Baby Gender Predictions…
Over the weekend, a friend of mine went public with the news that she’s pregnant. She and her husband are convinced that they are having a girl, based on the fact that she was so sick throughout her first trimester. Once upon a time, I might have bought that logic, but I have three other friends who are having babies this year, all of whom were sure their morning sickness indicated extra estrogen, but all of whom are having boys. And I know several women who were sure their easy pregnancies meant they had a son in the oven, and ended up with a little lady. True, most who had it easy ended up with boys, but not across the board.
So, I decided to explore some of the other gender-prediction theories, aside from morning sickness, to see if there was some truth to any of it.
I had a horrendous first trimester, which made perfect sense at the 13 week scan when I was told that there were two in there. I was convinced I was having a girl from the moment the pregnancy test turned pink and when I found out it was identical twins, I was confident that it was twin girls. The toilet-clutching onslaught at 6 weeks continued right through until week 18 and was reminiscent of my first pregnancy – a girl. Of course, everyone kept saying, “You’re having girls, you’re definitely having girls, I’m sure it’s girls, don’t you think it’s girls?” And for some reason, it really annoyed me! Why couldn’t boys go easy on their mamas in utero?
My gender-prediction quiz was a big surprise — the results were pretty much 60/40, with more clues pointing to girl babies. I was craving salty and sour — boy! But the needle hanging over my tummy went around and around — girl! I had clear skin and soft hair — boy! But their heartbeats were consistently well over 140 beats per minute (more like in the 160s or 170s) — girl! And, the Chinese Gender Prediction calendar said girl, so …
Well, they’re boys, and when I found out, I was thrilled! And all of those tests — though, admittedly, fun to do — didn’t really tell me anything.
At the end of the day, I think that every woman is different, and every pregnancy is different. And when you finally do find out what you’re having, none of it makes a bit of difference anyway. While it’s fun to speculate and guess and play games to see if you can predict boy or girl, it’s not a science by any stretch. So don’t start painting the nursery based on morning sickness, a sudden craving for pickles, or a swaying needle.
So haute mamas, do you think there’s any truth to the old wives’ tales?
