One of the best parts of pregnancy is speculating about the gender of the baby. While there is no way to confirm your unborn baby’s gender without medical intervention or testing, it sure is fun to guess if you are having a boy or a girl. Over the span of civilization, expecting parents have come up with an assortment of myths, legends, and old wives’ tale pregnancy indicators. If you spend a lot of time traveling, you may come across some of these in various countries, from Europe to Asia and beyond. Here are nine of them:
#1: How the Mother is Carrying the Baby
Once you get far enough along in the pregnancy, many people will try to guess the gender of the baby based on how the mother is carrying the bundle of joy. According to this popular old wives’ tale, carrying high means that you are having a girl. Conversely, if your belly is hanging lower, there is a bouncing baby boy in there. You’ll come across this theory in many countries.
#2: Rate of Baby’s Heartbeat
One of the earliest gender hints is the baby’s heart rate. Keeping in the mind that the heart rate will likely decrease as the pregnancy progresses, the lore is that a baby girl will have a higher rate than a baby boy. Anything over 140 beats per minute is a sign that you may be seeing pink.
#3: Presence of Morning Sickness
Legend has it that excessive nausea is a sign that you are having a girl. This is attributed to a more significant amount of hormones coursing through the body. Note that morning sickness does not necessarily always happen early in the day. Constant nausea may be a sign that there is an increasing amount of estrogen in the body.
#4: Pregnancy Glow or No?
If you are wondering if you are carrying a boy or a girl, try looking at your skin. Pregnancy lore says that mothers with a glowing complexion are more likely to have a boy, while those dealing with breakouts and other skin issues are having a girl. The joke is that a baby girl will try to steal all of the mother’s good looks to hoard for themselves. The science behind this is again related to the hormones based on gender.
#5: Sweet or Salty Cravings
What you crave during your months of pregnancy may also be a clue about the baby’s gender. Some people believe that sweet cravings mean that you are having a girl. Meanwhile, if all you want is salty and savory foods, there may be a little boy tucked inside.
#6: Baking Soda Test
One of the most original ways to have fun predicting the baby’s gender is the popular baking soda test. To perform this test, pour some of your self-collected morning urine into a cup mixed with equal parts baking soda. If there is no reaction, the old wives’ tale says that you are having a girl. However, if the urine starts to fizz, you are allegedly having a boy.
#7: Ring on a String
Another fun game to hypothesize about the baby’s gender is the ring on a string test. Thread a piece of string through a ring and dangle it over the mother’s growing belly. If the ring begins to swing back and forth in a straight line, you are having a girl. If the motion of the ring on the string is circular, you are said to be having a boy.
#8: Body Temperature
If you are feeling particularly chilly, many people will tell you that you are having a girl. A mom-to-be who is always hot is said to be carrying a boy.
#9: Mood Changes
Some people like to joke that your mood during pregnancy is an indicator of the gender of the impending arrival. Mothers who are moody and emotional are said to be having a girl. Likewise, those who are not experiencing emotional swings are predicted to deliver a boy.
While none of these old wives’ tales are truly scientific, it is still fun to use the tests for clues about what you may be having. It is not a good idea to choose nursery colors based on these predictions, but it definitely provides some interesting topics of conversation for your friends and family.
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