How to know your baby’s gender? Here’s a science-based baby gender prediction you should know.
“You are glowing! You must be having a boy” is probably a sentence you’ve heard more than once since you became pregnant. This obsession over the gender of the baby is understandable. It determines which name you’re going to use, and the clothes you’re going to buy, and even goes as far as imagining what the future lives of your baby will be.
The frustrating thing is the earliest you can tell the baby’s gender is 10 weeks. Until then, it’s a guessing game, ergo the different old wives’ tales about the “signs” that show the gender of your unborn little one: if you’re carrying low it’s a boy, if you get terrible morning sickness it’s a girl, when you have severe acne it’s a girl, and the list goes on.
The bottom line is: can we trust these old wives’ tales? Do they have some truth to them? Or, should we leave it up to science to tell us the signs? Find out all about that by reading on.
Debunking myths about baby sex predictions
Image Source: iStock
First, let us debunk the myths surrounding baby gender prediction. In all fairness to those old wives, they gave a LOT of signs. But, the question is if they’re true. Let’s find out:
1. Extreme mood swings mean it’s a girl
If you already had mood swings pre-pregnancy and haven’t experienced them yet, just wait. Mood swings can become really intense during pregnancy. And, there’s hearsay claiming that if you have been experiencing erratic mood swings, then you might be having a girl.
The truth is that those mood swings have no relevance to gender at all. Some women have little to no mood swings and end up having girls. A woman’s threshold becomes much more delicate and sensitive during pregnancy regardless of the baby’s gender. So, is this sign a myth? Definitely, it is.
2. It’s a girl if your baby is laying high in your tummy
How those old wives got to making these assumptions is more interesting than finding out that this statement is another myth. Where your baby lies inside of you does not determine the sex of your baby. They hang low or high depending on your body type and diet. The baby gender prediction of the baby has nothing to do with it.
3. It’s a girl if your pee is yellow
The only good thing about this sign is that it is one that no one else will see and harass you for. No peeping mother or mother-in-law will come storming into the bathroom to check on the color of your pee. The bad news, however, is that it is another myth. No body of research can confirm this claim, and therefore, we can rule it out as a hoax.
Another bad news is that yellowish pee could be a sign that you are dehydrated. And, dehydration is not a condition you want to find yourself in when you’re pregnant. So, drink up, and wish for it to turn clear.
4. Beautiful glowing skin means it’s a boy
This is the type of sign that might be bordering on being judgmental, because what is the basis of old wives saying glowing has anything to do with baby gender prediction? Plus, what a sly way to tell a mpm they’re looking as haggard as a mop when you tell them they must be having a girl based on this myth. Thank goodness science is not backing up old wives on this one.
5. Salty and savory cravings mean it’s a boy
If old wives’ tales are basing the baby’s gender prediction on the adjectives used to describe these types of food, then we can officially confirm that these old wives think of gender in the traditional sense. Salty and savory cravings mean the baby is a boy and sweet cravings mean the baby is a girl. You can’t get more traditional than that.
Fortunately, no body of research can confirm that cravings are indicators of a baby’s sex, as cravings say more about the nutritional needs of pregnant women than the sex.
Alright, so now that we know which myths to throw out the window, let’s signs that are actually backed by research and are reliable in determining the sex of the baby. Let’s start with what science has to say about the signs you’re carrying a boy:
Science says your baby is a boy when . . .
Baby gender prediction | Image Source: iStock
1. When you consumed high amounts of calories during conception
If you were that gal who ate at steakhouses, ate meat after meat, then ate them with huge bowls or plates of pasta and potato wedges right before conception, there is a likelier chance you are having a boy. The only explanation for this is that baby boys need more calories. This statement is relatively reliable as a baby gender prediction.
2. When you are eating more than usual
So you ought to note not only what you eat before getting pregnant but also the amount of food you eat during pregnancy. If your appetite is already being likened to a bottomless pit, you could be getting yourself a baby boy.
What’s the reasoning behind it? The amount of testosterone that male fetuses produce may be sending a mom signals to eat more.
3. When you’ve found yourself rejecting your favorite foods
Ah, the food aversions. According to science, aversions are the moms’ bodies’ way of telling which foods are potentially sketchy substances. So, in other words, aversions actually save you from food poisoning. Such squeamishness is used to protect a male fetus, considered to be especially vulnerable. Aha, another baby gender prediction went right.
Science says your baby is a girl when . . .
1. Your morning sickness is intense
You’ve probably experienced it when you have had your head hovering over a toilet seat or a sink when your mom or mother-in-law’s high-pitched voice comes inching closer to your ear as they hear the gurgling sound in your throat. “YOU’RE HAVING A GIRL! YOU’RE HAVING A GIRL.” They’ll say in a jubilant fashion.
As much as you want to get into one of your mood bursts to get your mother’s attention back to nursing you to health, there is some truth to this
baby gender prediction. Baby girl fetuses are said to produce pregnancy hormones hCG more than male fetuses. And these hormones are what’s causing you to have
morning sickness.
2. You have a bad memory
A previous study revealed that moms who carried girls are most likely to get low scores on memory tests. So, it’s true. Whenever you curse yourself for forgetting the keys to the house when you’ve already locked the door, forgetting to press “Cook” in your rice cooker, or forgetting that it’s a Saturday, so you don’t have work today, smile because all of those
memory lapses could mean you’re having a girl.
3. Your baby is in a breech position.
Ideally, when you’re 9 months is almost up, your baby starts getting into the delivery
position (their feet on the top part of your tummy and their heads cradled in the bottom part of your tummy). That is the ideal position.
However, not all pregnant women close to their due date have their unborn children resting on the top of their heads on mom’s cervix.
Unfortunately, some of them refuse to follow the status quo and keep pointing their feet down the vagina. This position is what doctors call a
breech. And more often than not, babies who are breech during labor and delivery are girls.
Image Source: iStock
It’s important to note that every pregnancy is different and what is stated here isn’t always the case. The best and most accurate way to know the sex of your baby is through ultrasound.
Regardless of whether your predictions are accurate or not, and whether you’re having a girl or a boy, the most important is to have a safe pregnancy and delivery and a very healthy baby.
Here at theAsianparent Philippines, it’s important for us to give information that is correct, significant, and timely. But this doesn’t serve as an alternative for medical advice or medical treatment. theAsianparent Philippines is not responsible for those that would choose to drink medicines based on information from our website. If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your doctor for clearer information.
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