Your Babys Heart Rate
One of the more popular myths surrounds babys heart rate in the womb. As the story goes, if its over 140 beats per minute , youre having a girl. If its slower than 140 BPM, youre having a boy.
Verdict: A 2006 study showed that theres no significant difference between the heart rate of female and male babies in the first trimester.
More specifically, heart rate was measured for both sexes at approximately 9 weeks. Male babies had heart rates averaging at 154.9 BPM. Females had heart rates averaging at 151.7 BPM. And whats particularly important is that there was a plus or minus range with both males and females that was just under 23 BPM.
Positioning Of The Linea Nigra
Do you have a dark line reaching down over your belly bump? This dark line is called the Linea Nigra and is a very common symptom of pregnancy. They say that if this line reaches from your navel to your pubic bone, then you are having a girl. If it reaches above your navel, reports Refinery 29, and travels from your pubic bone to under your rib cage, then you are having a boy.
I’ll be honest, with both of my girls, I didn’t have a Linea Nigra at all. Sporting no line along my bump meant I would have been left in the dark about my girls’ gender if this was the only method to predict your baby’s sex. So, while this is a cute way to try and predict the gender, it is most certainly not fool proof.
What Causes Pregnancy Mood Swings
Your emotional rollercoaster ride is at least partially fueled by hormones. During pregnancy, the body ramps up production of estrogen and progesterone, which can trigger moodiness as well as other not-so-fun side effects like nausea and fatigue.
Its not all about biology though. Hormones aside, it’s no wonder your emotions are so up and down now that you’re expecting: Just look at all the ups and downs you’re going through. One minute you may be thrilled about becoming a mother the next minute, you might be freaking out about becoming a mother . Know that these feelings are completely normal .
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Using Your Linea Nigra As A Baby Gender Predictor
Linea nigra is Latin for ‘black line’ and is a line that may appear on your stomach during pregnancy. It is very common for women to develop this vertical line when they’re expecting and, as the NHS advises, it’s nothing to worry about: ‘This is normal skin pigmentation and nothing to worry about. It will probably vanish a few months after your baby’s born.’
Some people think that if you develop a linea nigra, it can help you predict your baby’s gender. Apparently, if it extends from your navel downwards towards your pubic bone then youre more likely to have a girl. However, if your linea nigra is heading north from your navel up towards your head then you are more likely to have a boy.
Morning Sickness And Gender
Although theres not substantial science to back this gender prediction method, some believe that the amount of morning sickness a mom-to-be has will determine gender. If mom is sick and turning green at every turn, then shes having a girl. If mom skips morning sickness or has few problems in that department, then shes having a boy.
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Old Wives’ Tales Are Fun But Generally Not Reliable For Predicting Sex
For some people, waiting until the 18th week of pregnancy to find out the sex of a baby can feel like an eternity. To fill the void, people may turn to some of the following six old wives’ tales to predict whether the fetus is a boy or girl.
Baby bump: One popular belief is that if a woman is carrying the baby high, she is supposedly having a girl, while carrying the baby low means it’s a boy. “Carrying high or low is a function of the mother’s abdominal wall muscle tone and the baby’s position,” Carr said. “It has no influence on gender,” he said.
Food cravings: Another theory holds that a mother’s food cravings during pregnancy may reveal the baby’s sex, with sweet cravings signifying a girl and cravings for salty, sour or odd foods linked with a boy. “This has no basis in physiology,” Carr said.
Fetal heart rate: There may be some truth to the idea that fetal heart rate could be a clue. Early in pregnancy, there is no difference in heart rate between the sexes, Carr said. But by the third trimester, a girl’s heartbeat tends to be a little faster and a boy’s a little slower, he said. Still, Carr cautioned that although researchers may find this association holds true over an average of 1,000 babies studied, an individual baby boy could still have a faster heartbeat, and an individual baby girl could have a slower one.
Follow My Babys Growth
All sex organs come from the genital ridge. The ovaries are equivalent to the testicles, meaning they are formed from the same cells, and the clitoris and the penis are equivalents. So once those hormones kick in, the genital ridge begins differentiating into these structures.
For most fetuses with XY chromosomes, the genital ridge starts to lengthen into a penis by week 11. Tiny buds will form the prostate around week 14, and the urinary system is formed by week 16. Testicles descend into the scrotum at around weeks 2631, and the penis continues growing during the third trimester.
For most fetuses with XX chromosomes, primary ovaries appear around week 12. Between weeks 14 and 20, they fill up with 67 million primitive eggs. These eggs reduce in quantity up until birth, at which point there are about 12 million eggs left. Two structures called the paramesonephric ducts fuse to form the uterus and vagina around week 16 of pregnancy.
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Gender Predictor Quiz: Boy Or Girl
Published on February 24th, 2021 and Updated on June 30th, 2022
Check out SneakPeek Gender Test to find out your babys gender as early as 6 weeks6 weeks at 99.9% accuracy!
Curious if youre expecting a baby girl or boy? Wondering if theres a way to find out right now? Take our fun gender predictor quiz below to take a peek!
You Are Having A Boy If:
- The fetal heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute
- Your hands are too dry during pregnancy
- You did not face much morning sickness during the first trimester
- Add your age at the time of conception and the number of the month you conceived , you get an even number
- You are carrying low. This means that if your pregnancy belly is heavier at the bottom than on top, then its a boy
- You experience stronger and more hair growth
- If you prefer sleeping on your left
- You have started looking duller and not so good as before
- Mood wise, you are more aggressive, bolder and dominating than before
- You are craving for food that is salty and savory and not sweet
- You pass the garlic test. Eat one garlic and if your body smells of garlic, you are having a boy
For tips in more detail, refer to Signs You Are Pregnant With A Boy!
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The Chinese Gender Prediction Chart
This one’s a calendar which is said to reveal the sex of your baby based on your lunar age charted against the month of your baby’s conception.
To work out if you’re having a boy or girl, according to this method, you’ll need to cross-reference a few bits of info such as your age at conception and the month you conceived. The test has no scientific basis but you can have a bit of fun with it and get an answer that will have 50% chance of being right.
How Does Labor Usually Start With A Breech Baby
If your membranes havent ruptured , your doctor may attempt a version before delivery. But if youre at term, your water has broken or youre having contractions, its too late for an ECV.
Although research shows that about 85 percent of breech babies are delivered by C-section, some doctors may attempt a vaginal delivery, especially if some of the following factors are in place:
- Your baby is full-term, not too big, in the frank breech position and shows no signs of distress
- Your pelvis is roomy enough for your baby to pass safely
- Youve experienced no complications
- Youre pregnant with twins and the first baby is head down while the other is breech
- Your provider has experience doing vaginal breech births
Your odds are good that your baby will be in the head-down position by the time delivery day arrives but if she remains bottom-down, you may need to be flexible in your childbirth plans. And even if your practitioner green-lights attempting labor, its just that: an attempt only.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
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When To Talk To Your Practitioner About Pregnancy Mood Swings
Some ups and downs during pregnancy are par for the course. But intense or persistent mood changes that interfere with daily life could be signs of pregnancy depression or anxiety.
Let your provider know if you experience symptoms like:
- Feeling very sad, irritable or angry out of nowhere
- Feeling restless or having trouble concentrating
- Feeling fearful or panicky
- Changes in your eating or sleeping habits
- Lack of interest in things you normally enjoy, or feeling like youre just going through the motions
- Feeling very anxious about becoming a mom or worrying about the baby
- Heart palpitations, rapid breathing or muscle tension
- Scary or intrusive thoughts that dont go away
If have any of the symptoms above or simply dont feel like yourself, tell your doctor or midwife right away. Taking steps to safeguard your mental health is important and will help you to have a more enjoyable pregnancy, not to mention give your baby the best possible start.
Your provider should also screen for mood and emotional well-being during the comprehensive postpartum visit, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . If you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, make sure to tell your doctor so that you can both monitor your emotional well-being closely and with additional professional care if warranted.
The following resources offer more information and support if you or someone you know may be suffering from a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder:
Dealing With Itchy Belly Here’s What To Do:
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
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Baby Sex Prediction Myth #: Look At The Calendar
Myth: The Chinese lunar calendar can predict a baby’s sex based on the mother’s age when they conceived and the month of conception.
Reality: The Chinese lunar calendar was discovered in a 700-year-old Royal tomb, and many pregnant women who’ve used it swear by it. Could this ancient artifact have some modern science behind it? Not necessarily. According to the same Canadian researchers who did the Drano test, the lunar calendar is no more accurate at predicting a baby’s sex than a random guess.
Sex Prediction: Am I Having A Boy Or Girl
How ultrasounds offer the sex prediction for your unborn baby.
There are many methods of sex prediction out there for expecting parents, but the most commonly used is ultrasound.
Ultrasounds have a variety of purposes during pregnancy, but the use that often receives the most attention is its ability to reveal the sex of the baby.
Some parents-to-be can’t wait to find out whether they’re having a boy or a girl, while others choose to put off knowing the sex until birth. Either way, a sonogram the grainy, black-and-white image that results from an ultrasound scan will be the baby’s earliest picture and a couple’s first chance to see the developing fetus.
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce an image on a screen of the baby in the mother’s uterus. The scans are typically done twice during pregnancy, but the one done between 18 and 22 weeks is when the sonographer might identify the sex of the baby, if parents want to know, according to the U.S Food & Drug Administration .
However, “more and more people are telling us they want to wait until the baby arrives to find out the sex,” Carr said. “It’s the last great surprise left,” he noted.
Increasingly, Carr said, couples have asked him to write down the baby’s sex and place the answer in a sealed envelope. This is because some parents-to-be want to host a gender-reveal party for family and friends to share the news.
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Where Do These Tales Come From
Before the time of writing or print, people shared stories in whats called the oral tradition.
Tales about anything from pregnancy to child-rearing to illness and beyond were shared as a way for people to impart wisdom. In some cases, these tales helped give people a feeling of control in situations where they felt otherwise powerless.
Pregnancy myths originated from all over the world and have been passed down from generation to generation. And youve likely heard many throughout your lifetime .
Yes these tales are still around today, despite scientific evidence dispelling many of their messages.
Truth time: While some people swear by so-called old wives tales for gender prediction both of these terms are outdated, by the way you have around a 50/50 chance of guessing your babys sex correctly no matter what method you use. Thats because the ratio of boys to girls born across the globe is 107:100.
Age Isn’t Just A Number
According to legend, a Chinese gender chart will use your age at conception and the month you conceived to determine the sex of your baby. The Mayans used a similar method. They looked at your age at conception and the year your baby was conceived. If both are even or odd, it’s a girl. If one is even and one is odd, oh baby it’s a boy! If only life were so predictable and simple!
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What Are Pregnancy Mood Swings
Mood swings that happen during pregnancy are a lot like the mood swings that many women experience before their periods. You might feel happy one minute and sad, angry or anxious the next or maybe you find yourself having bigger feelings over things that dont usually make you all that emotional.
While your ricocheting moods might make you feel frustrated, these emotional surges are a totally normal and even expected part of being pregnant.
When Do Pregnancy Mood Swings Start
Emotional turbulence tends to hit hardest during the first trimester, as your body is adjusting to changing hormone levels. For some women, mood swings are one of the earliest signs of pregnancy, starting as soon as week 4.
Many pregnant people find that the highs and lows start to even out as their pregnancy progresses, only for the mood swings to ramp back up as they near their due date. Others find that their moods stay more sensitive throughout their entire pregnancy and thats normal, too.
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Having No Mood Swings
Do you really think that expectant moms experiencing no mood swings will have a boy?
Unfortunately, I am not truly into this theory because its too general. All pregnant ladies are pretty moody regardless of the babys sex they are going to give birth. Due to the hormonal changes, mood swings are somewhat a very common occurrence for many pregnant women.
Yet, your personality changes predominantly can tell the sex of your unborn child.
Lets see if theres any change in your behavior! If you become aggressive, bold and dominant, then you are more likely to carry a boy.
If You Have Bad Morning Sickness Youre Probably Having A Girl
The verdict: Myth. Hormonal changes during the first trimester are the most probable cause of morning sickness. It is very common in early pregnancy.
Several risk factors for morning sickness include having twins or triplets, or a history of morning sickness in previous pregnancies. Your baby’s sex has nothing to do with it .
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Left Breast Bigger Than The Right
And, of course, according to the old wives tale, as your breasts change shape due to the natural injection of additional hormones to your body, they say that if one breast grows larger than the other then you are having a girl. But of course, only if it’s the left breast, according to TODAY. If the right breast is bigger than the left than it’s a boy.
It’s unknown where this pregnancy prediction method came from, but I think it’s safe to say that we can all be a little dubious about this one. Besides that, it’s often quite common for women to have one breast larger than the other. As your breasts prepare themselves for lactation and go up a cup size or two then it’s only natural for them to change based on the size and shape of your breasts before pregnancy.
