some say it is 90 percent accurate; whereas others say it has no accuracy whatsoever.
6. Who gained weight?
Girl: If your partner gains weight too, you are carrying a girl.
Boy: If your partner doesn’t gain weight, you’re going to have a boy.
There is no science behind sympathy weight.
7. Morning Sickness
Girl: If you have extreme morning sickness, you are carrying a girl.
Boy: If you do not have a lot of morning sickness, you are carrying a boy.
There is a study that actually proves the women are more likely to be sicker carrying girls. This is most likely due to the fact that a woman has more HCG or pregnancy hormone when carrying a girl. HCG causes nausea and almost all pregnancy symptoms.
8. Pregnancy Glow and Hair
Girl: If your hair starts dying and you get pregnancy acne, you are carrying a girl.
Boy: If your hair grows out and you have the pregnancy glow, you are carrying a boy.
Of course, there is no scientific truth behind this. Some believe that girls steal the beauty of their moms. Who doesn’t want their daughter to be prettier than they are? I know I would love that!
10. The Mayans
The Mayans are very ancient people and they have introduced many things to the world including the concept of zero and an old wives tale gender predictor. They have their own way of predicting genders. This includes figuring out how old the mother was when she conceived and the month she conceived in (you must convert this to a number for example January is 1, February is 2, and so on).
Girl: If both numbers are even or odd, then you are more likely to have a girl.
Boy: If one number is odd, and the other is even, then you will have a boy.
Scientifically, this is just a part of the old wives tales gender predictor, and there is no relationship between when a woman conceives and the sex of the baby. There is a 50/50 chance like always.
11. The Pillow Way
Girl: If you sleep on your right side and place the pillow South, you are having a girl.
Boy: If you sleep on your left side and you place your pillow North, you’re going to have a boy.
There is obviously no scientific background to this. But, there is no harm in just having fun!
12. Blood Pressure
Girl: If you had a higher systolic blood pressure before pregnancy, you are more likely to have girls.
Boy: If you have a lower systolic blood pressure before pregnancy, you are more likely to have boys.
Some studies suggest this too. We do not understand why that is, but women with girls usually have a bit higher systolic blood pressure before pregnancy in comparison to women with boys.
13. Your Breasts
Girl: The more your breasts grow during pregnancy, the more likely you will have a girl.
Boy: The less your breasts grow during pregnancy, the more likely you will have a boy.
There is actually some truth in this. There is a study that suggests that the male fetus releases the male hormone testosterone that reduces the growth of the breasts.
14. Body Temperature
Girl: If you feel hot or very sweaty, it is a girl you’re going to have.
Boy: If you feel cold and are shivering, it is a boy you are going to have.
Scientifically, you may feel colder during pregnancy simply because hormonal changes cause your blood to flow to the skin which may make you feel cold. There should be no correlation between gender and temperature.
15. How has your mood been lately?
Girl: If you have been moody lately, you are having a girl
Boy: If you aren’t moody or having mood swings, you are probably going to have a boy.
Scientifically, pregnancy hormones causes irritability and mood swings. It is very common during menstraul cycle and pregnancy. It should not have an indication whether you are having a boy or a girl.
16. How long is your Linea Nigra?
Girl: If your linea nigra runs only to your belly button, it’s a girl.
Boy: If your linea nigra runs up to your ribs, it is a boy.
Scientifically, the pregnancy hormone causes darker skin pigmentation. It does not relate to the sex of the baby.
17. Drano Predictor
This is done by puring some drano liquid into your urine and looking at the result.
Girl: If the mixture turns green, it is a girl.
Boy: If the mixture turns blue, you are having a boy.
An experiment was done to see if this old wives tales gender predictor is true or not. The results proved that this was not true.
18. The Baking Soda Test
Girl: If no reaction occurred, it’s a girl.
Boy: If the mixture begins to fizz or bubbles appear, you’re having a boy.
Your urine reacts to baking soda differently depending on the acidity of your urine. It has nothing to do with the gender of the baby.
19. Darker Areolas
Girl: If your arealos are not abnormally dark, it’s a girl.
Boy: If your arealos are extremely dark, it is a boy.
This old wives tales gender predictor is not true. Pregnancy hormones cause darker skin pigmentation for all pregnancies.
20. Garlic
Girl: If you can’t smell the garlic and you can so much of it, then you are having a girl.
Boy: If you vomit from garlic or just can’t stand the smell, then you are having a boy.
There is no science to back this up.
In Conclusion
Signs You Are Having A Boy
- Your belly is low.
- You have no or mild morning sickness.
- You can’t stand garlic.
- Your areolas are very dark.
- Your Linea Nigra is very long.
- If you are even prettier than you usually are.
- You are pretty mellow.
- If your baby’s heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute.
Signs You Are Having A Girl
- Your belly is high.
- You have severe morning sickness.
- You like and can eat garlic.
- Your areolas are not abnormally dark.
- Your Linea Nigra extends only to your belly button.
- If you have pregnancy acne.
- You are very moody.
- If your baby’s heart rate is more than 140 beats per minute.
This is a great time to plan your gender reveal.
Here are some items I would have loved to have during my gender reveal.
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