When I was pregnant I had no clue whether I was having a boy or girl.
I didn’t have a gut feeling that I was expecting one more than the other, and the single ultrasound I was given resulted in these parting words from the tech: “Don’t paint the nursery yet.”
Apparently, my daughter was positioned oddly during the ultrasound, so the tech was not able to determine her gender with 100 percent accuracy. Hence his witty little quip as I peeled myself from the examining table and lumbered out of the room.
Interestingly, while I didn’t have a feeling about the sex of my child, everyone in my circle of friends, family and acquaintances (and even a few strangers) were absolutely convinced that they knew my baby’s gender. Most used old wives tales as the source of their predictions.
Among the most popular are:
1. If you are having weird food cravings you’re having a boy.
Some women claim that they suddenly develop an aversion to certain foods when they become pregnant, while others admit to devouring food items they would normally avoid. I lived on peanut butter and deviled eggs while I was pregnant with my daughter. I wouldn’t consider that a “weird” food craving unless I paired them together, but I would never dream of eating peanut butter covered deviled eggs—-pregnant or not.
2. Bad morning sickness means you’re having a boy.
I didn’t suffer morning sickness, and I had a girl, so there might be something to this.
3. Rapid fetal heart rate means you’re having a girl.
According to this rule, if your unborn child’s heart rate is above 140 beats per minute you’re expecting a girl, and if it’s below you’re expecting a boy. My daughter’s heart rate was below 140. Go figure.
Old wives tales aside, a new study has found that mother’s intuition is the best predictor of a child’s gender. According to the research, more than three quarters of the nearly 10,000 women queried accurately guessed the sex of their baby.
Of the female research participants who claimed to have a “powerful sense” about their unborn baby’s sex, either through basic intuition or seeing it in a dream, 60 percent guessed correctly.
Researchers concluded that when push comes to shove in the world of baby gender predictions, mom’s intuition is the clear winner.
Did you have a gut feeling about your baby’s sex?
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